Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars Set To Open Southern Oregon Speedway Season

Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion

Can Be Heard HERE

Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars Set To Open 
Southern Oregon Speedway Season

White City, Oregon...The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, presented by Hays Oil, are preparing to open the 2018 season at Southern Oregon Speedway on Saturday night, May 5th. Due to wet weather and a rainy forecast throughout the weekend, the April 28th opener was forced to be canceled. On May 5th, the Sprint Cars will headline along with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets.

The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars are now in their third season at the speedway, and this is the second under a rules package designed for affordability and car count growth. In a further attempt to help stimulate car count, long time Sprint Car competitor David Hibbard joined forces with promotor Mike McCann to help with the purse. The result was a solid 2017 season as several young competitors stepped up to join the class.

Hibbard has been competing in Sprint Cars for the past several seasons and is a past champion at Cottage Grove Speedway. Last season, he had a win and three seconds and appeared to be headed for second in points. However, when his son Bailey blew a motor in hot laps at the finale, David graciously stepped aside to allow him to drive the car and battle Merissa Henson for the runner-up position in the championship point battle.

Henson was a model of consistency last season in winning the Rookie Of The Year award and beating Bailey Hibbard by just one point for second in the standings. Marissa turned in one of her better performances in fourth in the finale, and that enabled her take second in the points despite the fact that Bailey Hibbard won his third Main Event of the season.

Bailey Hibbard could be seen as one of the drivers to beat in this season's championship chase. The field is going to gain several new cars, but the youth movement is still an important part of the class this year and in the years to come. Enrique Jaime is coming in off of a fifth place rookie season last year and hoping for better things. Decorated Outlaw Kart champion Tanner Holmes will be back this year after running a few races last season. Tanner could be a championship contender, but word is that the team will still make trips for special Outlaw Open Kart races during the season. Theron Smith and AJ Harbaugh are among the other young guns joining the class this year.

There will be some experienced competitors in the field. This includes past Sprint Car champion Hedge Carter, and Hedge will be joined by son Colby Carter this year. Past Southern Oregon Speedway Sprint Car champion Charlie Thompson has thrown his hat into the ring this year, and Aaron Miller will be competing with us as well. Miller won his first Sprint Car Main Event at Southern Oregon Speedway two years ago. Also back in the group will be Todd Whipple and Outlaw Kart legend Mike Wheeler.

Not to be forgotten in the mix is many time Sprint Car champion Kyler Barraza. Kyler will be racing with us this year, but there was word that he may not be ready for the season opener. All indications are that this will be the strongest season yet for the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars.

The IMCA Modifieds have been a mainstay at Southern Oregon Speedway since the place opened in 1996. There have been many great competitors to compete on the fast 3/10 mile clay oval through the years. Not the least of which is the most decorated champion of them all, Mark Wauge. Wauge not only leads the division in championships with seven, he is also approaching 50 career Main Event wins in this division, making him the all time winner in this class at Southern Oregon Speedway.

One of Mark's closest rivals in recent years is two time champion Albert Gill. Albert has been competing at Southern Oregon Speedway for two decades and is a threat to win any time he's on the track. Last season, if not for family events that took him from the track, Gill likely would have won his third championship. As it was, he was one of the nine different Main Event winners.

Another of the nine winners was the champion, Jesse Bailey. Bailey has been the most consistent competitor at the track during the past two seasons with more Top 3 finishes than anybody else in this class. Running for the championship wasn't necessarily in his plans, but he none the less added his name to the list of title winners at the speedway.

James Welshonse had a year he'd much rather forget last season, but he's back to see if he can recapture the form that won him Rookie Of The Year honors and a Main Event in 2016. Past Dwarf Car champion CJ Putnam is also anticipated as he is competing in a new car this year. Another force on the track anytime he is there is Jon DeBenedetti, who also has amassed nearly 50 Main Event wins at Southern Oregon Speedway alone. DeBenedetti is a Dwarf Car and Modified champ, and word it is that he will be doing some racing this year in a Modified, owned by Brian Bowman.

