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Allard Wins 32nd Career Feature at Chico
By: Troy Hennig
(Chico, CA 4-18-08)...Chico's Jonathan Allard started on the pole position Friday night at Silver Dollar
Speedway and cruised to his 32nd career feature event win at Chico. The former champion held off a charging
Tyler Walker to get the popular win. “I want to thank NMI Industrial Contractors for sponsoring tonight and I
have to give a big thanks to my sponsors K & N Filter, Red Line Oil and everyone who makes this car a pleasure
to drive,” said Allard into Gary Thomas' infield microphone. Walker also pulled onto the front straight and
thanked the crowd for their support. A strong fan base consisted of the workers, friends and family of NMI
Industrial Contractors who where the most vocal cheering section of the night. Allard's win earned him and the
Morrie and Katie Williams owned #0 a $2,000 winners check.
Chico's Jimmy Pettit earned is first career non-wing spec sprint main event. Pettit was impressive throughout
the night. Former track champion Scott Rogers of Redding won the street stock main event. A total of 59 drivers
entered point race number three during the Feather Falls Casino Friday night point championship series.
Allard led from the green flag during the 25-lap sprint car main event. Allard beat Kyle Hirst into turn one.
Hirst settled into the second spot while Walker moved into third. Andy Forsberg and Jason York had a spirited
battle for fourth and fifth. Throughout the main event the two former champions and now veterans of the racing
at Silver Dollar Speedway kept swapping the fourth spot on the track. Up front Allard was in cruise control. Just
when he started catching the rear of the field various yellows and a red helped clear the race track and give
Allard a clean track. Brett Miller took a tumble down the back stretch half way through the event to bring out the
red. Contact with Kevin Sharrah resulted in Miller ending his night on the tow truck. Sharrah continued on and
finished just outside the top ten. Up front Walker made a charge around Hirst with three laps to go. Walker
looked to be closing in on Allard for the lead but it was not meant to be. Allard crossed the line three car lengths
ahead of Walker. Hirst finished in the third spot. Forsberg beat York for the fourth spot.
Paradise resident Justin Funkhouser led the first lap in the non wing spec sprint main event. Funkhouser looked
to be in control of the race early on. Jimmy Pettit moved into the second spot while Taylor Simas ran third.
Mason Myers was charging to the front until a flipped going into turn one. He stayed in the cockpit and once the
safety crew rolled him back on all four he continued on. Myers would finish ninth. Terry Schank Jr. had won the
previous two nights of main event racing at Chico and tonight he climbed to the fifth spot. But problems forced
the driver into the infield and he would not finish the race. Point leader Keith Bloom moved into the fourth spot.
Bloom could not move further forward and finished fourth. Back up front Funkhouser slipped up the track and
Pettit came through on the bottom. Pettit and Funkhouser raced side by side going into turn one. Pettit had the
momentum and took the lead. Pettit led the final few laps and got the popular win. Pettit started in the pure stock
division at Chico then moved to the Outlaw Karts. The past few seasons he has competed in the wingless division
and had good finishes, however, tonight was his fist win. It was a good feeling to see him get a long overdue
victory.
Redding street stock ace Scott Rogers won his first main event of the year. It was only the second time the street
stocks raced at Chico this year. Kevin Pendergrass led the early part of the race. He held a strong lead until lap
five when Rogers made his move. Rogers took the lead and never looked back. Defending two time champion
Jeff Olschowka finished second. Heather Bartlett finished in the third spot. Pendergrass fell back to a fourth
place finish.
Kevin Sharrah led all 12 laps to win the sprint car B main event. Jason York finished second and Mark Hall was
third. The pass of the night went to Mike Henry as he passed Jason Botsford for the final transfer spot on the
last lap. Henry brought the crowd to their feet with his electrifying pass.
Dan Simpson win the first 410 winged sprint car race. Sean Becker led all eight laps to win the second heat.
Willie Croft survived a smoking engine compartment to capture the third heat win. Jonathan Allard won the
fourth heat.
Tyler Walker turned the fastest lap of the night at 12.267. A total of 27 drivers qualified in the sprint division.
Terry Schank Jr. won the first non-wing heat race. Jimmy Pettit had a perfect night by winning the second heat
race.
Jeff Olschowka dominated the first heat race in street stock action. Heather Bartlett won the second heat race.
Complete results are available at http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
By: Troy Hennig
(Chico, CA 4-18-08)...Chico's Jonathan Allard started on the pole position Friday night at Silver Dollar
Speedway and cruised to his 32nd career feature event win at Chico. The former champion held off a charging
Tyler Walker to get the popular win. “I want to thank NMI Industrial Contractors for sponsoring tonight and I
have to give a big thanks to my sponsors K & N Filter, Red Line Oil and everyone who makes this car a pleasure
to drive,” said Allard into Gary Thomas' infield microphone. Walker also pulled onto the front straight and
thanked the crowd for their support. A strong fan base consisted of the workers, friends and family of NMI
Industrial Contractors who where the most vocal cheering section of the night. Allard's win earned him and the
Morrie and Katie Williams owned #0 a $2,000 winners check.
Chico's Jimmy Pettit earned is first career non-wing spec sprint main event. Pettit was impressive throughout
the night. Former track champion Scott Rogers of Redding won the street stock main event. A total of 59 drivers
entered point race number three during the Feather Falls Casino Friday night point championship series.
Allard led from the green flag during the 25-lap sprint car main event. Allard beat Kyle Hirst into turn one.
Hirst settled into the second spot while Walker moved into third. Andy Forsberg and Jason York had a spirited
battle for fourth and fifth. Throughout the main event the two former champions and now veterans of the racing
at Silver Dollar Speedway kept swapping the fourth spot on the track. Up front Allard was in cruise control. Just
when he started catching the rear of the field various yellows and a red helped clear the race track and give
Allard a clean track. Brett Miller took a tumble down the back stretch half way through the event to bring out the
red. Contact with Kevin Sharrah resulted in Miller ending his night on the tow truck. Sharrah continued on and
finished just outside the top ten. Up front Walker made a charge around Hirst with three laps to go. Walker
looked to be closing in on Allard for the lead but it was not meant to be. Allard crossed the line three car lengths
ahead of Walker. Hirst finished in the third spot. Forsberg beat York for the fourth spot.
Paradise resident Justin Funkhouser led the first lap in the non wing spec sprint main event. Funkhouser looked
to be in control of the race early on. Jimmy Pettit moved into the second spot while Taylor Simas ran third.
Mason Myers was charging to the front until a flipped going into turn one. He stayed in the cockpit and once the
safety crew rolled him back on all four he continued on. Myers would finish ninth. Terry Schank Jr. had won the
previous two nights of main event racing at Chico and tonight he climbed to the fifth spot. But problems forced
the driver into the infield and he would not finish the race. Point leader Keith Bloom moved into the fourth spot.
Bloom could not move further forward and finished fourth. Back up front Funkhouser slipped up the track and
Pettit came through on the bottom. Pettit and Funkhouser raced side by side going into turn one. Pettit had the
momentum and took the lead. Pettit led the final few laps and got the popular win. Pettit started in the pure stock
division at Chico then moved to the Outlaw Karts. The past few seasons he has competed in the wingless division
and had good finishes, however, tonight was his fist win. It was a good feeling to see him get a long overdue
victory.
Redding street stock ace Scott Rogers won his first main event of the year. It was only the second time the street
stocks raced at Chico this year. Kevin Pendergrass led the early part of the race. He held a strong lead until lap
five when Rogers made his move. Rogers took the lead and never looked back. Defending two time champion
Jeff Olschowka finished second. Heather Bartlett finished in the third spot. Pendergrass fell back to a fourth
place finish.
Kevin Sharrah led all 12 laps to win the sprint car B main event. Jason York finished second and Mark Hall was
third. The pass of the night went to Mike Henry as he passed Jason Botsford for the final transfer spot on the
last lap. Henry brought the crowd to their feet with his electrifying pass.
Dan Simpson win the first 410 winged sprint car race. Sean Becker led all eight laps to win the second heat.
Willie Croft survived a smoking engine compartment to capture the third heat win. Jonathan Allard won the
fourth heat.
Tyler Walker turned the fastest lap of the night at 12.267. A total of 27 drivers qualified in the sprint division.
Terry Schank Jr. won the first non-wing heat race. Jimmy Pettit had a perfect night by winning the second heat
race.
Jeff Olschowka dominated the first heat race in street stock action. Heather Bartlett won the second heat race.
Complete results are available at http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
Mason Moore Wins First Career Main at Chico
By: Troy Hennig
(Chico, CA 4-11-08)...Princeton driver Mason Moore scored his first career sprint car 410 main event win Friday night
at Silver Dollar Speedway. The second year driver lived up to his nickname “Primetime” and led all 25-laps to win the
first annual Bill Brownell Memorial race. By winning the race Moore won the biggest pay day on a Friday night race in
recent memory. Moore's victory earned him a $3,000 pay day. The Moore Insurance Services/Mike Clarke prepared
#22 was flawless all night. Moore held off both Allard brothers and a charging Brent Kaeding to get the popular win.
“This was just the perfect night,” said Moore in victory lane. “There are a lot of people to thank for getting me to this spot
tonight.”
Terry Schank Jr. won the 20-lap wingless sprint feature event. “Things have been going real good for us the past two
weeks,” said Schank Jr. referencing to his back to back wins at Chico on Friday night. Dave Duste Jr. took the lead at
the half way point of the dirt modified 15-lap main event. He went on to hold off Mike Sohnrey for the victory. A total of
62 cars entered point race number two of the Feather Falls Casino Friday night championship series. The nights
sponsors were Chico Custom Cycles and Pro Pool Tile Cleaning.
The main attraction of the night was the return of track legend Shane Scott. The former seven-time track champion was
returning to the cockpit for a one night only performance. Scott was racing in honor of his friend Bill Brownell. Scott
did not disappoint the packed grandstands. The highlight of the night was Scott not only leading the third heat race but
winning in dominating fashion. After the race Scott thrilled the crowd with an old-fashioned wheelie. Even though Scott
is closer to the age of 50, than 20, he still has that desire and passion to not only win races but entertain the crowd.
Many of the young drivers at Chico could learn a lot from the showman ship that Scott possesses. Many of our local
drivers question why Scott is still so popular even after six years of retirement. But if they were watching last night, they
could learn a lot about why he is still so beloved by his fans at Chico.
Moore led from the start of the green flag. Outside front row starter Andy Gregg fell into the second spot. Stephen Allard
started third but soon moved around Gregg for the second spot. His younger brother Jonathan started fifth but soon
moved into the third spot and began to challenge Stephen for second. On lap three Kevin Sharrah was pushed into the
front straight wall. His car needed to be towed away. Racing continued with Moore leading. At first it seemed like a
matter of time until one of the veteran Allard brothers would get by Moore. But to his credit, Moore kept his cool and
committed to the bottom. He rolled around the bottom to perfection. At times he would pull away from both Allard
brothers. Things were going to heat up on lap 10 when Moore caught to back of the pack. As Moore began to dice it up
with slower cars the yellow came out when Kyle Hirst spun in turn three. On the restart Robbie Whitchurch went for a
tumble in turn two. He was joined by Jason York and Johnny Gray. The next restart saw Jonathan pass Stephen for
second. A surprise driver on this night was Brent Kaeding who came up to drive the Dan Menne owned #75. Kaeding
started in the 12th spot but moved into fourth on lap 11. Once again the leaders were catching up to the rear of the field.
Moore benefited again from a caution on lap 19 when Willie Croft clipped a white tire and spun through the infield. A
yellow was thrown and the field was bunched back up. This cleared up the race track and for Mason Moore it must of
looked like heaven. As long as he kept his car on the bottom and stayed true to his line the race was his. The final six laps
rolled off without incident and Moore crossed the line as the winner. A happy crew ran to his car and celebrated while
many of his friends and family belted out their approval from the stands. Stephen Allard finished second and Kaeding
moved into the third spot. Jonathan Allard ran fourth and Sean Becker was fifth.
Terry Schank Jr. started on the pole of the 20-lap main event. It was apparent from the start he was the driver to beat.
Schank Jr. drives one of the best prepared wingless spec sprints on the West Coast. Tonight the driver and team were on
their game. Taylor Simas tried his best to give Schank Jr. a challenge. Simas closed in on the open wheel veteran and at
one point was side-by-side at the flag stand while the two were racing slower cars. Schank Jr. was able to hold his line
and take the lead coming out of turn two. Billy Wallace was the other challenger who might of had something for the
leader. Yet, Wallace ran out of laps and actually at the end passed Simas for second. Keith Bloom ran a solid race to
finish fourth while Mason Myers finished a solid fifth.
The dirt modified main event provided the best racing and passing on the night. Eddy Lewis jumped out to the early
lead. Tom Caniff then moved around Lewis and led the for the next few laps. Starting in the fifth spot was Dave Duste
Jr. He methodically moved through the field and soon was challenging for the lead. Duste Jr. passed Caniff for the lead
at the half-way point of the main event. Duste Jr. then began to take off hide from the rest of the field. Mike Sohnrey was
the only driver to stay in striking distance of the leader. Sohnrey was never able to get within three or four car lengths
of the leader. Duste Jr. led the final laps to win the 15-lap dirt modified main event. Matt Murphy finished in the second
spot. Tom Purcell moved into a third place finish. Caniff fell back to a fifth place finish after leading for a bit. Defending
track champion Richard Papenhausen suffered through a tough night. He was involved in two yellows and was
disqualified from the event.
Full results are available at http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
By: Troy Hennig
(Chico, CA 4-11-08)...Princeton driver Mason Moore scored his first career sprint car 410 main event win Friday night
at Silver Dollar Speedway. The second year driver lived up to his nickname “Primetime” and led all 25-laps to win the
first annual Bill Brownell Memorial race. By winning the race Moore won the biggest pay day on a Friday night race in
recent memory. Moore's victory earned him a $3,000 pay day. The Moore Insurance Services/Mike Clarke prepared
#22 was flawless all night. Moore held off both Allard brothers and a charging Brent Kaeding to get the popular win.
“This was just the perfect night,” said Moore in victory lane. “There are a lot of people to thank for getting me to this spot
tonight.”
Terry Schank Jr. won the 20-lap wingless sprint feature event. “Things have been going real good for us the past two
weeks,” said Schank Jr. referencing to his back to back wins at Chico on Friday night. Dave Duste Jr. took the lead at
the half way point of the dirt modified 15-lap main event. He went on to hold off Mike Sohnrey for the victory. A total of
62 cars entered point race number two of the Feather Falls Casino Friday night championship series. The nights
sponsors were Chico Custom Cycles and Pro Pool Tile Cleaning.
The main attraction of the night was the return of track legend Shane Scott. The former seven-time track champion was
returning to the cockpit for a one night only performance. Scott was racing in honor of his friend Bill Brownell. Scott
did not disappoint the packed grandstands. The highlight of the night was Scott not only leading the third heat race but
winning in dominating fashion. After the race Scott thrilled the crowd with an old-fashioned wheelie. Even though Scott
is closer to the age of 50, than 20, he still has that desire and passion to not only win races but entertain the crowd.
Many of the young drivers at Chico could learn a lot from the showman ship that Scott possesses. Many of our local
drivers question why Scott is still so popular even after six years of retirement. But if they were watching last night, they
could learn a lot about why he is still so beloved by his fans at Chico.
