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Hall Of Fame Night And Close Point Battles At Antioch Speedway Saturday Night

Antioch, CA...Racing is back at Antioch Speedway this Saturday night. September marks the end of most of the championship battles, and there are some good ones still to be decided. This Saturday is also a special occasion as it celebrates the 64-year history of the track.

This Saturday will be the Sixth Annual Hall of Fame night, which will honor 10 new members. These are people who have made a difference at the track as racers, car owners and by making good things happen behind the scenes.

Among the honorees will be 1973 Sportsman champion Larry Schlee, Sportsman and Late Model star Buzz Enea. two-time Street Stock champion Troy Shirk, Street Stock legend Duane Hodges, two-time Wingless Spec Sprint champion Jim Perry Jr, car owner Rich Richards, car owner/driver/promoter Pete Paulsen, driver/car builder/official Tony Pato, long time crew member James Huckabee and long-time track helper and superfan Johnny Brocca.

The inductees have all made their mark on the speedway through the years. Enea was Top 5 ranked twice in the Sportsman and Late Model divisions. Shirk's 30 Street Stock wins was the division record for over a decade. Perry is the all-time Wingless Spec Sprint Main Event win leader with 35 wins. Paulsen has made a positive impact in racing as a promoter, a driving champion and car owner champion. Pato was a Late Model driver, builder of some of the first Modifieds to compete at the track and a track official.

The inductions will take place during intermission on a night that will feature the IMCA Sport Modifieds, Pacific Coast Hobby Stock, Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Stock Cars, Mini Stocks and Dwarf Cars. With the Friday night show canceled, Saturday will be a busy night from start to finish.

Much like last season, the IMCA Sport Modified battle is between Pacheco's Kenny Shrader and Jason Ryan Jr of Oakley. Ryan had a stellar season last year, though he ended up settling for second at both Antioch and in the State. The Antioch honors went to Shrader, who wasn't even planning to run for points this season. Scheduling has just worked out in a way that made it possible.

Shrader has picked up a pair of victories so far and leads one-time winner Ryan by just four points. With two races left to go, it's likely that the title will go to one of these hard chargers. Holding down third and looking like a good candidate for Most Improved Driver is Tommy Clymens Jr of Oakley. A feature winner in Hobby Stocks and Mini Trucks in years past, Clymens holds a six point lead over Oakley's Kelly Campanile in the race for third.

Another position up for grabs is fifth, where top rookie James Graessle of Antioch leads two-time winner Dylan Connelly of Antioch by just eight points. The Sport Modified division has brought plenty of excitement to the show with drivers like reigning State champion Trevor Clymens of Brentwood, two-time winner Buddy Kniss of Oakley and new State champion Chuck Golden of Pittsburg among the talented roster.

Another MVP division in the lineup is the Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks. This year has seen a battle between Ryan Hart of Dos Palos and Clarence Holbrook III of Galt. Holbrook tops the winner's list with four wins to two for Ryan, but Ryan finds himself leading by 12 points. Ryan is the reigning two-time champion of Merced Speedway and also a notable Late Model competitor at Madera in years past.

After a bad night last time out, 2020 champion James Thomson of Pittsburg fell to 38 points behind Holbrook in third. Pittsburg resident Jared Baugh holds forth by 34 tallies ahead of past Dwarf Car champion Rick Rogers of San Pablo. The battle for fifth finds Rogers leading rookie Brandon Carpenter of Galt by 12 points and San Pablo's Maddie Motts by 32.

Jacob Tuttle of Oakley is having a stellar season in the Ted Finkenbinder owned Wingless Spec Sprint. He currently leads reigning champion DJ Johnson of Stockton in a close Hunt Series title chase. That series will be making its third appearance at Antioch on October 26th in what is sure to be a can't miss event for racing fans.

Before then, however, Tuttle is trying to wrap up the Antioch championship. With three wins to his credit, he leads two-time champion Bob Newberry of Brentwood by 42 points. Newberry has been running strong enough that he could add a win to his totals before the year is out. Currently, he's third on the all-time win list behind new Hall of Fame inductee Jim Perry Jr and Darrell Hanestad.

Sonora's Steve Maionchi still has a shot at Newberry, trailing him by 24 points. However, Steve indicated that he may miss the finale due to another wedding obligation. He had just taken the point lead earlier this year when he missed a race and yielded it back to Tuttle. Tuttle's teammate, Blake Bower of Brentwood, is just 10 points behind fourth ranked John Ulrich of Antioch. Ulrich tops the rookies in the former Rick Panfili owned car.

The season may have started off as a bit of a nightmare for Pittsburg's Jason Jennings after blowing a motor early on, but it's turning into a dream come true. If Jason can just maintain his pace this week, he could clinch the IMCA Stock Car championship ahead of next week whether he shows up for that race or not. Currently, Jennings leads Rio Vista's Jason Robles by 57 markers.

For Robles, this would be his third consecutive runner-up season. Unlike last year, however, Robles has a pair of victories and would love to grab another one this week. He has a 10 point advantage over Oakley's Scott Foster in the race for third. Foster, meanwhile, is leading the State championship battle and will likely win that title. He has an 18 point lead over Troy Foulger of Oakley in the race for third.

Following his second Mini Stock win in a backup car and third for the season, two-time Antioch champion Tom Brown of Santa Rosa stretched his lead to 16 over reigning champion Tom Davis of Los Molinos. Davis had unfortunate luck last time out as an encounter with a slower car left him with front end damage and out of the race. With this being the only race left in the championship battle, Davis may need a miracle to overtake Brown.

Tony Quinonez of Corning, who recently picked up a win in Susanville, has a solid hold on his second-straight third place championship season, but he'd like to get a win this week if he can. Further back, Jackie Price of Antioch has a 20 point advantage over Matt Wirth of Oakland for fourth, which is also the rookie point battle. Price had a DNF last time and had work to do to get her car ready for this week's race.

A look at the unofficial Dwarf Car championship battle with two races left finds 2020 champion Travis Day of Concord holding a 42 point advantage over Benicia's Brandon Aylesworth. Both drivers are feature winners this year as is Antioch's David Rosa. Rosa is just two points behind Aylesworth following his runner-up finish behind his son David Michael Rosa of Antioch last time out. Rosa leads Joe LeDuc of Placerville by 20 points, while Brentwood's Sean Catucci moved into fifth with 90 points.

Saturday night will be a night to celebrate the rich history of Antioch Speedway and see which way the close championship battles turn in the IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. It will be a great night of racing and one you won't want to miss.

The gates will open at 4:00 with the first race starting at 6:00.

Adult tickets are $20, Senior/Military $15, Kids (5-12) $15 and kids four and under free.

For further information, go to www.raceantiochspeedway.com or check out the Antioch Speedway by PROmotions Facebook page.

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