At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...The Late Models will be competing at Southern Oregon Speedway this season. Promoter Mike McCann booked a six race season last year for the Open Stock division, which was open to several different types of Stock Cars. However, the majority of support came from the Late Model side of things. After assessing the situation and taking the drivers' thoughts into consideration, McCann has booked an exciting 10 race season for the Late Models this year. It's the most ambitious schedule for this class in the history of Southern Oregon Speedway.
Rules will be in line with the other tracks in the state to make it possible for drivers to come visit when their own schedules allow. They will compete for a guaranteed purse, which features a $500 to win first prize, and they will earn championship points. The purse money is currently equal to what the two closest tracks to Medford offer.
The track has booked a play day for April 15th and a backup playday for April 22nd in case of rainout. The season kicks off for the track on April 29th, and Late Models are one of the featured classes. The May 6th and 13th dates mean the Late Model division opens with three races in a row. After just one race in June (June 10th), There will be two races in July (July 1st and 22nd), two races in August (August 12th and 19th) and the final two races of the season (September 9th and 16th).
Once again, Bob Dees and Mike Linder lead the class into a new season Dees was supportive of the track's Late Model effort that took place within the last 10 years, but it ended when he was the last driver standing. Dees and Linder battled for last season's championship, but Bob had his best finish at the last race of the season with heat race and Trophy Dash victories before placing second in the Main Event. Two time winner Linder settled for second in the standings.
Joining these two hard chargers will be Bob's two sons, John Dees and Garrett Dees. John was excited to make his division debut a couple races into the season, and he also made a couple of trips out of town with his two teammates. John finished third in final points. Garrett Dees had competed in Street Stocks for a few seasons and was one of the last drivers left when the Medford effort ended in 2014. In fact, Garrett has indicted that he might compete in the Road To The Iron Gian Street Stock race at Medford on May 20th. He made his Late Model debut in the season finale. Despite having to use his Street Stock motor, Garrett still finished third in the feature.
Garrett Dees wasn't the only driver making his debut in last season's finale. Dustin Knight not only made his first start that evening, he served notice to the competition that he will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Knight has spent the last several seasons as a star of Super 4 racing at Roseburg and other tracks, and he has Pro Stock and Modified championships in Medford.. For the finale, Knight won both his heat race and the Main Event by a wide margin. Some people are already calling him the driver to beat this year.
Nathan Augustine may have something to say about that. The 2016 Coos Bay champion made one appearance with teammate Kristy Grout, who is also anticipated this year. He ended up clean sweeping the show with wins in his heat race, the Trophy Dash and Main Event. Word is that he has a new car this season. Should he make a run for the championship, he will be another driver to watch. Grout, meanwhile, finished third in points at Coos Bay last season.
Several drivers are preparing to join the roster this season. One of these competitors is Don Garrett Jr. Garret and Linder have a connection as two drivers who were there at the beginning of the Limited Sprint Car movement almost 25 years ago. Micro Sprint Car collector and historian Rick Hazen, a past Madras Speedway Modified champion, is planning to make some starts this year. A little over a decade ago, Hazen picked up his first Late Model win at Willamette Speedway in a huge field of cars. It was only his ninth start.
Frank Hazen is another Late Model veteran anticipated for some races. A busy work schedule kept past Street Stock champion Steve Lemley from racing last season, but he should be making his return this season. Word is there are other drivers preparing cars, some of whom will be familiar names to Medford racing fans.
Though Late Models haven't raced for a championship at Southern Oregon Speedway for very many seasons, the class has made several appearances through the years. Past champions include Chris Salyer and Roger Lorenizini Jr. (2008), Andy Freeman (2009) and Jeremy Richey (2010). Through the years, there have been Oregon Late Model Tour races as well as the big open shows that used to end the season. As the new Late Model effort continues to grow, there is potential for some big events to come to the speedway once again. This will be the year that Late Models establish themselves as part of the program. It should be an exciting season. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
2017 Southern Oregon Speedway
Late Model Schedule
April 15 - Playday
April 22 - (Rain Date Playday)
April 29
May 6
May 13
June 10
July 1
July 22
August 12
August 19
September 9
September 16
2016 Southern Oregon Speedway
Top 10 Late Model Points
Bob Dees 136
Mike Linder 131
John Dees 48
Nathan Augustine 39
Dustin Knight 35
Garrett Dees 30
Miles Deubert 29
Jeffrey Hudson 28
David Schmidt 26
Kristy Grout 24
Past 30 Southern Oregon Speedway Late Model Feature Winners
June 11, 2007: Trevor Glaser
July 14, 2007: Jason Wines
April 26, 2008: Rob Mayea
May 17, 2008: Casey Vitale
August 2, 2008: Chris Salyer
August 16, 2008: Jeremy Richey
August 23, 2008: Chris Salyer
September 13, 2008: Chris Salyer
September 27, 2008: Jeremy Shank
April 25, 2009: Dane Smith
July 3, 2009: Jim Whisler
September 25, 2009: Nick Bartels
September 26, 2009: Richard Papenhausen
April 24, 2010: Jon DeBenedetti
June 26, 2010: Trevor Glaser
July 31, 2010: Jeremy Richey
September 23, 2010: Clay Daly
September 24, 2010: Mark Carrell
May 21, 2011: Trevor Glaser
June 25, 2011: Trevor Glaser
July 30, 2011: Clay Daly
September 23, 2011: Bob Mayea
September 24, 2011: Richard Papenhausen
July 28, 2012: John Campos
September 28, 2012: Jon DeBenedetti
September 29, 2012: Richard Papenhausen
June 4, 2016: Mike Linder
June 18, 2016: Mike Linder
July 30, 2016: Nathan Augustine
September 17, 2016: Dustin Knight
The Road To The Iron Giant Street Stock Race
Goes Through Southern Oregon Speedway May 20th
White City, Oregon.,.Street Stock racing is still alive in Oregon. Several tracks have the class, which includes Camaros, Firebirds, Chevelles and Novas, among other models. The big show on the calander for the division is the Iron Giant Race at Willamette Speedway on September 2nd and 3rd. Thar race is the highest paying Street Stock race of the year and attracted over 50 entries last year.