Moore led from the start of the green flag. Outside front row starter Andy Gregg fell into the second spot. Stephen Allard
started third but soon moved around Gregg for the second spot. His younger brother Jonathan started fifth but soon
moved into the third spot and began to challenge Stephen for second. On lap three Kevin Sharrah was pushed into the
front straight wall. His car needed to be towed away. Racing continued with Moore leading. At first it seemed like a
matter of time until one of the veteran Allard brothers would get by Moore. But to his credit, Moore kept his cool and
committed to the bottom. He rolled around the bottom to perfection. At times he would pull away from both Allard
brothers. Things were going to heat up on lap 10 when Moore caught to back of the pack. As Moore began to dice it up
with slower cars the yellow came out when Kyle Hirst spun in turn three. On the restart Robbie Whitchurch went for a
tumble in turn two. He was joined by Jason York and Johnny Gray. The next restart saw Jonathan pass Stephen for
second. A surprise driver on this night was Brent Kaeding who came up to drive the Dan Menne owned #75. Kaeding
started in the 12th spot but moved into fourth on lap 11. Once again the leaders were catching up to the rear of the field.
Moore benefited again from a caution on lap 19 when Willie Croft clipped a white tire and spun through the infield. A
yellow was thrown and the field was bunched back up. This cleared up the race track and for Mason Moore it must of
looked like heaven. As long as he kept his car on the bottom and stayed true to his line the race was his. The final six laps
rolled off without incident and Moore crossed the line as the winner. A happy crew ran to his car and celebrated while
many of his friends and family belted out their approval from the stands. Stephen Allard finished second and Kaeding
moved into the third spot. Jonathan Allard ran fourth and Sean Becker was fifth.
Terry Schank Jr. started on the pole of the 20-lap main event. It was apparent from the start he was the driver to beat.
Schank Jr. drives one of the best prepared wingless spec sprints on the West Coast. Tonight the driver and team were on
their game. Taylor Simas tried his best to give Schank Jr. a challenge. Simas closed in on the open wheel veteran and at
one point was side-by-side at the flag stand while the two were racing slower cars. Schank Jr. was able to hold his line
and take the lead coming out of turn two. Billy Wallace was the other challenger who might of had something for the
leader. Yet, Wallace ran out of laps and actually at the end passed Simas for second. Keith Bloom ran a solid race to
finish fourth while Mason Myers finished a solid fifth.
The dirt modified main event provided the best racing and passing on the night. Eddy Lewis jumped out to the early
lead. Tom Caniff then moved around Lewis and led the for the next few laps. Starting in the fifth spot was Dave Duste
Jr. He methodically moved through the field and soon was challenging for the lead. Duste Jr. passed Caniff for the lead
at the half-way point of the main event. Duste Jr. then began to take off hide from the rest of the field. Mike Sohnrey was
the only driver to stay in striking distance of the leader. Sohnrey was never able to get within three or four car lengths
of the leader. Duste Jr. led the final laps to win the 15-lap dirt modified main event. Matt Murphy finished in the second
spot. Tom Purcell moved into a third place finish. Caniff fell back to a fifth place finish after leading for a bit. Defending
track champion Richard Papenhausen suffered through a tough night. He was involved in two yellows and was
disqualified from the event.
Full results are available at http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
Silver Dollar Speedway Story Recap
Contact: Troy Hennig
(Chico, CA 4-4-08)...Tim Kaeding picked up his 46th career victory at Silver Dollar Speedway Friday night during the
first point show of the year. The Feather Falls Casino championship series was scheduled to begin last Friday night, but
persistent rain canceled the event. Kaeding will receive the $2,000 winners pay check on GP Development night at the
speedway. Other winners during the night included Ryan McDaniel, street stocks, Terry Schank Jr., wingless sprints,
and Patrick Weger, dwarf cars. Another staggering amount of cars opened up the point season with 88 drivers on
hand.
Chico's Jason York is coming back to his home track for the 2008 season and things started off great for our former
champ. He started on the pole of the 20-car starting feature event and at the drop of the green flag he was the leader.
Charging into the second spot was Andy Gregg from Placerville. Gregg is a top competitor who earlier in heat race
action, wowed the crowd with a move around the extreme top of the race track in three and four to get the win. Now he
was chasing York for the lead. Trouble found Kyle Hirst early in the event when he spun in turn four and was hit by
Brett Miller. Also involved at the end of the mishap was Matt Shelton. Miller and his crew made quick repairs and
returned but would pull off the track later in the race. Shelton continued but Hirst was done for the night. While this
wreck was taking place in turn four, Gregg's night ended in turn two. Gregg also had a collapsed front end and was
towed to the pit area and done for the night.
Racing resumed with York as the leader and Roger Crockett in second. Jon Allard was third and Tim Kaeding fourth.
Kaeding made a brilliant charge on the top to pass Allard and Crockett in one lap. It seemed only a matter of time
before he passed York for the lead. But things were not going to be easy for Kaeding and he hit a rut and fell back to
fourth. Lap nine Kaeding and Allard hooked up once again and raced side by side for position. On lap ten Allard and
Kaeding raced down the back straight side by side. With neither one lifting going into turn three there was contact
between the two and a slower car. Allard spun off the track as did Kaeding, but Kaeding was able to keep his motor
alive, while doing 360 spins, and keep going. Allard sat helpless in turn three and the yellow was needed. Right after
the yellow was waved Zack Mason flipped in turn one to bring out a red. Allard would continue after the red at the rear
of the field but just a few laps later he spun again and was finished for the night. He was one of the fastest cars but luck
was not with him on this night.
York continued to lead until lap twelve. Kaeding moved around Crockett and then powered by York for the lead.
Crockett was then able to get by York for second. On lap 18 disaster struck for York and the rear-end broke causing
him to stop in turn one. Kaeding led the final two laps to get the win. Crockett finished a solid second in the Henderson
Motorsports #7n. According to Gary Thomas, it was the first time since 1999 that the Henderson car raced at Chico.
Sean Becker finished third in Rod Fauver's #64. Fourth place went to Auburn's Andy Forsberg. It was the first time in
four nights of racing that Forsberg did not flip and finished with the same top wing he started the night with. The
driver of the night, the hard charger of the night, the most cars passed award went to Matt Mitchell. Starting in the 19th
spot is usually not a place to be in a sprint car main event. However, Mitchell, in only his fourth start in a winged car
at Chico, passed and survived 14 over drivers to finish fifth. Great result from a kid who is known as a midget driver.
Ryan McDaniel of Marysville is known as a dirt modified specialist. He also has won some pure stock events and held
his own in the wingless sprint series. Tonight, he returned to his roots and led every lap to win the Street Stock feature
event. McDaniel, was driving one of Jeff Olschowka's cars. Olschowka was also here tonight and driving with a new
number on his car, #69. McDaniel was in the familiar #96. Scott Rogers had the early lead. Rogers from Redding is a
former track champion and a consistent winner at the speedway. He lost the lead on lap nine when McDaniel got by.
Charging through the field was once again Heather Bartlett. Carrying one of the biggest fan clubs at the track Bartlett
moved into the second spot but ran out of laps in trying to catch McDaniel. Former track champion Phil Marino passed
cars to finish in the third spot. It was good to see Marino back at the speedway also. Rogers held on to finish fourth
after leading early in the event. Joe Longmire drove a smart race to finish fifth. A nice total of 17 drivers showed up for
the pure stock race.
Terry Schank Jr. and his team are some of the best in the business when it comes to wingless racing in Northern
California. Tonight the combination was unbeatable as Schank Jr. cruised led the final half of the race to get the win.
Schank Jr. drove the Pro-Nol Racing Fuel/Circle Race Wheels/Pt.Shocks/Bergum Fabrication #2x into victory lane
with a one second advantage at the checkered over Keith Bloom. Bloom is a youngster and continues to improve inside
the race car at Chico. Paradise gasser Justin Funkhouser finished a solid third in tonights race. Funkhouser is always
solid at Chico. Grass Valley's Billy Wallace passed the most cars in the 20 laps of racing. Wallace originally started in
the back and moved around 14 cars to finish fourth. Cody Myers finished a strong fifth. Twenty wingless sprints
showed up for the opening point night.
Fifth starting Patrick Weger took the led just around the half way point in the Dwarf Car main event and continued on
into victory lane. Weger survived a late race charge by Mike Grenert to get the win. Grenert led the early part of the
event but was passed by Weger and never quite able to get close enough to take back the lead. Pole sitter Scott Dahlgren
finished in the third spot. Jeremy Blackshire started in the eighth spot and came home to finish fourth. Brett Barstow
impressed us with a fifth place finish. A total of 22 dwarf cars attended tonights race.
Tyler Walker started the night off with a quick lap of 11.947. Alissa Geving won the 12-lap B main event for the winged
sprint cars. Heat race winners were Danny Ochs, Andy Gregg, Kyle Hirst and Jonathan Allard. A total of 29 drivers
entered night one of the points chase.
Jeff Olschowka and Scott Rogers each won their heat race in the street stocks.
Taylor Simas won heat race one for the wingless sprints and Cody Myers got the win in heat two.
Scott Dahlgren, Neil Stinson and Brian Quilty were all winners in Dwarf Car heat race action.
Racing resumes next Friday night with the Bill Brownell Memorial Race, sponsored by Chico Custom Cycles, Pro Pool
Tile Cleaning and John and Robbie Padjen. The winner of the sprint car main event will win $3,000 next Friday night.
For complete results please visit http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
Contact: Troy Hennig
(Chico, CA 4-4-08)...Tim Kaeding picked up his 46th career victory at Silver Dollar Speedway Friday night during the
first point show of the year. The Feather Falls Casino championship series was scheduled to begin last Friday night, but
persistent rain canceled the event. Kaeding will receive the $2,000 winners pay check on GP Development night at the
speedway. Other winners during the night included Ryan McDaniel, street stocks, Terry Schank Jr., wingless sprints,
and Patrick Weger, dwarf cars. Another staggering amount of cars opened up the point season with 88 drivers on
hand.
Chico's Jason York is coming back to his home track for the 2008 season and things started off great for our former
champ. He started on the pole of the 20-car starting feature event and at the drop of the green flag he was the leader.
Charging into the second spot was Andy Gregg from Placerville. Gregg is a top competitor who earlier in heat race
action, wowed the crowd with a move around the extreme top of the race track in three and four to get the win. Now he
was chasing York for the lead. Trouble found Kyle Hirst early in the event when he spun in turn four and was hit by
Brett Miller. Also involved at the end of the mishap was Matt Shelton. Miller and his crew made quick repairs and
returned but would pull off the track later in the race. Shelton continued but Hirst was done for the night. While this
wreck was taking place in turn four, Gregg's night ended in turn two. Gregg also had a collapsed front end and was
towed to the pit area and done for the night.
Racing resumed with York as the leader and Roger Crockett in second. Jon Allard was third and Tim Kaeding fourth.
Kaeding made a brilliant charge on the top to pass Allard and Crockett in one lap. It seemed only a matter of time
before he passed York for the lead. But things were not going to be easy for Kaeding and he hit a rut and fell back to
fourth. Lap nine Kaeding and Allard hooked up once again and raced side by side for position. On lap ten Allard and
Kaeding raced down the back straight side by side. With neither one lifting going into turn three there was contact
between the two and a slower car. Allard spun off the track as did Kaeding, but Kaeding was able to keep his motor
alive, while doing 360 spins, and keep going. Allard sat helpless in turn three and the yellow was needed. Right after
the yellow was waved Zack Mason flipped in turn one to bring out a red. Allard would continue after the red at the rear
of the field but just a few laps later he spun again and was finished for the night. He was one of the fastest cars but luck
was not with him on this night.
York continued to lead until lap twelve. Kaeding moved around Crockett and then powered by York for the lead.
Crockett was then able to get by York for second. On lap 18 disaster struck for York and the rear-end broke causing
him to stop in turn one. Kaeding led the final two laps to get the win. Crockett finished a solid second in the Henderson
Motorsports #7n. According to Gary Thomas, it was the first time since 1999 that the Henderson car raced at Chico.
Sean Becker finished third in Rod Fauver's #64. Fourth place went to Auburn's Andy Forsberg. It was the first time in
four nights of racing that Forsberg did not flip and finished with the same top wing he started the night with. The
driver of the night, the hard charger of the night, the most cars passed award went to Matt Mitchell. Starting in the 19th
spot is usually not a place to be in a sprint car main event. However, Mitchell, in only his fourth start in a winged car
at Chico, passed and survived 14 over drivers to finish fifth. Great result from a kid who is known as a midget driver.
Ryan McDaniel of Marysville is known as a dirt modified specialist. He also has won some pure stock events and held
his own in the wingless sprint series. Tonight, he returned to his roots and led every lap to win the Street Stock feature
event. McDaniel, was driving one of Jeff Olschowka's cars. Olschowka was also here tonight and driving with a new
number on his car, #69. McDaniel was in the familiar #96. Scott Rogers had the early lead. Rogers from Redding is a
former track champion and a consistent winner at the speedway. He lost the lead on lap nine when McDaniel got by.
Charging through the field was once again Heather Bartlett. Carrying one of the biggest fan clubs at the track Bartlett
moved into the second spot but ran out of laps in trying to catch McDaniel. Former track champion Phil Marino passed
cars to finish in the third spot. It was good to see Marino back at the speedway also. Rogers held on to finish fourth
after leading early in the event. Joe Longmire drove a smart race to finish fifth. A nice total of 17 drivers showed up for
the pure stock race.
Terry Schank Jr. and his team are some of the best in the business when it comes to wingless racing in Northern
California. Tonight the combination was unbeatable as Schank Jr. cruised led the final half of the race to get the win.
Schank Jr. drove the Pro-Nol Racing Fuel/Circle Race Wheels/Pt.Shocks/Bergum Fabrication #2x into victory lane
with a one second advantage at the checkered over Keith Bloom. Bloom is a youngster and continues to improve inside
the race car at Chico. Paradise gasser Justin Funkhouser finished a solid third in tonights race. Funkhouser is always
solid at Chico. Grass Valley's Billy Wallace passed the most cars in the 20 laps of racing. Wallace originally started in
the back and moved around 14 cars to finish fourth. Cody Myers finished a strong fifth. Twenty wingless sprints
showed up for the opening point night.
Fifth starting Patrick Weger took the led just around the half way point in the Dwarf Car main event and continued on
into victory lane. Weger survived a late race charge by Mike Grenert to get the win. Grenert led the early part of the
event but was passed by Weger and never quite able to get close enough to take back the lead. Pole sitter Scott Dahlgren
finished in the third spot. Jeremy Blackshire started in the eighth spot and came home to finish fourth. Brett Barstow
impressed us with a fifth place finish. A total of 22 dwarf cars attended tonights race.
Tyler Walker started the night off with a quick lap of 11.947. Alissa Geving won the 12-lap B main event for the winged
sprint cars. Heat race winners were Danny Ochs, Andy Gregg, Kyle Hirst and Jonathan Allard. A total of 29 drivers
entered night one of the points chase.
Jeff Olschowka and Scott Rogers each won their heat race in the street stocks.
Taylor Simas won heat race one for the wingless sprints and Cody Myers got the win in heat two.
Scott Dahlgren, Neil Stinson and Brian Quilty were all winners in Dwarf Car heat race action.
Racing resumes next Friday night with the Bill Brownell Memorial Race, sponsored by Chico Custom Cycles, Pro Pool
Tile Cleaning and John and Robbie Padjen. The winner of the sprint car main event will win $3,000 next Friday night.