The list of competitors is likely to include such hard chargers as Nick Trenchard, Zach Fettinger, Jeremy Ohlde, Ray Kniffin Jr, Preston Jones and Duane Orsburn. Word is that we'll also be seeing past division championship runner-up, Matt Duste. After the rain out, the IMCA Modified racers are ready to go this week.

This season's IMCA Sport Modified lineup includes all three drivers who are two-time champions in the division. Reigning two-time champion Mike Medel will be back to see if he can become the first three time title winner in the group. Jorddon Braaten is certainly a threat to Medel if he decides to focus on running for the local title this year. During the past two seasons, Jorddon has made trips to other tracks for bigger money events. Also in the lineup this year will be Dwayne Melvin, though it looks like the team has some work to do on the chassis after a crash a week ago.

The IMCA Sport Modified division is poised for their biggest year ever. Last season at the R Charles Snyder Salute, over 30 cars competed. This was a record for the division. Last season's top rookie, Jesse Merriman, will be out to see if he can get his first win in the division. He certainly looked fast enough last season. Another driver looking fast and hungry for victory is last season's point runner-up, Willie McFall.

David Marble racked up some 20 Mini Stock Main Event wins in his career as well as a championship, and he's zeroing in on his first IMCA Sport Modified feature triumph. There is a great lineup of IMCA Sport Modified competitors just waiting for their opportunity to go racing. Other drivers to watch for include rookie Joby Shields, who was rather dominant in his time in Hornets, hard charger Justin McCreadie, Braxton Possinger, Tony Duste, Tony Bartell, Bob Thomas, Danny Rule and Lloyd Speer.

The Mini Stock division has been a mainstay at Southern Oregon Speedway since the place opened, and many great drivers have come and gone. Certainly, they don't get much better than David Steele. Steele has already won two races on the circuit this year and has his sights on the top spot on Southern Oregon Speedway's all time Mini Stock win list. The only thing eluding David at his home track is a championship. He's already won one down in Yreka. Steele closed last season with three consecutive feature wins, serving notice that he is still a force to be reckoned with.

One driver hungry for his first win is Kristopher Mix. Mix added his name to the long list of champions last year through consistency, but he would very much love to be a Main Event winner. With the competition as tough as it is, getting wins isn't so easy. 2013 champion Steve Goetz and 2014 champion Gary Anderson are still on the roster. 2015 champion David Marble has his old car and 2016 champion Bob Burkett still has a car in his shop. Things could get very interesting at the front of the pack.

Not to be forgotten is the driver of the fast Pinto Wagon, Andrew Hall. Hall ended last season on a strong note with a heat race win and Top 5 feature finish, despite terrible luck throughout the season. Hunter Magnan had his share of ups and downs and still won Rookie Of The Year honors last season. With a newer car, he's hoping to be more of a factor at the front of the pack. 2016 JOAT Labs Hornet champion Tim Hedges, Mike Cloud and Patrick Stringer-Stine are other drivers to watch for this week.

Jason Stoutenburgh left little doubt who the champion was in last season's JOAT Labs Hornets class. With a dominant run of four straight Main Event victories, Jason cruised to the championship while his rival, Tim Hedges, ended the season with dismal luck. Stoutenburgh may very well be the driver to beat again this year, but he can expect some good competition.

One driver to keep an eye on is last year's second-place driver and Rookie Of The Year, Jenna Hedges. With a pair of Trophy Dash wins, as well as a heat race win, the only thing eluding Jenna is a Main Event victory. She's hoping to change that this year. Husband Tim will still be competing as well as son Ashtin Hedges. However, the Hedges family won't be the only family well-represented at Southern Oregon Speedway in this class.

The Nelson family should be at least three cars strong this year as Darrel Nelson Jr hopes to get his name back on the winner's list again. Darrel won a pair of features in 2016 but could only finish as high as second last year. He did have a Pro Stock win to his credit. Sons Zach and Ryan Nelson both have cars, and they both showed the ability to run with the front runners in their starts last season. Young Gabe Nelson should also see some track time.