However, there are drivers sprinkled throughout the state who want to compete against the best competitors at as many different tracks as possible. This is where Chris Sine comes in. A past champion at Cottage Grove Speedway, Sine has put together an eight race schedule that will run at seven different dirt tracks and one pavement track from April 29th at Sunset Speedway in Banks to the Iron Giant race at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Oregon on September 2nd and 3rd.
The series is being billed as the Road To The Iron Giant. It will feature a minimum of $1000 to win the 50 lap Main Events. This will be an opportunity to find out who is the best of the best in Oregon Street Stock racing. On May 20th, the road goes through Southern Oregon Speedway. It marks the first time the track has had a Street Stock race since 2014.
From 2010-2014, Southern Oregon Speedway had a Street Stock division, but rule changes midway through that run led to a drop in car count and the ultimate demise of the class. After a non point season, track champions included IMCA Modified racer Duane Orsburn (2011-2012), IMCA Sport Modified champion Jorddon Braaten (2013) and Pro Stock star Miles Deubert (2014). Last year, Street Stock champions were crowned at six different tracks in Oregon.
Much like his father Bob in Late Models, Garrett Dees was the last driver standing in Street Stocks at Medford, forcing him to travel up north to the other tracks to do his racing. Though Garrett will be running Late Models this season, he is hoping to participate in the big May 20th event in Medford. Garrett remains a big fan of the class and would endorse the effort to bring Street Stock racing back more often. In fact, Hornets star Joby Shields and Outlaw Kart owner Brad Bergquist have said they could get behind a Street Stock revival in Medford, should it ever come to be.
For now, this series is the perfect thing for drivers wanting to travel and test themselves against other competitors and different racing conditions. Sine reports that several others are chomping at the bit to run the tour. The $1000 to win prize and 50 lap distance for these races makes it further enticing. Sine is working on securing race sponsorships and putting together a point fund for the Top 10 Tour regulars. This should be the biggest Street Stock race in Southern Oregon Speedway history.
Oregon still has an active Street Stock scene, and six of the tracks in the series have their own divisions, while Madras and River City Speedways' races are being billed as Street Stock vs Sportsman Challenge races. 2016 Street Stock champions include Andrew Langan (Cottage Grove Speedway), Mikey Brakeall (Willamette Speedway), Arnie Case (Sunset Speedway), Justin McMullen (River City Speedway), Matt Klass (Douglas County Speedway) and Daniel Land (Coos Bay Speedway).
A partial look inside the numbers finds Kyle Yeack winning the Iron Giant 50 lap race at Willamette last year and pocketing $5,000 in the biggest paying Street Stock race anywhere on the West Coast. He was also the winner of the previous Iron Giant race. There were 40 Street Stock races held between Cottage Groove, Willamette and Sunset Speedways last season with 18 different winners. Only Yeack and Cottage Grove point runnerup Sine won at two tracks with wins at both Willamette and Cottage Grove. Arnie Case had the high total with eight wins at Banks, compared to six wins for Sine and three wins each for Yeack and Justin Evans.