For complete results please visit http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
| Sprint Car News Straight From The Track |
Grunert Jr., Brown share stock car victories; Hanestad continues to win in wingless
by Bill Sullivan
Saturday, April 19, 2008 Results
PLACERVILLE, CA (4-19-08) - Colby Wiesz of Colfax is obviously adjusting well in the driver's seat of his new
ride for the 2008 racing season at Placerville Speedway. Entering the fourth championship point racing of the
season as the point leader, Wiesz muscled his way to his first victory aboard the John Taylor Motorsports #35
sprint car.
"I just want to thank the good lord tonight for allowing me to do what I love to do and John Taylor for the
opportunity to drive for him this season," said Wiesz. "But I think we really need to thank the fans tonight for
coming out in this cold weather to support this sport."
Wiesz started the feature event on the pole position with former Placerville and Civil War Champion David
Robinson Jr. of Foresthill on the outside. At the waving of the green flag Wiesz quickly accelerated into the lead as
Robinson followed suit, looking to overcome the bridesmaid blues that have haunted him for the last three weeks
as he makes a comeback from a two-year hiatus from the sport.
Robinson's night would end early after a brief encounter with the front stretch wall damaged the rear-end of the
FnF Racing #x1 and sidelined him for the night. Following the caution period for Robinson, the restart saw
Placerville's Andy Gregg move in to challenge Wiesz for the lead. Both drivers raced side by side for the next two
laps until Gregg overtook the lead.
Once Gregg overtook the lead, Wiesz began to close in on him when lapped traffic began to slow Gregg slightly.
On the 10th lap Gregg drifted off the cushion in turn four which allowed Wiesz to redeem his lead. Gregg began
charging back towards the front of the field until he suffered a roll over along the backstretch embankment which
also collected Justin Johnson and Cameron Mendes. Despite damage, Gregg was able to return and still finish
ninth in the event.
"Andy was fast tonight, he's always fast here," said Wiesz. "When he got around me the first time I wasn't sure I
was going to be able to have another chance until we had a restart and that put me closer to him. The high side
was working good tonight, he got caught up in the cushion there and I had to be really careful to not do the same
thing"
At the checkered flag Wiesz was followed by Auburn's Andy Forsberg, Scott Russell of Placerville, Myles Bishop
of Escalon and Greg DeCaires of Elk Grove.
In the Wingless Sprint Car division, Darrell Hanestad of Clayton scored his second straight Placerville victory in
the Joe Hunt Magnetos feature event. With the waving of the green flag, Keith Bloom of Anderson took the lead
from the outside of the front row and maintained it until the 11th lap when Hanestad, who started sixth, overtook
the lead.
Once he was in front, Hanestad maintained the lead for the remainder of the event. Bloom finished in the second
potion in front of Taylor Simas of Orland, Cody Myers of Browns Valley and Ray Rust of Garden Valley. Rust
returned to the speedway for the first time in two years. The former Placerville and Civil champion retired from
racing winged sprint cars followed an injury accident. Saturday he strapped into the #3v normally driven by
Josh Viera and drove from 12th to fifth place. Mason Myers of Browns Valley came in 1st heat #1.
In the Pure Stock division, Scotty Grunert of Woodland drove to his first career victory. Last year Grunert began
to follow in the footsteps of his father, Rick Grunert, a successful stock car racer for much of his life and a former
Placerville champion.
Saturday night, the second generation Grunert started the feature event on the outside of the front row and took
the lead at the waving of the green flag. With nine laps down Tom Tilford of Citrus Heights moved into the lead
position. This marked the first appearance of the 2006 division champion in more than a year as both he and his
brother Matt returned to the track together in celebration of their's fathers 50th birthday.
Tilford commanded the field for much of the race until he suffered a right rear flat tire late in the event that slowed
him and eventually allowed Grunert to redeem the lead on the 18th lap. At the finish line Grunert was followed by
Matt Tilford who started fifth, Tim Mack of El Dorado, Tom Tilford an Rick Grunert.
The Pro Stock division saw Dan Brown Jr. of Nevada City win his third feature event of the year. Brown started
in the fourth position and charged to the second position on the opening lap to chase early leader Jeff Arbogast of
Auburn. Arbogast lead the event until the 10th lap when he became boxed in with lapped traffic, allowing Brown
to overtake the lead.
Once in front, Brown led the event to the checkered flag where he finished ahead of Arbogast, Dennis Ahart of
Cameron Park, Del Tremblay of Camino and Dennis Armstrong of El Dorado.
This Saturday racing continues at Placerville Speedway with the fifth championship event of the season feature
winged 360 sprint cars, pro stocks, pure stocks and the nor cal dwarf cars. For additional information on this
event or complete results from Saturday's event check out www.placervillespeedway.com.
by Bill Sullivan
Saturday, April 19, 2008 Results
PLACERVILLE, CA (4-19-08) - Colby Wiesz of Colfax is obviously adjusting well in the driver's seat of his new
ride for the 2008 racing season at Placerville Speedway. Entering the fourth championship point racing of the
season as the point leader, Wiesz muscled his way to his first victory aboard the John Taylor Motorsports #35
sprint car.
"I just want to thank the good lord tonight for allowing me to do what I love to do and John Taylor for the
opportunity to drive for him this season," said Wiesz. "But I think we really need to thank the fans tonight for
coming out in this cold weather to support this sport."
Wiesz started the feature event on the pole position with former Placerville and Civil War Champion David
Robinson Jr. of Foresthill on the outside. At the waving of the green flag Wiesz quickly accelerated into the lead as
Robinson followed suit, looking to overcome the bridesmaid blues that have haunted him for the last three weeks
as he makes a comeback from a two-year hiatus from the sport.
Robinson's night would end early after a brief encounter with the front stretch wall damaged the rear-end of the
FnF Racing #x1 and sidelined him for the night. Following the caution period for Robinson, the restart saw
Placerville's Andy Gregg move in to challenge Wiesz for the lead. Both drivers raced side by side for the next two
laps until Gregg overtook the lead.
Once Gregg overtook the lead, Wiesz began to close in on him when lapped traffic began to slow Gregg slightly.
On the 10th lap Gregg drifted off the cushion in turn four which allowed Wiesz to redeem his lead. Gregg began
charging back towards the front of the field until he suffered a roll over along the backstretch embankment which
also collected Justin Johnson and Cameron Mendes. Despite damage, Gregg was able to return and still finish
ninth in the event.
"Andy was fast tonight, he's always fast here," said Wiesz. "When he got around me the first time I wasn't sure I
was going to be able to have another chance until we had a restart and that put me closer to him. The high side
was working good tonight, he got caught up in the cushion there and I had to be really careful to not do the same
thing"
At the checkered flag Wiesz was followed by Auburn's Andy Forsberg, Scott Russell of Placerville, Myles Bishop
of Escalon and Greg DeCaires of Elk Grove.
In the Wingless Sprint Car division, Darrell Hanestad of Clayton scored his second straight Placerville victory in
the Joe Hunt Magnetos feature event. With the waving of the green flag, Keith Bloom of Anderson took the lead
from the outside of the front row and maintained it until the 11th lap when Hanestad, who started sixth, overtook
the lead.
Once he was in front, Hanestad maintained the lead for the remainder of the event. Bloom finished in the second
potion in front of Taylor Simas of Orland, Cody Myers of Browns Valley and Ray Rust of Garden Valley. Rust
returned to the speedway for the first time in two years. The former Placerville and Civil champion retired from
racing winged sprint cars followed an injury accident. Saturday he strapped into the #3v normally driven by
Josh Viera and drove from 12th to fifth place. Mason Myers of Browns Valley came in 1st heat #1.
In the Pure Stock division, Scotty Grunert of Woodland drove to his first career victory. Last year Grunert began
to follow in the footsteps of his father, Rick Grunert, a successful stock car racer for much of his life and a former
Placerville champion.
Saturday night, the second generation Grunert started the feature event on the outside of the front row and took
the lead at the waving of the green flag. With nine laps down Tom Tilford of Citrus Heights moved into the lead
position. This marked the first appearance of the 2006 division champion in more than a year as both he and his
brother Matt returned to the track together in celebration of their's fathers 50th birthday.
Tilford commanded the field for much of the race until he suffered a right rear flat tire late in the event that slowed
him and eventually allowed Grunert to redeem the lead on the 18th lap. At the finish line Grunert was followed by
Matt Tilford who started fifth, Tim Mack of El Dorado, Tom Tilford an Rick Grunert.
The Pro Stock division saw Dan Brown Jr. of Nevada City win his third feature event of the year. Brown started
in the fourth position and charged to the second position on the opening lap to chase early leader Jeff Arbogast of
Auburn. Arbogast lead the event until the 10th lap when he became boxed in with lapped traffic, allowing Brown
to overtake the lead.
Once in front, Brown led the event to the checkered flag where he finished ahead of Arbogast, Dennis Ahart of
Cameron Park, Del Tremblay of Camino and Dennis Armstrong of El Dorado.
This Saturday racing continues at Placerville Speedway with the fifth championship event of the season feature
winged 360 sprint cars, pro stocks, pure stocks and the nor cal dwarf cars. For additional information on this
event or complete results from Saturday's event check out www.placervillespeedway.com.
TK, Hirst, Papenhausen All Winners at Chico
Kaeding Wins Wild Sprint Car Main at Chico
By: Troy Hennig
pocketed $2, 000 for the win with the nights sponsor being Withrow's Motorsports and JP's Paint and Body was
his second Friday night win of the year during the Feather Falls Casino point championship series. Kaeding
pocketed $2, 000 for the win with the nights sponsor being Withrow's Motorsports and JP's Paint and Body
Works. “This one is for Joel McCray tonight,” said Kaeding in victory lane. McCray, a long time sprint car
supporter, recently passed away. The J.F. McCray name has been proudly displayed on the top wing of the #10 Tom
supporter, recently passed away. The J.F. McCray name has been proudly displayed on the top wing of the #10 Tom
Rolfe / Duke McMillen sprint car for years. “It feels good to come home and actually get to race,” said Kaeding. “We
went back East for a few weeks and I think I was starting to grow some web-feet with all the rain outs we had back
there.”
there.”
Loomis resident Kyle Hirst led all 20-laps to win the non wing sprint car main event. “It was fun tonight driving for
the Orth family,” said Hirst. “The track was real good tonight and it provided for some fast racing.” Defending track
champion driver Richard Papenhausen won the 15-lap dirt modified main event. “We've had a lot of bad luck to
start this year,” said Papenhausen. “But hopefully tonight we are starting to turn things around with this win.”
The 410 winged sprint car main event rolled onto the speedway with 20 cars set to go 25-laps. The track was
perfectly prepared with a top and bottom groove and an old school choppy middle that would bite some of the
drivers during the race. Andy Forsberg lived up to his “old” nickname of Mr. Excitement and took the early lead
from pole sitter John Allard. Three laps into the race Forsberg clipped a rut in turn one and drifted off the edge of
turn one. With the mistake Forsberg fell back to the fifth spot. Allard assumed the lead with Willie Croft in second.
The race was halted on lap four when Mike Monahan stopped in turn for with front end damage. He would make
repairs and return to the track and play a part in the overall outcome of the race. On the restart rookie Colby
Copeland flipped in turn four. He was uninjured but could not return.
Racing resumed and Allard built up a little bit of a lead. Allard's night turned from promising into devastating on
lap ten. Going into turn one Allard closed in quickly on the slower car of Monahan. As Allard went to set his car the
two made contact sending each driver up and over. The red flag was waived. While drivers tried to slow down Matt
Shelton clipped a rear wheel and flipped down the front stretch. All three driver were uninjured but done for the
night.
Croft was now the leader of the race. Following Croft was Tim Kaeding, Blake Robertson and Sean Becker. Another
red was needed on lap 12 when Emalee Ramirez flipped off turn two. She was fine but her car was not able to
continue on. On the restart Kaeding made his move. He passed Croft entering turn three. Croft tried to pass Kaeding
back but hit a rut, lifted the front end off the ground and consequently Croft slammed into the front grandstand
wall. He came to a stop and was done for the night.
Kaeding took over as the leader. He was challenged by Sean Becker for the lead a few times. Becker had moved into
the second spot with some nice passing on the bottom of the race track. Becker made the battle for the lead
entertaining but during the final few laps Becker got stuck behind some slower cars and Kaeding was able to stretch
the lead. Kaeding crossed the line in first followed by Becker and Robertson. Forsberg finished fourth and Stephen
Allard was fifth. Jason York was in the fourth spot with laps winding down but slid off the back stretch and fell to
the sixth spot. It was a championship night when you consider the top six in the finishing order are all former track
champions at Silver Dollar Speedway.
Kyle Hirst started on the front row of the 20-lap non wing main event. He grabbed the lead on lap one and was
never challenged during the next 19 laps. Behind Hirst was a good battle for second. Most of the race had Justin
Funkhouser holding down the spot. On lap 15 contact between himself and Kenny Webber sent Funkhouser around
into the infield and a yellow was needed. Funkhouser never rebounded and finished 16th. The hard charger of the
night was point leader and rookie driver Keith Bloom Jr. He was originally slated to start outside row one with
Hirst but he needed to be push started for the main event. With the infraction Bloom Jr. was sent to the back of the
field. He started in the 14th spot and on lap 15 moved into second. During the final restart Hirst had a three car
cushion over Bloom Jr. It proved to be too much for Bloom Jr. to overcome and his charge to the front would end in
the second spot. Hirst went on to record the victory. Mason Myers drove a great race to finish in the third spot.
Taylor Simas wound up finishing in the fourth spot while Rob Jones rounded out the top five.
Richard Papenhausen started on the front row of the nights 15-lap dirt modified main event. Out front was
something Papenhausen would not give up. To say he dominated the race would be an understatement. At one point
Papenhausen had a half lap lead over the rest of the field. Moving into the second spot on lap seven was Randy
McDaniel. The veteran of the speedway needed a yellow to reel in Papenhausen and make a race of it. The race went
non-stop and McDaniel was never able to get a shot at the leader. Dustin Massey made a rare start and was solid all
night. He drove a hard race and battle McDaniel throughout the night. Massey ended up third. Eddy Lewis pulled
double duty tonight and finished fourth in the modified main event. Darin Ruley finished fifth.
Jason York led all 12 laps to win the B main event. Mason Moore finished second.
Sean Becker won the first heat race of the night. Heat race two was thrilling as John Michael Bunch held off
Kaeding to get the popular win. It was his first bit of success behind the wheel of a sprint car. Keep an eye out for
this rookie. Third heat race went to 64-year-old Dan Simpson. He held off a charging Andy Forsberg to get the win.
Willie Croft once again wowed the crowd by turning an 11.508 in qualifying. The top ten in qualifying were all in
the 11-second bracket.
Rookies Mitch Miller and Bloom Jr. each won their 8-lap heat race in the wingless division.
Papenhausen won the only modified heat race.