One of the young stars to watch this year could be last year's fifth place point competitor, Dylan Irving. Irving came very close to winning a Main Event at the end of the season and did pick up a trophy. Likewise, teammate Brandon Wonsyld will be another driver to watch. There are more cars being built in this class, and other competitors to watch for include Bree Tritchler, Kelli Burton and John Corder.

Rain may have washed away the April 28th event, but the May 5th event is on the agenda. Everything will be ready to go for an exciting five division program. Gates open at 5 p.m. with the first race at 7 p.m. General Admission is $12 with Junior's 6-12, Veterans and Seniors all $6 each. Children 5 and under are free. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

We'll Get The Season Started Yet?

Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion

Can Be Heard HERE

We'll Get The Season Started Yet?

White City, Oregon...We're in a holding pattern right now. I'm sure you're looking out your window on a beautiful sunny day. It's Thursday. We've gone over a lot of stuff at Southern Oregon Speedway during these past couple of weeks. The effort has intensified. As I look out the window, we could go racing right now if the weather holds.

There are many things that go through the mind of a promoter as they prepare for a week's race. So many things that need to be taken care of. Is it all ready to go? Then, you look at the weather. Now, this is a controversial subject. It's touchy to some people. If you happen to cancel a race and it looks the least bit like you could have gotten away with racing, you're going to be criticized for canceling the race.

You want ideal conditions. What I would like to see is the kind of weather I'm looking at out my window right now. Sunny skies, mild temperatures. Perfect for opening the season. We had this back in 2016, and it was one of the best nights that we've had in terms of crowd response. When you have gloomy skies, unless you're a die-hard fan, you're less inclined to come even if the race is happening.

This matters to the business model. I don't want to get into all of those details, but you want as many people to come out and watch the races as you can because it pays the bills and keeps things going. Bottom Line. Now, last year, we wanted to go racing. What we had on opening day was cloudy and gloomy skies and the possibility of rain. Because it didn't rain, we went ahead with it. It was not a banner night for the track in terms of attendance.

So, you proceed with the thought that you're opening the race track. Jim Rodgers has been out there working hard to work that new clay in and give us a great racing surface. I can see him stressing on different things, because the man takes what he does very seriously. He wants to give the racers a good racing surface. He's doing everything he can, even today he's working on it.

Mike has been going over his list. So many other things have to be taken care of to get us going. You want a nice grandstand area, and our power wash guy went over the entire grandstands and concession area. It looks nicer than it has for a long time. The concession stands are cleaned and ready to go. The souvenir stand, all of it. We're ready to go racing. Things are lined up. All we need is good racing weather and we can go.

The grass on The Grassy Knoll and the pit area was pretty tall, as you can imagine. It was a wet winter. I don't claim to be an expert in mowing, but the job needed to be done. With Uncle Rich having left us for California, somebody needed to get out there and do it. I volunteered. I definitely feel beat up from all the bouncing around on the mower that I was doing, but I think I did okay for the most part. Probably could have done better, but I've learned a few things to apply to next time. It's still a nicer looking pit area than it was a week ago.

So, the schedule is booked and we have a really great lineup planned. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Models and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. Everybody is just excited to go out and race again. I like what I'm hearing. Our Sport Mod group is looking at bigger numbers this year than ever before, and that translates into a great season for the class. Mike Medel, Jorddon Braaten, Willie McFall, Jesse Merriman, Dwayne Melvin, David Marble and Joby Shields are just a few of the names I'm hearing.

The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars have already raced a couple of times. In fact, last Saturday they raced, and on Sunday they were doing a car show in Central Point with a meet and greet for the fans. They've got $1,000 lined up for the winner of their first race here. I know the Dwarf Car guys are chomping at the bit to go racing, and we've got some great competitors in the field, like Brock Peters, Josh King, Chad Cardoza, Ryan Smith, Fred Hay, Cody Peters and Randy Slater.