The Medford race on May 20th follows the Sunset Speedway opener on April 29th. It offers the local drivers an opportunity to make a statement of what interest is still out there in bringing a local effort back. The Series heads to Madras Speedway (June 3rd), River City Speedway (June 10th), Cottage Grove Speedway (June 24th), Douglas County Speedway (July 29th), Coos Bay Speedway (August 26th) and Willamette Speedway (September 2nd-3rd). Sine is already hard at work securing sponsorship money, and anybody interested in supporting the effort or finding the latest news can go to the Official Facebook Page. For further news on track happenings, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Road To The Iron Giant Street Stock Series Schedule
April 29 - Bobby Morley Memorial, Sunset Speedway, Banks, Oregon
May 20 - Southern Oregon Speedway, Medford, Oregon
June 3 - Street Stocks vs Sportsman challenge Part 1 Madras Speedway, Madras, Oregon
June 10 - Street Stock vs Sportsman Challenge Part 2 River City Speedway, St. Helens, Oregon
June 24 - 11th Annual Mark Howard Memorial Wall Banger cup $1026 to win 52 laps Cottage Grove Speedway, Cottage Grove, Oregon
July 29 - Invasion on Asphalt Douglas County Speedway, Roseburg, Oregon
August 26 - Battle At The Beach Coos Bay Speedway, Coos Bay, Oregon
September 3 - 2nd Annual Iron Giant Willamette Speedway, Lebanon, Oregon
2016 Street Stocks Top 10 Points
Cottage Grove Speedway
1 Andrew Langan 411 (2)
2 Chris Sine 398 (2)
3 Evan Britton 371 (2)
4 Kevin Williamson 194
5 Steve Dubisar 190
6 Garrett Barth 183
7 April Sine 152
8 Bo Eastman 146
9 Scott Boss 143
10 Dustin Hitner 110
Wins-Kyle Yeack (1)
Willamette Speedway
1 Mikey Brakeall 1876 (1)
2 Jody Tanner 1838 (1)
3 Loren Kruesi 1589 (1)
4 Chris Sine 1530 (4)
5 Justin Evans 1511 (3)
6 Dakota Godard 1230
7 Kevin Roberts 1174 (2)
8 Kevin Williamson 1098
9 Charlie Culpepper 1042
10 J.J. Irvine 1028
Wins-Kyle Yeack (2), David Cronck (2),
Andrew Langan (1), Shannon Horn (1),
David Schott (1)
Sunset Speedway
1 Arnie Case 1250 (8)
2 Justen Case 963
3 Benny Sauter 941 (1)
4 Doug Pitsch 930 (1)
5 Marc Farrar 801
6 Joey Tardio 676 (1)
7 James Baker 629
8 Brian Roden 605
9 Tony Catalano 501
10 Chris West 450 (1)
Wins-Travis Koch (1), Roger Hubbard (1)
River City Speedway
1 Justin McMullen 1081
2 Bernie Lujan 991
3 Scott McMullen 933
4 Randy Nutting 880
5 Mike Crase 840
6 Curtis Zelmer 812
7 Terry King 806
8 Gary Kordosky Sr. 797
9 Greg Brumbaugh 793
10 Gary Kordosky Jr. 738
Douglas County Speedway
1 Matt Klass 563
2 Nicholas Hansen 477
3 Dale Yarbrough 467
4 Johnathon Doyle 405
5 Monique Scevers 310
6 Kevin Ballard 248
7 Steven Snauder 190
8 Doug Coffman 184
9 Tyrell Mead 158
10 Steven McMahan 65
Coos Bay Speedway
1 Daniel Land 291
2 Michael Land 105
3 Dustin Hitner 62
4 Tim Young 48
5 Jeff Krossman 45
6 Justin Krossman 4
Past Southern Oregon Speedway Street Stock Feature Winners
April 24, 2010: Shawn Havel
June 19, 2010: Scott Russell
July 3, 2010: Scott Rose
July 31, 2010: Scott Flowers
August 21, 2010: Adam Thomas
August 28, 2010: Adam Thomas
May 7, 2011: Duane Orsburn
May 21, 2011: Duane Orsburn
June 18, 2011: Duane Orsburn
July 9, 2011: Duane Orsburn
July 16, 2011: Duane Orsburn
July 22, 2011: Duane Orsburn
July 23, 2011: Duane Orsburn
July 30, 2011: Scott Flowers
August 6, 2011: Jorddon Braaten
August 20, 2011: Brett Provost
August 27, 2011: Jorddon Braaten
September 10, 2011: Jorddon Braaten
September 17, 2011: Duane Orsburn
September 24, 2011: Duane Orsburn
April 28, 2012: Jorddon Braaten
May 12, 2012: Jorddon Braaten
July 3, 2012: Jorddon Braaten
July 7, 2012: Duane Orsburn
July 14, 2012: Duane Orsburn
July 20, 2012: Jorddon Braaten
July 21, 2012: Duane Orsburn
August 4, 2012: Jorddon Braaten
August 18, 2012: Duane Orsburn
September 22, 2012: Jorddon Braaten
May 11, 2013: Jorddon Braaten
May 18, 2013: Jorddon Braaten
June 1, 2013: Jorddon Braaten
June 22, 2013: Jorddon Braaten
July 3, 2013: Duane Orsburn
July 13, 2013: Jorddon Braaten
July 27, 2013: Jordon Braaten
August 17, 2013: Brett Provost
September 7, 2013: Jorddon Braaten
September 28, 2013: Duane Orsburn
May 3, 2014: Brett Provost
May 10, 2014: Brett Provost
May 17, 2014: Miles Deubert
June 21, 2014: Miles Deubert
June 28, 2014: Scott Bennett
July 3, 2014: Miles Deubert
July 26, 2014: Tyler Lockwood
August 16, 2014: Miles Deubert
August 23, 2014: Jer Deubert
September 6, 2014: Jer Deubert