Full results of tonights races are available at http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
ENDby ChicoVoice
on April 26th, 2008, 1:02 am
Kaeding Wins Wild Sprint Car Main at Chico
By: Troy Hennig
pocketed $2, 000 for the win with the nights sponsor being Withrow's Motorsports and JP's Paint and Body was
his second Friday night win of the year during the Feather Falls Casino point championship series. Kaeding
pocketed $2, 000 for the win with the nights sponsor being Withrow's Motorsports and JP's Paint and Body
Works. “This one is for Joel McCray tonight,” said Kaeding in victory lane. McCray, a long time sprint car
supporter, recently passed away. The J.F. McCray name has been proudly displayed on the top wing of the #10 Tom
supporter, recently passed away. The J.F. McCray name has been proudly displayed on the top wing of the #10 Tom
Rolfe / Duke McMillen sprint car for years. “It feels good to come home and actually get to race,” said Kaeding. “We
went back East for a few weeks and I think I was starting to grow some web-feet with all the rain outs we had back
there.”
there.”
Loomis resident Kyle Hirst led all 20-laps to win the non wing sprint car main event. “It was fun tonight driving for
the Orth family,” said Hirst. “The track was real good tonight and it provided for some fast racing.” Defending track
champion driver Richard Papenhausen won the 15-lap dirt modified main event. “We've had a lot of bad luck to
start this year,” said Papenhausen. “But hopefully tonight we are starting to turn things around with this win.”
The 410 winged sprint car main event rolled onto the speedway with 20 cars set to go 25-laps. The track was
perfectly prepared with a top and bottom groove and an old school choppy middle that would bite some of the
drivers during the race. Andy Forsberg lived up to his “old” nickname of Mr. Excitement and took the early lead
from pole sitter John Allard. Three laps into the race Forsberg clipped a rut in turn one and drifted off the edge of
turn one. With the mistake Forsberg fell back to the fifth spot. Allard assumed the lead with Willie Croft in second.
The race was halted on lap four when Mike Monahan stopped in turn for with front end damage. He would make
repairs and return to the track and play a part in the overall outcome of the race. On the restart rookie Colby
Copeland flipped in turn four. He was uninjured but could not return.
Racing resumed and Allard built up a little bit of a lead. Allard's night turned from promising into devastating on
lap ten. Going into turn one Allard closed in quickly on the slower car of Monahan. As Allard went to set his car the
two made contact sending each driver up and over. The red flag was waived. While drivers tried to slow down Matt
Shelton clipped a rear wheel and flipped down the front stretch. All three driver were uninjured but done for the
night.
Croft was now the leader of the race. Following Croft was Tim Kaeding, Blake Robertson and Sean Becker. Another
red was needed on lap 12 when Emalee Ramirez flipped off turn two. She was fine but her car was not able to
continue on. On the restart Kaeding made his move. He passed Croft entering turn three. Croft tried to pass Kaeding
back but hit a rut, lifted the front end off the ground and consequently Croft slammed into the front grandstand
wall. He came to a stop and was done for the night.
Kaeding took over as the leader. He was challenged by Sean Becker for the lead a few times. Becker had moved into
the second spot with some nice passing on the bottom of the race track. Becker made the battle for the lead
entertaining but during the final few laps Becker got stuck behind some slower cars and Kaeding was able to stretch
the lead. Kaeding crossed the line in first followed by Becker and Robertson. Forsberg finished fourth and Stephen
Allard was fifth. Jason York was in the fourth spot with laps winding down but slid off the back stretch and fell to
the sixth spot. It was a championship night when you consider the top six in the finishing order are all former track
champions at Silver Dollar Speedway.
Kyle Hirst started on the front row of the 20-lap non wing main event. He grabbed the lead on lap one and was
never challenged during the next 19 laps. Behind Hirst was a good battle for second. Most of the race had Justin
Funkhouser holding down the spot. On lap 15 contact between himself and Kenny Webber sent Funkhouser around
into the infield and a yellow was needed. Funkhouser never rebounded and finished 16th. The hard charger of the
night was point leader and rookie driver Keith Bloom Jr. He was originally slated to start outside row one with
Hirst but he needed to be push started for the main event. With the infraction Bloom Jr. was sent to the back of the
field. He started in the 14th spot and on lap 15 moved into second. During the final restart Hirst had a three car
cushion over Bloom Jr. It proved to be too much for Bloom Jr. to overcome and his charge to the front would end in
the second spot. Hirst went on to record the victory. Mason Myers drove a great race to finish in the third spot.
Taylor Simas wound up finishing in the fourth spot while Rob Jones rounded out the top five.
Richard Papenhausen started on the front row of the nights 15-lap dirt modified main event. Out front was
something Papenhausen would not give up. To say he dominated the race would be an understatement. At one point
Papenhausen had a half lap lead over the rest of the field. Moving into the second spot on lap seven was Randy
McDaniel. The veteran of the speedway needed a yellow to reel in Papenhausen and make a race of it. The race went
non-stop and McDaniel was never able to get a shot at the leader. Dustin Massey made a rare start and was solid all
night. He drove a hard race and battle McDaniel throughout the night. Massey ended up third. Eddy Lewis pulled
double duty tonight and finished fourth in the modified main event. Darin Ruley finished fifth.
Jason York led all 12 laps to win the B main event. Mason Moore finished second.
Sean Becker won the first heat race of the night. Heat race two was thrilling as John Michael Bunch held off
Kaeding to get the popular win. It was his first bit of success behind the wheel of a sprint car. Keep an eye out for
this rookie. Third heat race went to 64-year-old Dan Simpson. He held off a charging Andy Forsberg to get the win.
Willie Croft once again wowed the crowd by turning an 11.508 in qualifying. The top ten in qualifying were all in
the 11-second bracket.
Rookies Mitch Miller and Bloom Jr. each won their 8-lap heat race in the wingless division.
Papenhausen won the only modified heat race.
Full results of tonights races are available at http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
ENDby ChicoVoice
on April 26th, 2008, 1:02 am
Kyle Hirst Wins Two Weeks in a Row at Chico
by Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA (5-2-08) - Loomis, CA resident Kyle Hirst is starting to become a fixture in victory lane at
Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Hirst led all 25 laps to score his first 410 sprint car win of the year.
Last week Hirst won his first non-wing sprint main event of the year at Chico driving the Orth family
sprinter. This week Hirst was back aboard the familiar Gary Perkins owned GP Development #6 and
cruised to the popular win. “It's not always exciting for the fans to watch a guy win from the pole,”
said Hirst into the infield microphone of Gary Thomas. “But this 410 deal is always tough to hold off
guys like Tyler Walker and Tim Kaeding so it's still a great accomplishment for our team.” Hirst had
two trouble spots during the 25-lap race. On lap nine Hirst was slightly caught up in a wreck ahead
of him. His right front tire wheel cap was the only damage reported. Then on lap 21 Hirst survived
another scare with a slower car in turn one. Hirst almost spun around but he was able to keep the
car straight. He did lose his momentum which allowed Tyler Walker to close in. “I almost lost the
race in turn two but that's just part of sprint car racing because it's almost impossible to make 25
perfect laps,” said Hirst.
Other winners during point race number six included Chico driver Taylor Simas in the wingless
sprints and Scott Rogers of Redding in the street stocks. Simas said, “I am very excited to get our
first win of the year at Chico.” Rogers was also happy to win. It was his second win of the year and
he continues to hold the top spot in the championship points. “I just want to thank everyone for
coming out tonight,”said Rogers.
The original line up for the 410 sprints had rookie driver Colby Copeland starting on the pole
position, however, after he transferred from the heat race the crew discovered engine problems. It
sidelined the rookie from the main event. His bad luck led to the goo luck for Hirst who was moved to
the pole spot. Outside of Hirst was Jason Statler. It had been a busy week for Statler. His beautiful
wife Stephanie gave birth to their first child, Craig Edward Statler, early in the wee hours of
Tuesday morning.
The original start saw Hirst take the lead, yet, was halted when Jonathan Allard flipped in turn two.
He was uninjured but the car was unable to return to action. His flip triggered a serious of other flips
in the next few laps. Lap two saw Mark Hall roll over in turn four. Lap nine Fast Eddy Lewis was in
the wrong spot at the wrong time and rolled over in turn four. Up to this point Hirst continued to
lead Statler. On the charge was Tyler Walker and Tim Kaeding. Both drivers had worked their way
into the top four by using the cushion in turns three and four. On the restart, Walker drove by Statler
for second. A few laps later it was Kaeding moving around Statler for third. By this point Hirst had a
solid lead but once again began to battle slower cars. Hirst struggled just a bit to make his moves.
The track had equaled out and the bottom was just as fast as the top. Walker was able to close within
a car length on lap 21 when Hirst bobbled going into turn one and almost spun around. He was in
heavy traffic. Walker pulled to the inside but Hirst was able to power out of turn two and held onto
the lead. Kaeding closed on Walker in the final laps but he too was not able to make a move. Behind
Walker and Kaeding at the finish was Statler and Andy Forsberg. It was another good night of close
racing with a solid group of drivers.
The B main event featured 15 cars for the 12-lap race. Oroville's Sean Becker won the contest. He was
followed by Willie Croft, Roger Crockett, Jason York and Matt Shelton. All five drivers transferred
into the main event.
Heat race winners included Bud Kaeding, Mason Moore, Brent Bjork and Robbie Whitchurch. A total
of 31 drivers competed during this night of racing.
One of the most impressive qualifying efforts to date saw the top ten in order all turn a lap quicker
than 11.771. Jonathan Allard earned his second fast time award of the year when he turned an
impressive 11.437. He holds the regular season record at 11.307.
The wingless main event started with a bang as the lead changed three times in the first two laps.
Justin Funkhouser's night ended early when he and another car made contact resulting in
Funkhouser flipping over. Mason Myers led going into the first turn but Reyna Krueger dived to the
bottom and lead coming out of turn two. She crossed the stripe as the lap one leader but it was short
lived. Taylor Simas passed Krueger and was the new leader. Myers rebounded to pass Krueger and
was now in the second spot. Charging through the field was Billy Wallace. The former winged star
has now made a comfortable home in the wingless series. This week he was driving for Harley Van
Dyke and moved the 5h into third spot. The other charger was point leader Keith Bloom. The rookie
charger started eleventh but soon was inside the top five. Three yellows halted the race. On lap five
Kenny Webber came to a stop in turn two. Phillip Shelby and Jeremy Wilson stopped on back to back
laps in turn four. The race resumed with Simas leading. Wallace soon moved into the second spot and
challenged Simas for the lead. Bloom moved by Myers and raced into the fourth spot. Laps were
winding down and Simas held to the bottom of the speedway. He was slightly faster than the three
cars behind him and held on to win the race. Simas is currently second in the points. Wallace held on
to finish second and Bloom was third. Myers finished in the fourth spot and Krueger held on to finish
fifth. Simas also won the eight lap heat race he entered. Billy Wallace and Brian Southers were the
other two winners of heat race action. A total of 22 cars raced in the division.
Scott Rogers is enjoying another stellar year at Chico. Rogers won the track championship in 1999
and since then had sparingly raced at Chico. This year his return has been felt by his fellow
competitors. Rogers won the 20-lap main event, his second in three starts. The win padded his
championship point lead over Heather Bartlett. Rogers did not gain too much because Bartlett
finished second. Third went to Phil Marino. Fourth spot went to Lisa Shelby. Shelby actually crossed
the finish line in second but during a restart she passed a car before the orange cone on the front
straight. That was a penalty and she was moved two spots back in the finishing order. Steve
Hammett made his first start at Chico a success by finishing fifth. The one incident took place half
way through the rave when leader Jeff Olschowka was bumped from behind by Rogers as the two
were fiercely racing through slower cars. Olschowka was unable to continue and Rogers went on to
win. “What happened was a racing thing even though he had some harsh words for me,” said Rogers
in victory lane. Rogers and Olschowka were the winners in the two heat races. A total of 20 cars
turned out for the point race.
Full results with starting spots available at www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
by Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA (5-2-08) - Loomis, CA resident Kyle Hirst is starting to become a fixture in victory lane at
Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Hirst led all 25 laps to score his first 410 sprint car win of the year.
Last week Hirst won his first non-wing sprint main event of the year at Chico driving the Orth family
sprinter. This week Hirst was back aboard the familiar Gary Perkins owned GP Development #6 and
cruised to the popular win. “It's not always exciting for the fans to watch a guy win from the pole,”
said Hirst into the infield microphone of Gary Thomas. “But this 410 deal is always tough to hold off
guys like Tyler Walker and Tim Kaeding so it's still a great accomplishment for our team.” Hirst had
two trouble spots during the 25-lap race. On lap nine Hirst was slightly caught up in a wreck ahead
of him. His right front tire wheel cap was the only damage reported. Then on lap 21 Hirst survived
another scare with a slower car in turn one. Hirst almost spun around but he was able to keep the
car straight. He did lose his momentum which allowed Tyler Walker to close in. “I almost lost the
race in turn two but that's just part of sprint car racing because it's almost impossible to make 25
perfect laps,” said Hirst.
Other winners during point race number six included Chico driver Taylor Simas in the wingless
sprints and Scott Rogers of Redding in the street stocks. Simas said, “I am very excited to get our
first win of the year at Chico.” Rogers was also happy to win. It was his second win of the year and
he continues to hold the top spot in the championship points. “I just want to thank everyone for
coming out tonight,”said Rogers.
The original line up for the 410 sprints had rookie driver Colby Copeland starting on the pole
position, however, after he transferred from the heat race the crew discovered engine problems. It
sidelined the rookie from the main event. His bad luck led to the goo luck for Hirst who was moved to
the pole spot. Outside of Hirst was Jason Statler. It had been a busy week for Statler. His beautiful
wife Stephanie gave birth to their first child, Craig Edward Statler, early in the wee hours of
Tuesday morning.
The original start saw Hirst take the lead, yet, was halted when Jonathan Allard flipped in turn two.
He was uninjured but the car was unable to return to action. His flip triggered a serious of other flips
in the next few laps. Lap two saw Mark Hall roll over in turn four. Lap nine Fast Eddy Lewis was in
the wrong spot at the wrong time and rolled over in turn four. Up to this point Hirst continued to
lead Statler. On the charge was Tyler Walker and Tim Kaeding. Both drivers had worked their way
into the top four by using the cushion in turns three and four. On the restart, Walker drove by Statler
for second. A few laps later it was Kaeding moving around Statler for third. By this point Hirst had a
solid lead but once again began to battle slower cars. Hirst struggled just a bit to make his moves.
The track had equaled out and the bottom was just as fast as the top. Walker was able to close within
a car length on lap 21 when Hirst bobbled going into turn one and almost spun around. He was in
heavy traffic. Walker pulled to the inside but Hirst was able to power out of turn two and held onto
the lead. Kaeding closed on Walker in the final laps but he too was not able to make a move. Behind
Walker and Kaeding at the finish was Statler and Andy Forsberg. It was another good night of close
racing with a solid group of drivers.
The B main event featured 15 cars for the 12-lap race. Oroville's Sean Becker won the contest. He was
followed by Willie Croft, Roger Crockett, Jason York and Matt Shelton. All five drivers transferred
into the main event.
Heat race winners included Bud Kaeding, Mason Moore, Brent Bjork and Robbie Whitchurch. A total
of 31 drivers competed during this night of racing.
One of the most impressive qualifying efforts to date saw the top ten in order all turn a lap quicker
than 11.771. Jonathan Allard earned his second fast time award of the year when he turned an
impressive 11.437. He holds the regular season record at 11.307.
The wingless main event started with a bang as the lead changed three times in the first two laps.