A lot of great competitors still have IMCA Modifieds. Who may race with us is still in the big question. But, names you are familiar with, such as Mark Wauge, CJ Putnam, Albert Gill, James Welshonse, Ray Kniffen Jr,  Preston Jones, Jon DeBenedetti, Zach Fettinger and reigning champion Jesse Bailey are some we are expecting. I believe if the drivers truly get behind the effort, we will have one of the best IMCA Modified shows on the West Coast. I know we have that in our three signature races for the class, the Roger Haudenshild Tribute, IMCA Wild West Speedweek race and the R Charles Snyder Salute. But, there's no reason we can't have strong support for our other shows as well. At least I hope so.

Late Models are lined up and ready to go. This is the second full season for this class since we brought it back. It never really had as much of a chance as we've been giving it, because we believe in Late Model racing. To know that Nathan Augustine will be back to defend his title is great news. Bob Dees and Mike Linder are staunch supporters of Late Model racing, and the Dees boys, Garrett and John, will be out there giving them hell. Dave Foote, Chris Biggs & Miles Deubert are others I'm looking forward to watching.

This really is a nice lineup for the season opener, but now we watch the weather patterns in disappointment. Is it going to rain out? It doesn't look good. What will the weather do? Will it rain? How much will it rain? Will it be gloomy and miserable the way it was for our season opener last year? These are all things that we have to worry about. You want the best conditions possible to open, but if you can race, you want to race too. It's better for the track overall to have ideal conditions. We will get there. It can't rain forever, can it? Look at the weather now. Man, why does there have to be any rain in the forecast at all?

So, I'm looking at the schedule for next week, and we've got our IMCA Modified and IMCA Sport Modified classes back. It's also the season opener for the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, presented by Hays Oil. JOAT Labs Hornets and Mini Stocks are also on the card. This is a really good lineup.

There's been a lot of talk around the Sprint Car division. More cars coming and we should be looking at an increased turnout this season. The goal was to build this class up to a level it's really never been at before. Yes, we've had Sprint Car racing throughout the history of this track, but when you think about it, the local Sprint Car effort has never really gotten the kind of promotion it deserved.

David Hibbard is somebody who believes strongly in the class and the rules package as a way to get more young drivers out here. He has stepped in with Dave's Carpet And Vinyl Liquidators to help with the purse. He also will be out there racing along with his son Bailey Hibbard. Both are great racers, and it's really exciting to see the caliber of young talent we have lined up this year. Drivers like our top rookie last year, Merissa Henson, and let's not forget Enrique Jaime and Tanner Holmes. I'm hearing of returning Sprint Car champion Charlie Thompson. Aaron Miller is back with us this year as is Todd Whipple. Hedge Carter and his son Colby Carter. Point is, Sprint Cars are looking good from everything I've heard.

I'm hearing more buzz with Sprint Cars and IMCA Sport Modifieds than any of the other classes, and it's always nice to hear that more cars are coming. The JOAT Labs Hornets should do pretty well this year. The Hedges family will be well represented with 2016 champion Tim Hedges, 2017 Rookie of the Year Jenna Hedges and Ashtin Hedges. The Nelson family will be represented with Darrel Nelson Jr, joined by his sons Zach Nelson and Ryan Nelson. Reigning champion Jason Stoutenburgh, and a couple of young competitors, Dylan Irving and Brandon Wonsyld, will be back. Bree Tritchler and Kelli Burton are part of the field. Again, this class is looking good. It's the gateway into racing on the big track.

This leaves the Mini Stocks, and we have some good racers in this field. We've got reigning champion Kristopher Mix out to see if he can repeat. 2014 champion Gary Anderson is back. 2015 champion David Marble has a car again. Not sure what his schedule is, but we know he's already raced and looks really good in this car. 2015 Yreka champion David Steele may be the hottest driver in the area. Hunter Magnan is out to improve on his Rookie Of The Year and 8th place season from last year. Andrew Hall and Mike Cloud are on the roster. Tim Hedges is going to be running a Mini Stock. I've heard rumors of other cars that I don't have names for, but let's not forget another championship-winning name, Steve Goetz.

