Late Models, Wingless Spec Sprints Head Up Five Division Program At Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA...Antioch Speedway heads into June with an exciting five division All Star Series racing line up this Saturday night. The DIRTcar Late Models are back for their third event of the season, joined by the Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Hobby Stocks.

Having scored a win and a second so far this season, it's no surprise to see three-time reigning champion Jeff Decker topping the list in the DIRTcar Late Model division standings. It might be a surprise to see who is second. It's Rod Oliver, who has been racing at Marysville and Placerville in recent seasons. Oliver is only 10 points out of the lead, six ahead of Dennis Souza. If the Oliver name sounds familiar, fans of the Late Model program in the early 90s may remember Danny Oliver making occasional visits to Antioch Speedway and running competitively.

Souza enjoyed his best Antioch finish to date in second at the most recent race. Dennis has been a staunch supporter of the Late Model effort since the track launched it five years ago. He also leads two time Petaluma champion Paul Gulielmoni and Rob Norris by just four points in another close race for third. These five are anticipated this week along with Mike Hynes, Kimo Oreta, David Newquist and two-time champion Richard Papenhausen.

Bob Newberry is slowly beginning to pull away from the pack in his quest for a second Antioch Speedway Wingless Spec Sprint championship. Newberry won for the second time at the most recent race, and he also has two second place feature finishes. Ageless veteran Roy Fisher is holding on to second by just seven points ahead of Shannon Newton and eight in front of Brandon Burd. Newton won the Trophy Dash at the recent Fair Race, but he ran out of time in the Main Event as he had to charge from 10th starting to third.

Both Newton and Alan Miranda are feature winners this year. Miranda is a little bit further back in the standings in sixth. 12 points ahead of Miranda, despite a very disappointing start to his season is Rick Panfili. Panfili put his car on it's lid earlier this year. He'll be hoping for better results this week, and other drivers to look for include Scott Martin, James East and rookie McKenzie Newton.

In B Modified competition, 2016 champion Trevor Clymens appears to be gathering momentum and pulling away from the pack. Clymens won for the second time in a row last week ahead of KC Keller. Keller is the reigning champion but is making visits to other tracks this season. 2016 Hobby Stock champion Guy Ahlwardt holds second, just two points ahead of rookie Ryan DeForest. A championship may not be out of the question for Ahlwardt, but what he's really looking for is his first feature win in this class. Other drivers to watch for this week include rookie and one time feature winner Brent Curran, Chuck Golden, Kevin Brown and Todd Gomez.

Four races into the Limited Late Model championship season, there are four drivers very much in contention. Mark Garner sent notice to the rest of the competition that he is looking to bring that championship trophy back to the Garner household by winning the prestigious Larry Damitz Memorial Race to kick off the season. He also has a second and third place feature finish, putting him eight points ahead of Mike Wako. If the Walko name sounds familiar, it's because Mike started racing at Antioch Speedway in the famous Car 54 Stock Car back in 1982. He has spent recent seasons as one of the top drivers at Marysville and finished second in points there last year. However, Walko wanted to race a little closer to home this season.

Walko is a one time feature winner this year with a pair of thirds and a second, putting him six points ahead of reigning champion Kimo Oreta in the close race for second. Not to be counted out in the battle is the flying pickup truck of Ryan Cherezian. Ryan also enjoyed one of his best ever finishes in second this year, and he's hungry for victory. Maybe he'll get that win this week. Other drivers to watch for include Chad Hammer, John Evans, Lori Brown and two-time champion Mike Gustafson. Word is that Chris Long will be making his return this week.

Chris Sorensen has had an amazing start to his season in a new car from the shops of Baker Motorsports. Sorenson has won three features so far with three additional Top 3 finishes, putting him 34 points ahead of Michael Cooper. Cooper is also a three-time winner, but last week broke a streak of two straight non Top 5 finishes for Cooper. In a similar occurrence to last season, Cameron Swank rattled off four second place finishes before finally getting his first win last time out. The win helped move him to within 30 points of Cooper for third in the standings.

One time winner John Wacht tops the rookies in the field and is ranked fourth in the standings. After having one of his best finishes ever in third last week, Billy Garner has closed to within just 30 points of Wacht. Several new drivers have helped make the Hobby Stocks a very entertaining show this year. Other drivers to keep an eye on this week include Tanis Rangel, Haley Gomez, Anthony Vigna and Breanna Troen. Last week, Chris Bennett enjoyed his best ever finish in second. The next time he returns to the speedway, he'll be out to put the Bob Hanson Tribute Car into the Winner's Circle.