Justin Funkhouser's night ended early when he and another car made contact resulting in
Funkhouser flipping over. Mason Myers led going into the first turn but Reyna Krueger dived to the
bottom and lead coming out of turn two. She crossed the stripe as the lap one leader but it was short
lived. Taylor Simas passed Krueger and was the new leader. Myers rebounded to pass Krueger and
was now in the second spot. Charging through the field was Billy Wallace. The former winged star
has now made a comfortable home in the wingless series. This week he was driving for Harley Van
Dyke and moved the 5h into third spot. The other charger was point leader Keith Bloom. The rookie
charger started eleventh but soon was inside the top five. Three yellows halted the race. On lap five
Kenny Webber came to a stop in turn two. Phillip Shelby and Jeremy Wilson stopped on back to back
laps in turn four. The race resumed with Simas leading. Wallace soon moved into the second spot and
challenged Simas for the lead. Bloom moved by Myers and raced into the fourth spot. Laps were
winding down and Simas held to the bottom of the speedway. He was slightly faster than the three
cars behind him and held on to win the race. Simas is currently second in the points. Wallace held on
to finish second and Bloom was third. Myers finished in the fourth spot and Krueger held on to finish
fifth. Simas also won the eight lap heat race he entered. Billy Wallace and Brian Southers were the
other two winners of heat race action. A total of 22 cars raced in the division.
Scott Rogers is enjoying another stellar year at Chico. Rogers won the track championship in 1999
and since then had sparingly raced at Chico. This year his return has been felt by his fellow
competitors. Rogers won the 20-lap main event, his second in three starts. The win padded his
championship point lead over Heather Bartlett. Rogers did not gain too much because Bartlett
finished second. Third went to Phil Marino. Fourth spot went to Lisa Shelby. Shelby actually crossed
the finish line in second but during a restart she passed a car before the orange cone on the front
straight. That was a penalty and she was moved two spots back in the finishing order. Steve
Hammett made his first start at Chico a success by finishing fifth. The one incident took place half
way through the rave when leader Jeff Olschowka was bumped from behind by Rogers as the two
were fiercely racing through slower cars. Olschowka was unable to continue and Rogers went on to
win. “What happened was a racing thing even though he had some harsh words for me,” said Rogers
in victory lane. Rogers and Olschowka were the winners in the two heat races. A total of 20 cars
turned out for the point race.
Full results with starting spots available at www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
Miller Glass Night at Chico
by Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA (5-6-08) - With four divisions racing this Friday night, May 9, things are starting to
heat up around Silver Dollar Speedway. The 410 sprints, wingless, dirt modified's and dwarf
cars are all slated to compete at the famous quarter-mile clay oval speedway. With the help of
Miller's Glass, 744 Cherry St., of Chico the winged sprint cars will once again compete for the
$2, 000 winners prize. All four divisions will compete in heat races and main events. A large
number of race cars are expected.
Front grandstand gate will open at 6 pm. Racing is scheduled to start at 7 pm. Adult general
admission is $11.00. Seniors and Juniors are $9.00 and children are $5.00. The sprint cars will
qualify followed by all three divisions racing heats and main events.
Auburn's Andy Forsberg continues to lead the way for the 410 sprint car series. Even though he
has been held without a win, Forsberg by virtue of solid finishes is now 17-points ahead of
Oroville's Sean Becker. Both are former champions of the series. Princeton's Mason Moore is
steadily moving to the top. Moore is currently third in driver standings. The second year driver
is five for five when it comes to top ten finishes this year in main events. Chico's Jonathan Allard
is trying to break a streak of accidents. The last two weeks he has flipped in the main event
going into or through turns one and two. Allard won this past Saturday at American Valley
Speedway in Quincy to hopefully get him on the right track. Sacramento's Willie Croft is
currently fifth. Croft has two fast time awards this year at Chico.
The top five in the Feather Falls Casino wingless sprint standings are all young guns. The oldest,
Justin Funkhouser, barely out of his teens, is currently fourth in the driver standings. Leading
the charge is still rookie driver Keith Bloom Jr. This kid has proved to be no one hit wonder. He
has lead the points for the past five weeks. His nearest competitor is Orland's Taylor Simas.
Simas is 13-points back. Mason Myers is in third spot. He is currently 40-points behind Simas.
His brother Cody is currently fifth in points and both of the brothers are teenagers. Another
strong rookie is Mitch Miller of Chico. Miller, in only three starts, is already moved into the top
fifteen of points.
Defending track championship Richard Papenhausen of Chico leads the dirt modified point
standings. After struggling to start the year Papenhausen has caught fire by winning the most
recent main event at Chico. He currently leads Eddy Lewis and Darin Ruley, both of Chico, by
seven points.
The popular Dwarf Cars will make their second appearance of the year at Chico. With the
nostalgic look of early stock cars, Dwarf Cars are scaled copies of 1928 to 1948 vintage
American coupes and sedans. They are powered by a motorcycle engine. The bodies are scaled
down versions of full size cars. More information can be found at their website
www.dwarfworld.com.
© Copyright 1999-2008 John Padjen Motorsports.
by Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA (5-6-08) - With four divisions racing this Friday night, May 9, things are starting to
heat up around Silver Dollar Speedway. The 410 sprints, wingless, dirt modified's and dwarf
cars are all slated to compete at the famous quarter-mile clay oval speedway. With the help of
Miller's Glass, 744 Cherry St., of Chico the winged sprint cars will once again compete for the
$2, 000 winners prize. All four divisions will compete in heat races and main events. A large
number of race cars are expected.
Front grandstand gate will open at 6 pm. Racing is scheduled to start at 7 pm. Adult general
admission is $11.00. Seniors and Juniors are $9.00 and children are $5.00. The sprint cars will
qualify followed by all three divisions racing heats and main events.
Auburn's Andy Forsberg continues to lead the way for the 410 sprint car series. Even though he
has been held without a win, Forsberg by virtue of solid finishes is now 17-points ahead of
Oroville's Sean Becker. Both are former champions of the series. Princeton's Mason Moore is
steadily moving to the top. Moore is currently third in driver standings. The second year driver
is five for five when it comes to top ten finishes this year in main events. Chico's Jonathan Allard
is trying to break a streak of accidents. The last two weeks he has flipped in the main event
going into or through turns one and two. Allard won this past Saturday at American Valley
Speedway in Quincy to hopefully get him on the right track. Sacramento's Willie Croft is
currently fifth. Croft has two fast time awards this year at Chico.
The top five in the Feather Falls Casino wingless sprint standings are all young guns. The oldest,
Justin Funkhouser, barely out of his teens, is currently fourth in the driver standings. Leading
the charge is still rookie driver Keith Bloom Jr. This kid has proved to be no one hit wonder. He
has lead the points for the past five weeks. His nearest competitor is Orland's Taylor Simas.
Simas is 13-points back. Mason Myers is in third spot. He is currently 40-points behind Simas.
His brother Cody is currently fifth in points and both of the brothers are teenagers. Another
strong rookie is Mitch Miller of Chico. Miller, in only three starts, is already moved into the top
fifteen of points.
Defending track championship Richard Papenhausen of Chico leads the dirt modified point
standings. After struggling to start the year Papenhausen has caught fire by winning the most
recent main event at Chico. He currently leads Eddy Lewis and Darin Ruley, both of Chico, by
seven points.
The popular Dwarf Cars will make their second appearance of the year at Chico. With the
nostalgic look of early stock cars, Dwarf Cars are scaled copies of 1928 to 1948 vintage
American coupes and sedans. They are powered by a motorcycle engine. The bodies are scaled
down versions of full size cars. More information can be found at their website
www.dwarfworld.com.
© Copyright 1999-2008 John Padjen Motorsports.
Friday, May 16, 2008 Results
By Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA (5-16-08) - Oroville native Sean Becker used a lot of skill and a little luck to capture
the 25-lap main event on Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Becker, who started
eighth, quietly moved his way into second late in the race. On a lap 21 restart, race leader Tyler
Walker spun off turn one and came to a stop. Becker inherited the lead and held on to lead the
final four laps. For the win Becker earned the $2,500 pay day. Part of the winnings were from
his car owner Rod Fauver. Tonight was Fauver Race Ready Rental night at the speedway. Also
adding extra money was Fry's Metal. Fry's Metal added a total of $1,000 to the purse for the
night's racing with $500 of it going to the 410 winner. The wingless sprints got an extra $300
and the street stocks $200. Adding to the excitement in victory lane was the appearance of
Sean and his wife Lisa's new daughter Allison Rae. Allison was born just nine days ago and her
first race she gets to see dad win, not a bad first nine days of life.
Keith Bloom Jr. won the 20-lap wingless main event. He had a spirited battle with Mason
Myers throughout the race. Steve Hammett won an exciting 20-lap street stock main event.
Another large car count graced the race track tonight. Thirty-six 410 sprints, 19 wingless and
16 street stocks.
Sacramento's Mike Henry took the early lead of the 410 winged sprint car main event. Falling
into second was Kyle Larson. On lap four Jason York's night came to an end when his front end
was damaged. The next restart saw Tyler Walker move into the third spot, passing Jonathan
Allard. Lap five another caution was needed when Willie Croft stopped off turn four. Things
turned ugly on lap seven when Jonathan Allard slammed into the turn four front grandstand
wall. It was one of the hardest hits seen in recent memory. He was dazed and stayed in the car
for a few minutes to regroup. He exited the car under his own power but the Morrie and Katie
Williams #0 was beat up bad.
Racing resumed and on lap nine Walker passed Larson for second. Walker now chased Henry
for the lead. The leaders started to encounter slower traffic on lap 15. Three laps later Walker
and Henry split a slower car on the front stretch. Going into turn one Walker took the lead.
Henry fell into second. At this time the biggest charge was coming from Tim Kaeding. Kaeding
started 15th in the main. On lap 20 he was racing with Henry for the third spot. While both
drivers were battling slower cars Kaeding and Henry made contact that sent Tim off the turn
three edge. A yellow was waived for Kaeding, who was able to keep the car running and drove
it back to the pit area. He was done for the night. Henry continued and restarted in the top five.
That yellow caused the dramatic finish. Walker had the lead and a car a lap down separating
himself and second place Sean Becker. Walker cleared the front straight orange cone and went
to set the car into turn one. However, his right rear slid off the race track and this sucked his
car around and he spun off turn one. The yellow came back out and Becker was the new leader.
Walker went back to the pits and did not return. Becker led the final four laps with ease. Hirst
ran a solid second. Henry finished third, Kyle Larson held on for fourth and Andy Forsberg
salvaged a fifth place finish.
“It's my daughter's first race and how cool is it that I got to win tonight,” said Becker, the
happy father in victory lane. “My grandpa has his motor in this car and I came to Rod about
three weeks before the season to see if we could strike a deal to use one of his cars. A lot of
family members have helped us out, Mike and Carol have come up big for us and I want to
thank them also.” Mike and Carol of Cherry St. Mini Storage are also a sponsor on the car and
happy to be with Becker in victory lane.
Keith Bloom Jr. took the early lead of the wingless feature event. It was not to last long as
Mason Myers passed Bloom on lap two. The top two would dice it up pretty good for the next
few laps. On lap eight Bloom Jr. regained the lead. Myers fell back to third late in the race
when a charging Terry Schank Jr. moved into second. Another driver charging was Justin
Funkhouser who started 11th and finished a respectable fourth. Chico's Jimmy Pettit, fresh off
his main event win last Friday night, moved through the field and finished fifth. Pettit was out
early in the night throwing free t-shirts into the grandstand. It's nice to see drivers giving back
to the fans like that. Up front it was Bloom Jr. who led the final few laps with problems. Schank
Jr, did close in the final lap but it was too little too late. Bloom Jr. won his first main of the year
and extended his point lead over the rest of the competition. Reyna Krueger did a nice job to
finish sixth. She start in the 14th spot. Tyler Haylett returned to Chico after a seven year hiatus
to finish seventh. Mitch Miller, Taylor Simas and Kenny Webber rounded out the top ten.
The street stocks provide more thrills again tonight with their 20 lap main event. Chico's
Heather Bartlett took the early lead. Bartlett is a crowd favorite and one of the toughest racers
to beat in her division. Bartlett led Scott Rogers and Jeff Olschowka on lap one. Olschowka
would pass Rogers and take over the second spot. The top three were nose to tail as they raced
through slower cars mid way through the race. Disaster struck on lap 14 when Shayna
Robertson spun in front of the lead cars. Bartlett had no where to go and was struck by
Robertson. Following close behind was Olschowka and he too was involved in the wreck. The
only driver to make it through was the third place car of Rogers. Both Bartlett and Olschowka
headed to the pit area under the yellow flag. Both would return to the main event. Bartlett
finished fifth while Olschowka was sixth. Up front Rogers had the lead but a new challenger
emerged. In only his second start Steve Hammett passed Rogers for the lead late in the race.
Hammett went on to win followed by Rogers. Jay Galvin finished in the third spot. Jake Vantol
finished fourth.
Jonathan Allard won his third fast time in a row at Silver Dollar Speedway tonight. His time
was an 11.672. Heat race winners included Stephen Allard, Mason Moore, Tim Kaeding and
Jason York. Mark Hall led all 12-laps to win the sprint car B feature. Forsberg, Greg DeCaires
and Johnny Gray rounded out the top four and all transferred to the feature.
Mason Myers and Keith Bloom Jr. each won their respective heat races in the wingless sprints.
Scott Rogers and Heather Bartlett were victorious in their eight lap heat races for the street
stock division.
By Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA (5-16-08) - Oroville native Sean Becker used a lot of skill and a little luck to capture
the 25-lap main event on Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Becker, who started
eighth, quietly moved his way into second late in the race. On a lap 21 restart, race leader Tyler
Walker spun off turn one and came to a stop. Becker inherited the lead and held on to lead the
final four laps. For the win Becker earned the $2,500 pay day. Part of the winnings were from
his car owner Rod Fauver. Tonight was Fauver Race Ready Rental night at the speedway. Also
adding extra money was Fry's Metal. Fry's Metal added a total of $1,000 to the purse for the
night's racing with $500 of it going to the 410 winner. The wingless sprints got an extra $300
and the street stocks $200. Adding to the excitement in victory lane was the appearance of
Sean and his wife Lisa's new daughter Allison Rae. Allison was born just nine days ago and her
first race she gets to see dad win, not a bad first nine days of life.
Keith Bloom Jr. won the 20-lap wingless main event. He had a spirited battle with Mason
Myers throughout the race. Steve Hammett won an exciting 20-lap street stock main event.
Another large car count graced the race track tonight. Thirty-six 410 sprints, 19 wingless and
16 street stocks.
Sacramento's Mike Henry took the early lead of the 410 winged sprint car main event. Falling
into second was Kyle Larson. On lap four Jason York's night came to an end when his front end
was damaged. The next restart saw Tyler Walker move into the third spot, passing Jonathan
Allard. Lap five another caution was needed when Willie Croft stopped off turn four. Things
turned ugly on lap seven when Jonathan Allard slammed into the turn four front grandstand
wall. It was one of the hardest hits seen in recent memory. He was dazed and stayed in the car
for a few minutes to regroup. He exited the car under his own power but the Morrie and Katie
Williams #0 was beat up bad.
Racing resumed and on lap nine Walker passed Larson for second. Walker now chased Henry
for the lead. The leaders started to encounter slower traffic on lap 15. Three laps later Walker
and Henry split a slower car on the front stretch. Going into turn one Walker took the lead.