The point is, we want to see this season start just as much as everybody else does. Things are lined up. I think we've got all the I's dotted and crossed all the t's. We need Mother Nature to cooperate with us. I know that if we pull the plug on this race, there will be people wondering what if. We'll have critics as we always do. But, Mike is going to make the best decision for the good of this race track, and there will be racing this year. There will be lots of racing.

I've often wondered if you could cover a quarter mile race track somewhere in Oregon. Have a covered track and covered pit area. Then, you're not dealing with rainouts as much anymore. I bet that track would be a big winner. Of course, it would probably cost a lot to build the whole thing. Generally speaking, we have a five-month window to get our racing season in, and even then, rain wants to intrude on us.

But be ready, because some big races are around the corner. The Iron Giant Street Stock Series Disorder At The Border happens on May 19th with the Open Wheel Showcase a week later. Then, the Roger Haudenshild Tribute on June 2nd, followed by Monster Truck Mayhem on June 9th. That's just a sample.

Let us not forget the little Southern Oregon Speedway track, because Karts will be racing on May 18th and 19th. I know rain has claimed quite a few of those races in the last couple of years, but I feel very strongly that we will have our biggest season yet. Judging from the names I am hearing, it should be a good Kart season as well.

The point is, keep the faith everybody. We have a great schedule set for this season, and I strongly believe this is going to be the best year the track has seen in recent memory. And the key to making it that way is all the great competitors who come out and support us at each race. We're here to put on a show for the fans, and I think they will be happy with what they see. Stay tuned!

Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Car, SODCA Dwarf Car, OTRO Hardtops Previews

Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion

Can Be Heard HERE

Kendall Oil Winged Sprints Offering Sprint Car Fans Hope For The Future At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...Once again, Sprint Car racing will be a big part of the racing program at Southern Oregon Speedway. In their third season with a championship point race, promoter Mike McCann is optimistic about a strong season of racing with several new drivers coming on board. Also helping the cause, in addition to sponsorship from Hays Oil, is Dave's Carpet And Vinyl Liquidators

Sprint Car racing has been a part of the racing program to one degree or another in every season at Southern Oregon Speedway. Sprint Car racers even had a hand in helping build the race track as a Limited Sprint racer volunteered his labor. Southern Oregon Speedway has had 15 championship seasons for the class and has had one race that went towards the championship of one series or another every year.

The big star in the early days was Dan Menne. Dan has won four championships, and nobody has won more Sprint Car Main Events at the track than he has. Bill Nutter, Chad Bauer, Randy Rogers and Charlie Thompson are among the other stars who have been a part of the racing program through the years. It could be argued that the biggest commitment management has ever shown to this division has come in the past couple of seasons, and this is poised to be the best season yet.

One of the biggest stars of Southern Oregon Sprint Car racing during the past six years or so is Kyler Barraza. Kyler was very consistent last season and used his three feature victories to clinch the championship before the season finale. His success at Southern Oregon Speedway during the 2013 and 2014 seasons helped earn him two Southern Oregon Sprint Car Tour championships. Kyler is recovering from a terrible crash in the Wingless Sprint Car race last August, but he is returning this year.

David Hibbard has racked up over 20 feature victories between Southern Oregon Speedway and Cottage Grove and is a past Cottage Grove Speedway champion. Though it seemed like he was headed for second in the standings last year, David graciously stepped out of the cockpit and allowed his son Bailey to compete against Marissa Henson to see who could earn the runner-up honors. Bailey looked strong all season long with three feature victories, but he lost second by just one point to last year's top rookie, Henson.

Both Hibbard's are a force to be reckoned with on the race track. David lost a heartbreaker of a race last year thanks to traffic and settled for one of his three second-place finishes, but he did have a victory as well. If he sets his sights on the championship, he will be tough to beat. However, David seems to be taking satisfaction from helping grow this division for the future. If there's somebody who could beat them all, it's David's rapidly improving son Bailey.