The five division All Star Series lineup of divisions offers a little something for everybody. It's sure to be a great show from start to finish. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.



Chadwick, Clymens, Swank Win
Antioch Speedway Features

Antioch, CA...May 26...Kellen Chadwick scored the 20 lap All Star Series A Modified Main Event win Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The division produced a big 24 car count, and Chadwick shared the front row of the Main Event with Jeff Olschowka. Olschowka surprised Chadwick on the start, but a lap three restart gave Chadwick the opportunity to make an inside move into the lead in Turn 4. Once Chadwick got the lead, he was never really challenged in victory. On a restart with three laps to go, Olschowka had his hands full trying to hold off Jeff Decker and mid-pack starter Nick DeCarlo for second. However, Olschowka kept his cool and grabbed the runnerup finish ahead of DeCarlo, Richard Papenhausen and Decker.

Point leader Trevor Clymens captured his third B Modified Main Event victory. After the race struggled with four yellow flags in the first lap, Doff Cooksey settled into the lead ahead of Sharp Shooter winner Guy Ahlwardt and Clymens. Ahlwardt made an inside pass exiting Turn 4 of the 10th lap to take the lead. Cooksey got out of shape down the front straight away, allowing Clymens to settle into second. The lead duo battled fiercely for the lead, and a yellow flag flew with six laps to go. Clymens got a good run on the outside on the restart lap and made the pass for the lead down the backstretch. Ahlwardt was making a bid to regain the lead as they approached the white flag, only to be given a yellow as there was another crash in Turn 2. On the restart, Ahlwardt discovered that he had a flat tire but he continued. Clymens led the final lap for the victory, followed by KC Keller, Cooksey, Robby Senn and Tony Peffer.

Brad Furr picked up the win in the 20 lap Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event. Furr is a two-time champion at Watsonville, and he raced around front row starters Art McCarthy and Matt DeMartini early on. Jacob Tuttle found his way into second, but he was no match for the flying Furr, who scored the impressive victory. McCarthy settled for third ahead of DeMartini and Billy Aton.

Reigning Hobby Stock champion Cameron Swank won the 20 lap Main Event. It was his first win of the season after four second place finishes so far this year. Rookie Tanis Rangel led a couple of laps before Swank swept past for the lead. Billy Garner finally took second from Rangel halfway through the race, but he surrendered that position to mid pack starter Chris Bennett on a lap 15 restart. There was no stopping Swank as he sped to the victory with Chris Bennett a career best second. Garner was a career best best third as the returning Bob Bennett and Michael Cooper completed the Top 5 at the checkered flag.

Kevin Miraglio won his second 20 lap Dwarf Car Main Event of the season. The 2016 champion raced into the lead early on. A restart with two laps to go proved to be interesting. Second place David Michael Rosa made an attempt to get around Miraglio, but Devan Kammermann charged past him to take the second position behind the flying Miraglio. Rosa settled for third ahead of his father, David Rosa, and fifth place finisher Miranda Chappa.

Next week, All Star Series racing continues with DIRTcar Late Models, Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Unofficial Race Results
All Star Series
A Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Kellen Chadwick, Jeff Olschowka, Bobby Motts Jr, Jeff Decker. B Main (12 Laps)-Carl Berendsen II, Trent Wentworth, Duane Cleveland, John McDougall, Josh Combs. Main Event (20 Laps)-Chadwick, Olschowka, Nick DeCarlo, Richard Papenhausen, Decker, Motts, Brian Cass, Berendsen, Chris Lewis, Cleveland.

B Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-KC Keller, Trevor Clymens. Sharp Shooter Race (12 Laps)-Guy Ahlwardt, Clymens, Tommy Fraser. Main Event (25 Laps)- Clymens, Keller, Doff Cooksey, Robby Senn, Tony Peffer, Ron Brown, Ahlwardt, Joe Salvi, Ryan DeForest, Anthony Giuliani.

360 Sprint Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Billy Aton, Brad Furr. Main Event (20 Laps)-Furr, Jacob Tuttle, Art McCarthy, Matt DeMartini, Aton, David Dias, Tim Burcher.

Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Chris Sorensen, Cameron Swank. Main Event (20 Laps)- Swank, Chris Bennett, Billy Garner, Bob Bennett, Michael Cooper, Sorensen, Anthony Vigna, Philip Oreta, Breanna Troen, Tanis Rangel.

Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-David Michael Rosa, Josh Miller. Main Event (20 Laps)-Kevin Miraglio, Devan Kammermann, David Michael Rosa, David Rosa, Miranda Chappa, Mario Marquez, Tony Carmignani, Mike Corsaro, Paul Altorre, Charlie Correia.