Henry fell into second. At this time the biggest charge was coming from Tim Kaeding. Kaeding
started 15th in the main. On lap 20 he was racing with Henry for the third spot. While both
drivers were battling slower cars Kaeding and Henry made contact that sent Tim off the turn
three edge. A yellow was waived for Kaeding, who was able to keep the car running and drove
it back to the pit area. He was done for the night. Henry continued and restarted in the top five.
That yellow caused the dramatic finish. Walker had the lead and a car a lap down separating
himself and second place Sean Becker. Walker cleared the front straight orange cone and went
to set the car into turn one. However, his right rear slid off the race track and this sucked his
car around and he spun off turn one. The yellow came back out and Becker was the new leader.
Walker went back to the pits and did not return. Becker led the final four laps with ease. Hirst
ran a solid second. Henry finished third, Kyle Larson held on for fourth and Andy Forsberg
salvaged a fifth place finish.
“It's my daughter's first race and how cool is it that I got to win tonight,” said Becker, the
happy father in victory lane. “My grandpa has his motor in this car and I came to Rod about
three weeks before the season to see if we could strike a deal to use one of his cars. A lot of
family members have helped us out, Mike and Carol have come up big for us and I want to
thank them also.” Mike and Carol of Cherry St. Mini Storage are also a sponsor on the car and
happy to be with Becker in victory lane.
Keith Bloom Jr. took the early lead of the wingless feature event. It was not to last long as
Mason Myers passed Bloom on lap two. The top two would dice it up pretty good for the next
few laps. On lap eight Bloom Jr. regained the lead. Myers fell back to third late in the race
when a charging Terry Schank Jr. moved into second. Another driver charging was Justin
Funkhouser who started 11th and finished a respectable fourth. Chico's Jimmy Pettit, fresh off
his main event win last Friday night, moved through the field and finished fifth. Pettit was out
early in the night throwing free t-shirts into the grandstand. It's nice to see drivers giving back
to the fans like that. Up front it was Bloom Jr. who led the final few laps with problems. Schank
Jr, did close in the final lap but it was too little too late. Bloom Jr. won his first main of the year
and extended his point lead over the rest of the competition. Reyna Krueger did a nice job to
finish sixth. She start in the 14th spot. Tyler Haylett returned to Chico after a seven year hiatus
to finish seventh. Mitch Miller, Taylor Simas and Kenny Webber rounded out the top ten.
The street stocks provide more thrills again tonight with their 20 lap main event. Chico's
Heather Bartlett took the early lead. Bartlett is a crowd favorite and one of the toughest racers
to beat in her division. Bartlett led Scott Rogers and Jeff Olschowka on lap one. Olschowka
would pass Rogers and take over the second spot. The top three were nose to tail as they raced
through slower cars mid way through the race. Disaster struck on lap 14 when Shayna
Robertson spun in front of the lead cars. Bartlett had no where to go and was struck by
Robertson. Following close behind was Olschowka and he too was involved in the wreck. The
only driver to make it through was the third place car of Rogers. Both Bartlett and Olschowka
headed to the pit area under the yellow flag. Both would return to the main event. Bartlett
finished fifth while Olschowka was sixth. Up front Rogers had the lead but a new challenger
emerged. In only his second start Steve Hammett passed Rogers for the lead late in the race.
Hammett went on to win followed by Rogers. Jay Galvin finished in the third spot. Jake Vantol
finished fourth.
Jonathan Allard won his third fast time in a row at Silver Dollar Speedway tonight. His time
was an 11.672. Heat race winners included Stephen Allard, Mason Moore, Tim Kaeding and
Jason York. Mark Hall led all 12-laps to win the sprint car B feature. Forsberg, Greg DeCaires
and Johnny Gray rounded out the top four and all transferred to the feature.
Mason Myers and Keith Bloom Jr. each won their respective heat races in the wingless sprints.
Scott Rogers and Heather Bartlett were victorious in their eight lap heat races for the street
stock division.
Willie Croft Wins Night One at Chico
By Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA (5-24-08) - Sacramento driver Willie Croft led all 25-laps to win his first sprint car
main event at Silver Dollar Speedway this season. Croft started on the outside of row one and
drove around fellow front row starter Kyle Larson for the lead. It also marked the second win of
the year for new crew chief Brian Cannon who joined the Holy Smoke Barbecue #29 over the
off-season. Croft and Cannon won on March 29 at Placerville Speedway earlier this year. Croft
was on the gas throughout the race and seemed to enjoy the fast racing surface that developed.
With threatening weather all afternoon and night it was just exciting to be able to race. Other
winners on the night included Keith Bloom Jr. for the wingless sprints and Mark Abouzeid in the
dirt modified's. A total of 60 cars competed during the first night of racing during the 2008
Silver Dollar Fair.
Croft drove his car deep into turn one and passed pole sitter Kyle Larson at the start of the race.
Larson dropped into the second spot while Tyler Walker ran third. Andy Forsberg started sixth
but moved into the fourth spot on lap one. With the track super fast and a little greasy still some
drivers had issues keeping all four wheels on the race track and headed straight. A serious of
cautions slowed the event. All together we had eight cautions and two red flags during the 25-lap
main event. While the leaders stayed single file throughout the early laps the drivers in the back
of the field were dicing it up real good.
The race complexion changed during a caution when Tyler Walker rode over Emalee Ramirez's
tire and took a nasty spill off turn three. Walker was running third at the time. Walker's flip
looked dangerous but he quickly crawled out of the damaged race car. During the red, second
place Larson motioned a push truck to take him back to the work area. He had a flat tire and it
had to be changed. This would send him to the rear of the field for the restart. The race resumed
with a new second place driver. Andy Forsberg inherited the second position but was not able to
challenge Croft for the lead. Greg DeCaires moved into the third spot and it is a position he would
finish in. The biggest mover and shaker of the night was Chad Riolo. Making his first sprint car
start in over a year and a half Riolo Started the main event in eleventh but finished fourth. It was
an impressive finish for a driver without much track time during the last two seasons. Up front it
was all about Croft. He was the class of the field tonight and it had to be a great feeling to get the
win in convincing fashion.
Keith Bloom wins for the second week in a row to add to his division point lead.
Keith Bloom Jr. was the winner of the 20-lap wingless spec sprint main event. He started outside
row one and never was challenged for the win. Bloom Jr. is a freshman in high school, a rookie
phenom, and the current point leader of the division. Tonight, he led the race by a full
straightway which equals a five-second lead. Finishing in the second spot was Taylor Simas. The
Orland driver and current Chico State University student was able to hold off a charging Kyle
Hirst at the checkered flag. Hirst, who might of challenged Bloom, jumped a right rear wheel
half way through the race while running in second. The mishap pushed him back to sixth. He
worked his way back to a third place finish. Mason Myers of Browns Valley is a steady as they
come. Always in the top five and an ultra-competitive driver, along with his brother Cody,
finished fourth. Gary Lewis made a rare Chico start and finished fifth.
Mark Abouzeid was the class of the light dirt modified field tonight. Only six car attended the
race and at the end of the 12-lap race only four were racing. Abouzeid led all 12-laps and was
never challenged for the lead. Duane Cleveland moved into the second spot on lap nine but was too
far away to catch Abouzeid. It was Abouzeid's fourth win of the season and Chico in Chico
Volkswagen #27.
Racing continues tonight with the Hoosier Racing Tire California Civil War Sprint Car Series.
Over 40 drivers are expected for tonights racing. Qualifying scheduled to start at 7 pm sharp.
By Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA (5-24-08) - Sacramento driver Willie Croft led all 25-laps to win his first sprint car
main event at Silver Dollar Speedway this season. Croft started on the outside of row one and
drove around fellow front row starter Kyle Larson for the lead. It also marked the second win of
the year for new crew chief Brian Cannon who joined the Holy Smoke Barbecue #29 over the
off-season. Croft and Cannon won on March 29 at Placerville Speedway earlier this year. Croft
was on the gas throughout the race and seemed to enjoy the fast racing surface that developed.
With threatening weather all afternoon and night it was just exciting to be able to race. Other
winners on the night included Keith Bloom Jr. for the wingless sprints and Mark Abouzeid in the
dirt modified's. A total of 60 cars competed during the first night of racing during the 2008
Silver Dollar Fair.
Croft drove his car deep into turn one and passed pole sitter Kyle Larson at the start of the race.
Larson dropped into the second spot while Tyler Walker ran third. Andy Forsberg started sixth
but moved into the fourth spot on lap one. With the track super fast and a little greasy still some
drivers had issues keeping all four wheels on the race track and headed straight. A serious of
cautions slowed the event. All together we had eight cautions and two red flags during the 25-lap
main event. While the leaders stayed single file throughout the early laps the drivers in the back
of the field were dicing it up real good.
The race complexion changed during a caution when Tyler Walker rode over Emalee Ramirez's
tire and took a nasty spill off turn three. Walker was running third at the time. Walker's flip
looked dangerous but he quickly crawled out of the damaged race car. During the red, second
place Larson motioned a push truck to take him back to the work area. He had a flat tire and it
had to be changed. This would send him to the rear of the field for the restart. The race resumed
with a new second place driver. Andy Forsberg inherited the second position but was not able to
challenge Croft for the lead. Greg DeCaires moved into the third spot and it is a position he would
finish in. The biggest mover and shaker of the night was Chad Riolo. Making his first sprint car
start in over a year and a half Riolo Started the main event in eleventh but finished fourth. It was
an impressive finish for a driver without much track time during the last two seasons. Up front it
was all about Croft. He was the class of the field tonight and it had to be a great feeling to get the
win in convincing fashion.
Keith Bloom wins for the second week in a row to add to his division point lead.
Keith Bloom Jr. was the winner of the 20-lap wingless spec sprint main event. He started outside
row one and never was challenged for the win. Bloom Jr. is a freshman in high school, a rookie
phenom, and the current point leader of the division. Tonight, he led the race by a full
straightway which equals a five-second lead. Finishing in the second spot was Taylor Simas. The
Orland driver and current Chico State University student was able to hold off a charging Kyle
Hirst at the checkered flag. Hirst, who might of challenged Bloom, jumped a right rear wheel
half way through the race while running in second. The mishap pushed him back to sixth. He
worked his way back to a third place finish. Mason Myers of Browns Valley is a steady as they
come. Always in the top five and an ultra-competitive driver, along with his brother Cody,
finished fourth. Gary Lewis made a rare Chico start and finished fifth.
Mark Abouzeid was the class of the light dirt modified field tonight. Only six car attended the
race and at the end of the 12-lap race only four were racing. Abouzeid led all 12-laps and was
never challenged for the lead. Duane Cleveland moved into the second spot on lap nine but was too
far away to catch Abouzeid. It was Abouzeid's fourth win of the season and Chico in Chico
Volkswagen #27.
Racing continues tonight with the Hoosier Racing Tire California Civil War Sprint Car Series.
Over 40 drivers are expected for tonights racing. Qualifying scheduled to start at 7 pm sharp.
Souther, Olschowka and Gillaspie also win
By Bob Burbach
Marysville CA - June 1, 2008 --- The 9th Mel Hall Memorial Race will be the one everyone
remembers. Grass Valley’s Billy Wallace passed “High Flyin’” Herman Klein of Sacramento at
the line and won the Winged Sprint Car feature by .013 seconds. James Gillaspie of Olivehurst
won the Open 4 feature as Jeff Olshowka added a Hall Memorial trophy to the case in the MRP
Street Stock main. Brian Southers of Sutter led wire to wire in the Wingless Sprint Car feature
holding off repeated challenges from championship point leader John Anderson.
86 quality racecars flooded the pits and a large, appreciative crowd shouldered into Paul and
Kathy Hawes sparkling speed plant. The two Sprint Car classes needed B mains to decide the
starting fields. The large contingent of racers and spectators paid tribute to Hall in a moving
ceremony to kick off the night’s activities. Long time associate of the Halls, Sherm Toller, of
Grass Valley, hosted the proceedings.
The MRP Winged Sprint Cars were the featured division and they did not disappoint. Four
highly competitive heat races going virtually caution free seeded the first 16 positions. Point
contender and 3 time champion Korey Lovell of Yuba City had to race into the feature by
winning the B main after missing the cut in the heat races. He got his time back and was seeded
behind the inversion for the start. The star-studded field did not include Derek Dozier who holds
4th position in the MRP season points. He didn’t get out of the B.
The early laps of the feature were wild after an aborted start that wiped out the front end on
Jim Richardson’s black hot rod. Herman Klein aboard Dale Wondergem’s well prepared 91 shot
into the lead with Marysville’s Brandon Dozier in hot pursuit. It became clear right away that
Klein was the man to beat. There was a knot of racers from 3rd on back that were having a
great tussle on a track that, once again, provided high and low groove racing. The Wallace
Family 6 was on the move right away darting high and low and about the only car that showed
the same kind of speed as Klein.
A mid race yellow flag segment for a minor problem proved fatal for Brandon Dozier’s chances.
Dozier pulled out of line (while 2nd) and parked the Performance Auto Supply 95. The ailment
was unknown at this writing.
The new green erased Klein’s lead and the blast of action to the checkers was on. The 20-lap
distance created an urgency not seen in other major races. You have to be up on the wheel right
away in this, the highest paying 20 lap winged 360 feature presented on the west coast.
Wallace was up to the task. He flew into 2nd, went to the bottom and started to close on Klein.
With 3 to go it looked like Klein had it made, but lapped traffic was ahead and Wallace was
coming. After the race Wallace said to this observer that he… “thought the race would be won
on the top…it was smooth and fast up there and I can’t believe we won it on the bottom.”
Klein’s brave ride around the rim was paying dividends until the very end when starter Robin
Davies threw the white banner. With one to go Klein, as had been the case all night, headed for
the top and Wallace dove to the bottom. Wallace made up a lot of real estate in 1 and 2. Klein
whistled into 3 on the high side, just behind some lapped traffic. Wallace pinched his yellow
racer right on the bottom. If Klein was affected by the traffic, it was not noticeable, but Wallace
hooked up on the very bottom and the pair came off of 4 side by side. In a furious blur of speed
they crossed the line in what appeared to be a dead heat in front of standing, cheering fans. The
scorers, Barbara Eversult and Loree Toller called it Wallace. Looking at the video, it was
impossible to come up with an answer. Whoever was going to win was going to be decided by
the computer. Race officials consulted the computer and proved the scorers right. The margin of
victory was an inch or two and .013 of a second. Wallace got the nod. Wallace pocketed $2300
for his spectacular 5-mile ride. That’s $460 per mile. $300 in cash was donated to the winner by
a fan that, as noted by this observer, had to leave before the race was concluded. This observer
will provide a DVD of this great race to that fan, on the house. Here’s tip of the straw hat to a
true race fan that attends every week and prefers to remain anonymous in his generosity.
Infield announcer Toller in victory lane presented the $300 in cash to Wallace personally.
Klein was 2nd with Mark Tabor Sr. 3rd followed by Korey Lovell and Colby Wiesz. Lovell was
the first under the checkers as a track member, however. He received some $1100 in
contingency awards in addition to 4th place money in the rich Hall Memorial.
In the MRP Wingless Sprint Car feature Southers, the Sutter High School Jr., went wire to wire
from his front row starting spot. The 16 year old held off repeated challenges from MRP point
leader John Anderson. Anderson found 2nd quickly and pressured Souther to the checkers.
Sacramento’s Anderson passed Southers at about ½ way but, the pass was negated by a quick
incidental yellow. Southers got the wake-up call and masterfully completed the race in the lead.