Like several of the younger drivers on the roster, Marissa Henson got her start on the adjacent Outlaw Kart track, rising through the ranks from the Beginners Box Stock class all the way to 500 Open Karts before setting her sights on the big track. Henson had a Top 5 season in Mini Stocks in 2016 before living her dream of finally getting to drive a Sprint Car last season. She is a quick study, a tough competitor and she shouldn't be counted out in this season's championship battle.

Likewise, Enrique Jaime has been a force on the Kart circuit, both dirt and pavement. Enrique made his move into the Sprint Cars last year and ended up fifth in the standings. He's part of the wave of young talent coming into Sprint Car racing, which gives Oregonians hope for the future of this division in the state.

One of the biggest stars of Kart racing over the past several seasons is Tanner Holmes. Holmes was crowned 500 Open Kart champion last season, and he also looked very impressive in his limited starts in a Sprint Car. Tanner will be getting more seat time this year, though he plans to compete in some of the bigger Kart races throughout the country on various occasions.

You can't talk about top notch talent without mentioning the name Mike Wheeler. Wheeler has racked up a resume of Kart championships that is second to nobody on the West Coast. This year, Mike is looking forward to making his return to Sprint Car racing. His nephew, Jake Wheeler, is rumored to be coming out to race at least some. The Wheeler family has been a part of Southern Oregon racing for many years, and Jake was the 2016 Winged Sprint Car champion at Southern Oregon Speedway.

1998 Cottage Grove Speedway champion Hedge Carter was competing at Southern Oregon Speedway on several occasions last year and was one of the Top 10 competitors. Not only is Hedge planning to continue racing, but son Colby Carter is now a part of the roster. Colby recently picked up a Top 10 finish at Cottage Grove.

Another of the rising stars of Sprint Car racing is Camden Robustelli. Camden has won multiple Main Events on the circuit and nearly scored a victory at Southern Oregon Speedway last year. He splits his time between Sprint Cars and Dwarf Cars, but we should still see him in a Sprint Car on multiple occasions.

The roster will see a few names from the past back in action again, starting with 2009 champion Charlie Thompson. Thompson made one appearance in 2016, resulting in a blown motor. Another driver who made one appearance in 2016 is Aaron Miller. Miller used that occasion to win his first Main Event. After having a Top 10 season in Antioch, California last year, Aaron is planning to race at Southern Oregon Speedway this year.

Another driver who was part of the 2016 roster, Todd Whipple, is also planning to return this year. Whipple is a past Top 5 IMCA Modified competitor in Yreka and a feature winner down there. Several cars are in various stages of repair, and a couple of big Sprint Car names from the past are rumored to be coming. We've also heard that second generation competitor Blaine Corey, who has raced at the Outlaw Kart Track in the past, will be a part of this season's show.

The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, presented by Hayes Oil and further sponsored by Dave's Carpet and Vinyl, has been booked for 11 events. It all starts with their first event on May 5th. One of the highlights will be the August 11th Ironhead Sprint Car Nationals, offering a $2,000 first prize. There's also the Second Annual Herz Precision Parts Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge, offering $3,500 for the winner on August 25th.

Promoter Mike McCann has made a commitment to build up the Sprint Car program at Southern Oregon Speedway and is giving it more attention than perhaps it ever had at the track. Fans looking for their Sprint Car fix will find a good show every time the Kendell Oil Winged Sprint Cars are on the card. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

2018 Southern Oregon Speedway Kendal Oil Winged Sprint Car Schedule
May 5
May 26 - Open Wheel Showcase
June 16
June 30
July 7
July 14
August 4
August 11 Iron Head Nationals
August 25 - Herz Precision Parts "Cascade Sprint Challenge" ($3500 To Win Non Wing)
September 8
September 22

2017 Kendall Oil Sprint Car Points
87 Kyler Barraza  267
17m Merissa Henson  231
1 Bailey Hibbard  230
3 David Hibbard  222
48e Enrique Jaime  179
25s Camden Robustelli  135
71 Hedge Carter 108
31 Calvin Hibbard  105
18t Tanner Holmes 77
21w Jake Wheeler 68

Past Sprint Car Champions
1996  Dan Menne
1997  Bill Nutter
1998  Dan Menne
2001  Chad Bauer
2002  Todd Zeitler
2003  Dan Menne
2004  T.J. Winningham
2005  Dan Menne
2006  Bill Nutter
2006  Randy Rodgers
2007  Randy Rodgers
2009  Charlie Thompson
2010  Chadd Noland
2011  Vern Wheeler Jr.
2013  Kyler Barraza*
2014  Kyler Barraza*
2016  Jake Wheeler
2017  Kyler Barraza
*  Medford-Coos Bay Series

Southern Oregon Speedway Winged Sprint Car All Time Win List
Dan Menne   30
Roger Crockett  12
Bill Nutter  10
David Hibbard  7
Kyler Barraza  6
Vern Wheeler Jr.  6
Chadd Noland  6
Brent Kaeding  6
Jason Finley 6
Randy Rodgers 5
Bailey Hibbard 4
Todd Zeitler 3
Danny Horner  3
Garen Linder  3
Chad Bauer 3
Kevin Cory 2
Jake Wheeler 2
Jonathan Allard  2
Lidsey Casto 2
Kyle Hirst  2
Tim Kaeding 2
Anthony Nunes 2
Cale Carder 2
Dale Smith 2
Jeff Swindell 2
Steve Kinser 2
Steve Vincent
Sean Fenn 1
Shane Steward 1
Shawna Wilskey 1
Eric Trask 1 
Bruce Gieg Jr. 1
Jared Ridge 1
Scott Adams 1
Jesse Hockett 1
Kyle Larson 1
Steven Tiner 1
Travis Rilat 1
Seth Bergman 1
Henry Van Dam 1
Jayme Barnes 1 
Lawrence Van Hoof 1
Matt Moberly 1
Rick Fauver 1
Andy Forsberg 1
Aaron Miller 1
Marvin Smith 1
Rico Abreu 1
Daryn Pittman 1
Seth Nunes 1
Colby Copeland 1
Willie Croft 1
Matt Menne 1
Trey Starks 1
Andy Gregg 1
Jake Waddell 1
Jeffrey Hudson 1
Tim Shaffer 1
Steve Kent 1
Ron Smith 1
Barry Martinez 1
Jay Smith 1
Brad Furr 1
Jeremy Lowe 1

Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars Set To Return 

To Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...The Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association returns to Southern Oregon Speedway 15 times this season, starting with the season opener on April 28th. The Dwarf Car division has had races every year in which the speedway has been in operation. During the first two seasons, it was the PHRA group from Northern Oregon making the visits. In 1998, SODCA was formed.

The big star in those early years was Jon DeBenedetti. DeBenedetti at times was quite dominant in winning three straight championships. One of his main competitors in the championship battle, Gary Fitzsimmons, won back-to-back championships after DeBenedetti's great run. There have been many stars of the Dwarf Car division, including two-time champions Kelly Gutches, RJ McGahuey and Josh King.

Last season, Brock Peters joined the Two-time Champions Club as he won a good battle with longtime Dwarf Car competitor Chad Cardoza and Ryan Smith for his second consecutive championship. Brock is poised to go for three in a row, but the competition will be tough. One of the people he needs to keep an eye on is his own son, Cody Peters, who finished fourth in the standings last season.

The SODCA Dwarf Car group plays host to the Western States Dwarf Car Nationals event on the first weekend of August. For years, some of the best drivers from throughout California, Nevada, Oregon and other states come to White City for the big event. However, it's usually one of those outsiders who leaves with the big victory. Last season, Cody Peters scored what some might call a major upset with his crowd-pleasing last-lap pass on NorCal Dwarf Car champion Danny Wagner for the victory.