Paradise’s Mason Meyers charged to a great 3rd place finish passing cars, high and low all
night long. Tim Sherman Jr. and Jeremy Hawes settled for 4th and 5th respectively. Tony
Richards quest for a 5th cosecutive feature win was a tough one. Richards was in the mix
running in the top 5 for most of the race. He nearly flipped on a couple of occasions trying for
win #5. Richards faded to 15th at the end in what appeared to be a hurt racecar.
Yuba City’s Jeff Olschowka out-dueled fellow front row starter Lisa Shelby and went on to win
the MRP Street Stock portion of the show. Olschowka worked all week to get his car into shape
for this prestigious event after a vicious wreck at another track last week. But the “Oh, Man”
had his hands full early on. Shelby jumped into the early lead with Olschowka glued to the fleet
88. Lap after lap in the early going Olschowka looked low, but the steadily improving Shelby
was up to the task. The race was shaping up to be a thriller. Shelby opened the door on a couple
occasions in the first 5 laps but Olschowka couldn’t get by. “I tried to give her plenty of room,”
Olschowka said later when talking about his looks to the inside. Finally, on lap 8, Shelby slipped
and slid wide enough for Olschowka to get on by. The race for the lead was history after that. A
torrid battle was on for 3rd through 5th. Robert Mull, point leader Bill Knoop and Corey Hall
were in lock step and slugging it out as the lead duo motored on. Mull kept Knoop at bay
securing 3rd with Hall finally placing 5th.
James Gillaspie used a great deal of finesse to keep the lead while being challenged by much
faster cars to get his 1st win in the Open 4s. The event was close from start to finish. Gillaspie
bolted into an early lead with Oregon’s Tyler Jenson nearly attached to his rear spoiler. An
early race crash and flip by Eric Jones on the back chute created a lengthy red flag period.
Jones was OK, but he did a lot of damage to the backstretch boards.
The new green brought a resumption of the battle between Gillaspie and Jensen. Gillaspie won
the good luck nod in this one as a pass for the lead, by Jensen, was negated by another yellow
flag incident. The race was plagued by slowdowns in the early going.
Another new green provided fans with an entertaining battle up front as Jensen’s teammate
Tracy Bradley made it a 3 car dice. Coming off of 4 Jensen tried the high side and had a run on
Gillaspie. Jensen was pinched up next to the wall on Gillaspie’s ¼ panel. Jensen lost it in front of
the entire field at the starting line and slid to a stop, blocking the track. The approaching cars
darted everywhere to avoid the inevitable crash. Orland’s Olin Crane hit Jensen a ton as others
banged and slid to a stop.
With promoter Hawes pointing to his wristwatch the race went green. Gillaspie did not put a
wheel wrong from that point forward. Gillaspie held his line and took away any challenger’s
lines in a virtuoso drive to the checkers. It was Gillaspie’s best performance, ever.
Josh Tucker of Willows won the wingless sprint car B main. Heat race winners were Colby
Wiesz, Brent Dothage, Mark Tabor Jr. of Reno and Heath Hall of Oroville in the winged sprints;
Cort Dozier of Marysville, Tim Sherman Jr. of Rocklin and Buddy Olschowka of Yuba City in the
wingless sprints; Shelby and Olschowka in the street stocks; and Jensen and Tracy Bradley,
both of Medford, Ore., and Marty Plump of Anderson, Ore., in the open 4 Cylinders.
MRP will be dark next week. Promoter Hawes said continued physical improvements to the
facility would be in progress over the next 2 weeks. A new look is anticipated when MRP turns
the lights on June 14th. A solid 5-division show will kick off the balance of the 2008 season. The
Winged Sprinters will return with the Wingless Sprinters also on the card. Fendered action will
be provided by the incredible MRP Street Stocks. The Nor Cal Dwarf Cars will bring their side-
by-side racing action to MRP again. The Sprint 600s will round out the show.
Pit gates always open at 3 with the grandstands opening at 5. Practice and hot laps start at 6
with qualifying and racing to follow. Put www.marysvilleracewaypark.com on your “favorites”
button on you computer. Watch this site for press releases, updates and complete results.
$300,000 in contingency rewards ongoing through 2008:
Remember, our racing program will get $150,000 worth of contingency dollars for our winged
and wingless sprint cars. The way it works is that Contingency Connection has signed up 181
sponsors nationwide who contribute products or merchandise each race to the winner. The only
catch is that drivers must be sporting the decal of that sponsor to earn the bonus. If a driver
who wins the MRP Winged or Wingless feature race has every decal on his car, he could receive
some $1150 in products or merchandise. The vouchers can be saved and traded in for larger
ticket items. The bonus is a healthy addition to the weekly $1,000 promoter Hawes already
pays to the winner of MRP winged sprint car main events and the $750 he pays to MRP wingless
sprint car feature winners.
In addition to the $150,000 Contingency Connection is providing during the regular season, the
program also has earmarked another $150,000 toward a year-end bonus for the top two
drivers as well as four other "at-large" drivers whom the promoters believe are deserving of
some added cash.
Note: Please make this observer aware of any names that are misspelled or incorrect. The text is
based on information we have at the time of its release. Complete finishes, stats and points
become official and available at the close of business on Tuesday and will be posted to the web
site.
Motor Sports Report: Wallace leads locals at Silver Dollar Speedway
A slew of western Nevada County drivers were among the fast field in last week's main event at
Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, with Grass Valley's Billy Wallace leading the locals with a
second place finish in the Wingless Sprints - two spots ahead of Browns Valley's Mason Myers.
Wallace and Myers also dueled in their heat race prior to the feature, finishing first and second,
respectively. Grass Valley's Ashton Love took sixth place in his heat race, before crossing the
feature's finish line in 12th place. Taylor Simas of Orland took the checkered flag.
But while Wallace won both shootouts with Myers last Friday night, it's Myers who holds the
edge in the season standings. Keith Bloom of Anderson holds the top spot, while Myers currently
holds third place and Wallace stands 10th. Cody Myers, Mason's brother and the fifth place
driver in the series, took fifth place in his heat race.
Two other Grass Valley drivers took the track in Chico last Friday. In the 410 Sprints, both
Jeremy Burt and Mark Hall finished third in their heat races, but the going got tougher in the
feature as Burt was 17th and Hall 19th.
What a Night at Chico
by Troy Hennig
Friday, June 20, 2008 Results
Qualifying Wingless Sprints Dirt Modifieds Street Stocks
CHICO, CA (6-20-08) - It was a refreshing Friday night of racing at Silver Dollar Speedway. Three
divisions entertained the crowd with close racing and action packed thrills. The fans were also
treated to various give aways courtesy of Skyway Tool Center and Angie's Poker Club both in Chico.
The racing on the speedway was exciting to say the least. Keith Bloom Jr. won the wingless main
event. It was his third win this year and he extended his points lead. Bloom Jr. pocketed $1,000 for
the win. Mike Sohnrey won the Diamond Truss Co. Dirt Modified tour main event. He received extra
money from papasbeefjerky.com for the win. The biggest fan participation of the night belonged to
driver Heather Bartlett. Bartlett won the 20-lap street stock main event in front of over 150 special
family members and friends on hand to root her on. It was nice to see the excitement from both the
crowd and the drivers during tonight's racing action.
There were 22 non-wing sprints in attendance for Skyway Tool Center night. During this night of
racing the top six in points were automatically allowed to race in a special seven-lap Dash for Tools.
Winning the race was Taylor Simas who won an impact gun from Skyway Tools valued at over
$400. All competitors in the dash received something for the efforts. The main event started with
Keith Bloom Jr. on the pole. He jumped out to the early lead but was being challenged by Cody
Myers. On lap two Mason Myers stopped in turn two and brought out the yellow. On the restart
Myers passed Bloom for the lead. However, on the next lap Bloom Jr. took the lead back. It was a
spot he would never give up even though Myers was right there. “I could feel someone (Myers)
bumping my rear end but I just kept the car straight and held him off,” said Bloom Jr. in victory
lane. Late in the race Kody Smith charged past Myers for second. It was Smith's best finish to date.
Myers ran third followed by Billy Wallace and Jimmy Pettit. Everyone in the top five received extra
money from Skyway Tools. Without the 410 sprint cars the non-wing sprints were able to qualify
one at a time tonight. Billy Wallace was the only driver in the 13-second bracket. He officially timed
in at a 13.907. The all-time mark is 13.541 held by Terry Schank Jr. Wallace, R.C. Smith and Mitch
Miller all were winners in the heat race. Miller took a nasty tumble off turn four in the main event
but quickly climbed from the car and walked away.
Bill Pearson led the first few laps of dirt modified racing. The 20-lap main event had 17 cars make
the start. Richard Papenhausen started third but on lap three passed Pearson for the lead. A yellow
was needed a lap later when Darin Ruley spun. Papenhausen was the class of the field for the next
seven laps until disaster struck. On lap 10 Papenhausen spun in turn three and was just about
cleared from oncoming cars until Pearson came by and there was contact. Both cars were damaged
and left the track. The top two were knocked out of the lead. Both did return after the wreck.
Papenhausen actually brought out another caution late in the race and his night ended. Pearson
came back to finish sixth. Sohnrey inherited the lead with Mark Abouzeid right on his bumper.
Abouzeid looked low and high to pass Sohnrey but was never able to get it done. On lap 17 Abouzeid's
right rear tire went flat. He tried to continue after a restart but the car pushed up the track too bad
and he ended up pulling off. Moving into second was Todd Aylward. It was his best finish at Chico.
Third spot went to John Abbott. Randy McDaniel finished fourth and Darin Ruley was fifth.
Abouzeid and McDaniel won the eight lap heat races tonight.
Jake Vantol led the first lap of the street main event. The real story of the race was Scott Rogers.
Coming into tonight Rogers had a 16- point lead over Heather Bartlett for the championship. Rogers
blew up his high powered Ford engine on lap three and was done for the night. He finished 12th. Jeff
Olschowka passed Vantol on lap four and became the new leader. Yet, everyone was watching
Heather Bartlett. She moved through the field and on lap eight closed in on Olschowka for the lead.
Going in to turn three Bartlett was on the bottom and Olschowka on the outside. An old fashion drag
race into turn three and the two bumped slightly as they set their cars. Olschowka got the worst of it
and fell back to fourth. To his credit he raced his way back to second place finish. Bartlett went on to
lead the final 10 laps and racked up her first win of the year. One of her sponsors in Angie's Poker
Club and it was their night at the track. Bartlett will receive extra money for the win as will the top
four from the main event. “It was the perfect night,” said Bartlett in victory lane. She was
surrounded by nearly 50 people on the front stretch for the victory lane photos. Mike Slightom
finished in the third spot. Dudley Burrows ran in the fourth spot and Joe Longmire finished fifth.
The top two point drivers Rogers and Bartlett were winners in heat race action.
© Copyright 1999-2008 John Padjen Motorsports.
by Troy Hennig
Friday, June 20, 2008 Results
Qualifying Wingless Sprints Dirt Modifieds Street Stocks
CHICO, CA (6-20-08) - It was a refreshing Friday night of racing at Silver Dollar Speedway. Three
divisions entertained the crowd with close racing and action packed thrills. The fans were also
treated to various give aways courtesy of Skyway Tool Center and Angie's Poker Club both in Chico.
The racing on the speedway was exciting to say the least. Keith Bloom Jr. won the wingless main
event. It was his third win this year and he extended his points lead. Bloom Jr. pocketed $1,000 for
the win. Mike Sohnrey won the Diamond Truss Co. Dirt Modified tour main event. He received extra
money from papasbeefjerky.com for the win. The biggest fan participation of the night belonged to
driver Heather Bartlett. Bartlett won the 20-lap street stock main event in front of over 150 special
family members and friends on hand to root her on. It was nice to see the excitement from both the
crowd and the drivers during tonight's racing action.
There were 22 non-wing sprints in attendance for Skyway Tool Center night. During this night of
racing the top six in points were automatically allowed to race in a special seven-lap Dash for Tools.
Winning the race was Taylor Simas who won an impact gun from Skyway Tools valued at over
$400. All competitors in the dash received something for the efforts. The main event started with
Keith Bloom Jr. on the pole. He jumped out to the early lead but was being challenged by Cody
Myers. On lap two Mason Myers stopped in turn two and brought out the yellow. On the restart
Myers passed Bloom for the lead. However, on the next lap Bloom Jr. took the lead back. It was a
spot he would never give up even though Myers was right there. “I could feel someone (Myers)
bumping my rear end but I just kept the car straight and held him off,” said Bloom Jr. in victory
lane. Late in the race Kody Smith charged past Myers for second. It was Smith's best finish to date.
Myers ran third followed by Billy Wallace and Jimmy Pettit. Everyone in the top five received extra
money from Skyway Tools. Without the 410 sprint cars the non-wing sprints were able to qualify
one at a time tonight. Billy Wallace was the only driver in the 13-second bracket. He officially timed
in at a 13.907. The all-time mark is 13.541 held by Terry Schank Jr. Wallace, R.C. Smith and Mitch
Miller all were winners in the heat race. Miller took a nasty tumble off turn four in the main event
but quickly climbed from the car and walked away.
Bill Pearson led the first few laps of dirt modified racing. The 20-lap main event had 17 cars make
the start. Richard Papenhausen started third but on lap three passed Pearson for the lead. A yellow
was needed a lap later when Darin Ruley spun. Papenhausen was the class of the field for the next
seven laps until disaster struck. On lap 10 Papenhausen spun in turn three and was just about
cleared from oncoming cars until Pearson came by and there was contact. Both cars were damaged
and left the track. The top two were knocked out of the lead. Both did return after the wreck.
Papenhausen actually brought out another caution late in the race and his night ended. Pearson
came back to finish sixth. Sohnrey inherited the lead with Mark Abouzeid right on his bumper.
Abouzeid looked low and high to pass Sohnrey but was never able to get it done. On lap 17 Abouzeid's
right rear tire went flat. He tried to continue after a restart but the car pushed up the track too bad
and he ended up pulling off. Moving into second was Todd Aylward. It was his best finish at Chico.
Third spot went to John Abbott. Randy McDaniel finished fourth and Darin Ruley was fifth.
Abouzeid and McDaniel won the eight lap heat races tonight.
Jake Vantol led the first lap of the street main event. The real story of the race was Scott Rogers.
Coming into tonight Rogers had a 16- point lead over Heather Bartlett for the championship. Rogers
blew up his high powered Ford engine on lap three and was done for the night. He finished 12th. Jeff
Olschowka passed Vantol on lap four and became the new leader. Yet, everyone was watching
Heather Bartlett. She moved through the field and on lap eight closed in on Olschowka for the lead.
Going in to turn three Bartlett was on the bottom and Olschowka on the outside. An old fashion drag
race into turn three and the two bumped slightly as they set their cars. Olschowka got the worst of it
and fell back to fourth. To his credit he raced his way back to second place finish. Bartlett went on to
lead the final 10 laps and racked up her first win of the year. One of her sponsors in Angie's Poker
Club and it was their night at the track. Bartlett will receive extra money for the win as will the top
four from the main event. “It was the perfect night,” said Bartlett in victory lane. She was
surrounded by nearly 50 people on the front stretch for the victory lane photos. Mike Slightom
finished in the third spot. Dudley Burrows ran in the fourth spot and Joe Longmire finished fifth.
The top two point drivers Rogers and Bartlett were winners in heat race action.
© Copyright 1999-2008 John Padjen Motorsports.
410 Winged Sprints Return After Week Off
by Troy Hennig
(Chico, CA 6-23-08)...After a weekend off from racing at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico the
410 winged sprint cars return this Friday night, June 27. Joining the winged sprint cars are
the street stocks and wingless sprints. The Friday night will mark Points race number 13
during the Feather Falls Casino point championship series. Joining the night as a sponsor for
the third year in a row is Riebe's Auto Parts. Chico's David Larabee is not only a driver at the
speedway but also the reason Riebe's has been involved with Silver Dollar Speedway. “It's
always been a fun event for our customers and employees,” said Larabee from his office
inside Riebe's Auto Parts on 175 E. 20th St in Chico. Lots of prizes for the fans from Riebe's
Auto Parts always makes this an event not to miss. There are many Riebe's Auto Parts
located in the North Valley.
Front grandstand gate will open at 6 pm. Winged sprint car qualifying is slated to start at &
pm. Racing is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm. Adult general admission is $11.00. Seniors and
Juniors are $9.00 and children are $5.00.
Auburn's Andy Forsberg leads the 410-winged sprint car standings. Two weeks ago,
Forsberg won his second main event of the year. The win extended his point lead by 22 over
Sean Becker of Oroville. Becker had a tire problem that sidelined him during the half way
point of the main event. Becker and his Rod Fauver racing team will need to regroup and
hopefully not have any more failures to catch Forsberg in the points. Forsberg won the track
championship in 2006, when, he beat Becker by 36-points. “This thing is still not anywhere
from being over,” said Forsberg. “Becker is probably the most consistent driver we have at
the speedway and Fauver is one of the best crew chief's in America, so my teams knows we
can not let up.” Second year driver Mason Moore of Princeton continues to strive towards the
top. He is currently third but only eleven points behind Becker for second. If you consider the
laps and experience Forsberg and Becker have at Chico, Moore's consistent presence in the
point battle could be considered more impressive. Even after missing a race Chico's Jonathan
Allard sits fourth in points. Chico's Robbie Whitchurch moved into the fifth spot in points
with his perseverance and hard work from his father and team.
Keith Bloom Jr. won his third main event of the year this past Friday at Chico. The Anderson
resident holds a 40-point lead over Orland's Taylor Simas. Bloom Jr. has now finished in the
top ten all 14 times he has entered a race at Chico. That is attributed to a good car, great
crew and smart driving by Bloom Jr. Simas is having a solid run also. He has won two main
events and scored 12 top ten finishes. The Myers brothers are equally as impressive. This two
car super team are third and fourth in points. They both are on the verge of a win and
continue to succeed at the racetrack. Orland's Reyna Krueger suffered a tough night of
racing last Friday. Motor issues plagued Krueger's night but she continued to make the best
of a bad situation and finished in the top ten.
What an amazing night of racing last Friday night in the Street Stock division. Chico's
Heather Bartlett won her first main of the year and had the grandstands buzzing with her
popular win. With Bartlett's win and point leader Scott Roger's engine problem, Bartlett
closed to five points of Rogers for the lead. Rogers had a solid lead in points until his car
drifted off the track in the main event on Friday and he finished deep on the field. Marysville
driver Jeff Olschowka is still in the third spot of the points battle. Steady Joe Longmire from
Chico continues to hold down the fourth spot in points. Longmire is a solid driver with a
knack for top ten finishes. Jake Vantol rounds out the top five.
For other information please visit our Internet site www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
by Troy Hennig
(Chico, CA 6-23-08)...After a weekend off from racing at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico the
410 winged sprint cars return this Friday night, June 27. Joining the winged sprint cars are
the street stocks and wingless sprints. The Friday night will mark Points race number 13
during the Feather Falls Casino point championship series. Joining the night as a sponsor for
the third year in a row is Riebe's Auto Parts. Chico's David Larabee is not only a driver at the
speedway but also the reason Riebe's has been involved with Silver Dollar Speedway. “It's
always been a fun event for our customers and employees,” said Larabee from his office
inside Riebe's Auto Parts on 175 E. 20th St in Chico. Lots of prizes for the fans from Riebe's
Auto Parts always makes this an event not to miss. There are many Riebe's Auto Parts
located in the North Valley.
Front grandstand gate will open at 6 pm. Winged sprint car qualifying is slated to start at &
pm. Racing is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm. Adult general admission is $11.00. Seniors and
Juniors are $9.00 and children are $5.00.
Auburn's Andy Forsberg leads the 410-winged sprint car standings. Two weeks ago,
Forsberg won his second main event of the year. The win extended his point lead by 22 over
Sean Becker of Oroville. Becker had a tire problem that sidelined him during the half way
point of the main event. Becker and his Rod Fauver racing team will need to regroup and
hopefully not have any more failures to catch Forsberg in the points. Forsberg won the track
championship in 2006, when, he beat Becker by 36-points. “This thing is still not anywhere
from being over,” said Forsberg. “Becker is probably the most consistent driver we have at
the speedway and Fauver is one of the best crew chief's in America, so my teams knows we
can not let up.” Second year driver Mason Moore of Princeton continues to strive towards the
top. He is currently third but only eleven points behind Becker for second. If you consider the
laps and experience Forsberg and Becker have at Chico, Moore's consistent presence in the
point battle could be considered more impressive. Even after missing a race Chico's Jonathan
Allard sits fourth in points. Chico's Robbie Whitchurch moved into the fifth spot in points
with his perseverance and hard work from his father and team.
Keith Bloom Jr. won his third main event of the year this past Friday at Chico. The Anderson
resident holds a 40-point lead over Orland's Taylor Simas. Bloom Jr. has now finished in the
top ten all 14 times he has entered a race at Chico. That is attributed to a good car, great
crew and smart driving by Bloom Jr. Simas is having a solid run also. He has won two main
events and scored 12 top ten finishes. The Myers brothers are equally as impressive. This two
car super team are third and fourth in points. They both are on the verge of a win and
continue to succeed at the racetrack. Orland's Reyna Krueger suffered a tough night of
racing last Friday. Motor issues plagued Krueger's night but she continued to make the best
of a bad situation and finished in the top ten.
What an amazing night of racing last Friday night in the Street Stock division. Chico's
Heather Bartlett won her first main of the year and had the grandstands buzzing with her
popular win. With Bartlett's win and point leader Scott Roger's engine problem, Bartlett
closed to five points of Rogers for the lead. Rogers had a solid lead in points until his car
drifted off the track in the main event on Friday and he finished deep on the field. Marysville
driver Jeff Olschowka is still in the third spot of the points battle. Steady Joe Longmire from
Chico continues to hold down the fourth spot in points. Longmire is a solid driver with a
knack for top ten finishes. Jake Vantol rounds out the top five.
For other information please visit our Internet site www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
Gregg Holds off Allard for Exciting Win at Chico
by Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA (6-27-08) - Placerville driver Andy Gregg scored his first career 410 sprint car main
event victory Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway. Gregg held off a charging Jonathan Allard
to get the win. Allard had caught and tried to pass Gregg coming out of the final turn on the final
lap riding around the cushion. Gregg was able to slide up in front of Allard and hold on to the win.
“I was having thoughts of two weeks ago,” said Gregg in victory lane. “After the race I went to
apologize to Allard for not giving him any room off turn four and he was more upset that I was
apologizing. He was telling me that's racing and no need to apologize.” Gregg also added, “This
win is big because about three weeks ago I wasn't sure if I should even be racing because of the
way things had been going.”
As good as the 410 winged main event finish was the wingless main event was better. Marc Zieske
led the main event as the white flag waived. However, he would not be the first car to the
checkered. Keith Bloom Jr. had chased Zieske for the final four laps. Bloom Jr. also went to the
cushion and built up his momentum. Going into the final lap Bloom Jr. passed Zieske going
through turns one and two. Bloom Jr. then drove deep into turn three and beat Zieske to the finish
line. It was a last lap pass that was executed to perfection. “That was an exciting finish,” said
Bloom Jr. “Pete told me to go to the top and even though I didn't trust the top in turn three and
four he was right.” It was Bloom's second win in a row and fourth for the year.
Steve Hammett won an exciting street stock main event. He held his own and won his second
feature of the year. Throughout the night two of the top in points Scott Rogers and Heather
Bartlett each did not finish with motor problems. All together 55 race cars entered point race #13
during the Feather Falls Casino Friday night point series. Helping with the night's festivities was
Riebe's Auto Parts. For the third year in a row Riebe's Auto Parts sponsored a night of racing at
Silver Dollar Speedway. Fans received numerous raffle prizes, free tee-shirts and sports bottles.
Riebe's Auto Parts continues to be very involved with Silver Dollar Speedway and we are very
appreciative of their contributions for the fans and drivers.
The winged sprint car main event struggled to get their first few laps complete. In the first five
laps there were three separate red flags, three yellows and of the 20 cars that started only 13
remained. Dan Simpson had front end damage on the original start and he stopped in turn one.
Lap two the red was needed when Mike Mossi flipped in turn one. Tyler Wolf was also involved.
Lap four the next red came out when Emalee Ramirez and Matt Barber flipped. Brett Miller was
involved and sustained front end damage. Mark Hall spun off the track in turn four on lap four.
Then on lap five Colby Copeland flipped off turn two. Johnny Gray had top wing damage during
the accident.
After the field was reduced the next 16 laps went non stop. During the long green flag run Kyle
Hirst challenged Gregg for the lead. Half way through the race Hirst banged into the front
grandstand wall and tried to continue but spun into the infield and was done for the night.
Jonathan Allard emerged as the new challenger. He closed in on Gregg while the two were
engaged in lapped traffic. Gregg continued to emerge as the car to beat. On lap 21 the race was
halted for the final time when Mason Moore stopped in turn four. Moore had been in the fourth
spot until the a mechanical problem sidelined the driver. Jason York was placed in between Gregg
and Allard on the restart. York did the sportsmanlike thing and moved out of the way to allow
Allard and Gregg to decide the race on the restart. Gregg held his line lap after lap while Allard
charged around the top of the track. With two laps to go it was shaping up as a possible last turn
pass. Allard kept driving his car deep into turn three. On the last lap Gregg drove his same line
and slid up the track coming out of turn four. Allard had a decision, try to go for the pass or dive
to the bottom. He tried the bottom and couldn't pull off the pass. It was a remarkable finish. Andy
Forsberg and Sean Becker finished third and fourth. They were almost a straight away behind the
top two at the finish. Mark Hall rebounded to finish in the fifth spot. York came across in the sixth
spot. Zack West had another solid run in seventh.
The wingless main event started with Marc Zieske jumping out the lead. Following him closely
was Keith Bloom Jr. and Cody Myers. The top three began to break away from the rest of the field.
Chico's Jimmy Pettit and Orland's Reyna Krueger were battling for the fourth spot. The top three
soon were racing with slower cars. Zieske seemed to use his experience and hold off Bloom. Not
many drivers have been able to do that this year. Mitch Miller spun on lap 16 to bring out the
caution. The single file restart saw Bloom Jr. jump to the top of the track and build up momentum.
He used the extra speed to race Zieske for the lead. The two were side by side coming down to
by Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA (6-27-08) - Placerville driver Andy Gregg scored his first career 410 sprint car main
event victory Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway. Gregg held off a charging Jonathan Allard
to get the win. Allard had caught and tried to pass Gregg coming out of the final turn on the final
lap riding around the cushion. Gregg was able to slide up in front of Allard and hold on to the win.
“I was having thoughts of two weeks ago,” said Gregg in victory lane. “After the race I went to
apologize to Allard for not giving him any room off turn four and he was more upset that I was
apologizing. He was telling me that's racing and no need to apologize.” Gregg also added, “This
win is big because about three weeks ago I wasn't sure if I should even be racing because of the
way things had been going.”
As good as the 410 winged main event finish was the wingless main event was better. Marc Zieske
led the main event as the white flag waived. However, he would not be the first car to the
checkered. Keith Bloom Jr. had chased Zieske for the final four laps. Bloom Jr. also went to the
cushion and built up his momentum. Going into the final lap Bloom Jr. passed Zieske going
through turns one and two. Bloom Jr. then drove deep into turn three and beat Zieske to the finish
line. It was a last lap pass that was executed to perfection. “That was an exciting finish,” said
Bloom Jr. “Pete told me to go to the top and even though I didn't trust the top in turn three and
four he was right.” It was Bloom's second win in a row and fourth for the year.
Steve Hammett won an exciting street stock main event. He held his own and won his second
feature of the year. Throughout the night two of the top in points Scott Rogers and Heather
Bartlett each did not finish with motor problems. All together 55 race cars entered point race #13
during the Feather Falls Casino Friday night point series. Helping with the night's festivities was
Riebe's Auto Parts. For the third year in a row Riebe's Auto Parts sponsored a night of racing at
Silver Dollar Speedway. Fans received numerous raffle prizes, free tee-shirts and sports bottles.
Riebe's Auto Parts continues to be very involved with Silver Dollar Speedway and we are very
appreciative of their contributions for the fans and drivers.
The winged sprint car main event struggled to get their first few laps complete. In the first five
laps there were three separate red flags, three yellows and of the 20 cars that started only 13
remained. Dan Simpson had front end damage on the original start and he stopped in turn one.
Lap two the red was needed when Mike Mossi flipped in turn one. Tyler Wolf was also involved.
Lap four the next red came out when Emalee Ramirez and Matt Barber flipped. Brett Miller was
involved and sustained front end damage. Mark Hall spun off the track in turn four on lap four.
Then on lap five Colby Copeland flipped off turn two. Johnny Gray had top wing damage during
the accident.
After the field was reduced the next 16 laps went non stop. During the long green flag run Kyle
Hirst challenged Gregg for the lead. Half way through the race Hirst banged into the front
grandstand wall and tried to continue but spun into the infield and was done for the night.
Jonathan Allard emerged as the new challenger. He closed in on Gregg while the two were
engaged in lapped traffic. Gregg continued to emerge as the car to beat. On lap 21 the race was
halted for the final time when Mason Moore stopped in turn four. Moore had been in the fourth
spot until the a mechanical problem sidelined the driver. Jason York was placed in between Gregg
and Allard on the restart. York did the sportsmanlike thing and moved out of the way to allow
Allard and Gregg to decide the race on the restart. Gregg held his line lap after lap while Allard
charged around the top of the track. With two laps to go it was shaping up as a possible last turn
pass. Allard kept driving his car deep into turn three. On the last lap Gregg drove his same line
and slid up the track coming out of turn four. Allard had a decision, try to go for the pass or dive
to the bottom. He tried the bottom and couldn't pull off the pass. It was a remarkable finish. Andy
Forsberg and Sean Becker finished third and fourth. They were almost a straight away behind the
top two at the finish. Mark Hall rebounded to finish in the fifth spot. York came across in the sixth
spot. Zack West had another solid run in seventh.
The wingless main event started with Marc Zieske jumping out the lead. Following him closely
was Keith Bloom Jr. and Cody Myers. The top three began to break away from the rest of the field.
Chico's Jimmy Pettit and Orland's Reyna Krueger were battling for the fourth spot. The top three
soon were racing with slower cars. Zieske seemed to use his experience and hold off Bloom. Not
many drivers have been able to do that this year. Mitch Miller spun on lap 16 to bring out the
caution. The single file restart saw Bloom Jr. jump to the top of the track and build up momentum.
He used the extra speed to race Zieske for the lead. The two were side by side coming down to