At times, Brock Peters has been rather dominant in his M&M Chassis, and the scarier news is his son Cody is getting better with every start. However, Chad Cardoza and Ryan Smith are no slouches. Both drivers are multi time runner-ups in the championship chase, and neither driver should be counted out in this season's battle. These two drivers have been competing in Dwarf Cars for a long time, and either driver could have a huge season this year.

Just seeing long time competitor Fred Hay back behind the wheel of his car again last year was a good thing. In March of 2016, Fred was involved in a terrible crash at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California. The wreck left him sidelined for the season, but he was determined not to let that be the end of his career. Fred has been competing in the Southern Oregon area in various divisions for six decades, and he is still capable of scoring wins in this competitive group.

Though he hasn't been around as long as some of the other competitors, Randy Slater has continued to improve. Randy is knocking on the door to his first career victory after having his career-best season last year in the Top 5. Slater is also the club president and works very hard to put together a good series for the group. Nowhere is this more evident than when Randy and his family work on putting all the touches that make the Western States Dwarf Car Nationals event in August such a success.

Just when you thought Kalvin Morton might move on to another division, the young gun picked up another Dwarf Car and ran the last few races with the group last season. He was a serious contender for the victory and he'll be somebody to watch in the quest for wins this year. Morton is also a multi time Top 5 ranked point competitor.

You also can't forget Josh King. King was the champion for the two seasons prior to Brock Peters taking over. During the past two seasons, Josh has cut back on his appearances, which has taken him out of championship contention. However, he has won several Main Events and is a threat to win anytime he is there.

Camden Robustelli Is also a major factor anytime he's on the race track. Last season, Robustelli won Main Events at four different venues, including the season opener at Southern Oregon Speedway. Camden likes to split his time between running a Dwarf Car and a Sprint Car, but he's another driver you can't ignore when he's racing with the Southern Oregon Dwarf Car group.

The season last year ended with a pair of surprise winners in Mason Lewman and Rob Gergel. It speaks to the competitive nature of the Dwarf Car division. You never know who could win on any given week, and the races are exciting from start to finish. At Southern Oregon Speedway, there were five different winners in the nine club point events last year.

The actual roster of available cars for the group stretches into the 30s, and some of the drivers to watch for include Joe Sanders, Jerry Hauck, Casey Sheeler, Steve Walker, Paul Haslow, Joe Winter, Mark Nielsen, and the father and son team of Bud and Jesse Lorenz. After selling his car to Mike Johnson, Anthony Pope has a new car. Johnson will be putting his son Michael, who is coming off of a runner-up season in Mini Stocks, behind the wheel. Rumor has it that Andrew Hall might also join the ranks, and we're still waiting for the debut of Kart star Ashley Strain.

The bottom line is the Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association will bring the excitement In each of their visits. They are on the card for many of the big events, including the Western States Dwarf Car Association Nationals Event on August 3-4. You won't want to miss the big show. They are part of the track's season opener on April 28th. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

2018 SODCA Dwarf Car Schedule
April 28
May 19
May 26
June 2
June 19
June 23
June 30
July 7
July 21
August 3 - WSDCA Nationals
August 4 - WSDCA Nationals
August 11
September 1 - Lon Skinner Memorial
September 2 - Lon Skinner Memorial
September 15

2017 Final SODCA Dwarf Car
2 Brock Peters 918
71 Chad Cardoza 897
26 Ryan Smith 886
30 Cody Peters 879
06 Randy Slater 861
10 Fred Hay 860
4 Joe Sanders 693
25 Camden Robustelli 687
17 Rob Gergel 564
95 Kaycee Sheeler 513

SODCA Dwarf Car Champions
1998  Jon DeBenedetti
1999  Jon DeBenedetti
2000  Jon DeBenedetti
2001  Gary Fitzsimmons
2002  Gary Fitzsimmons
2003  Dan Van Acker
2004  Crash Jackson
2005  Jerry Apland
2006  Tom Palazollo
2007  Jim Harsha
2008  Kelly Gutches
2009  Greg Denton
2010  Kelly Gutches
2011  R.J. McGahuey
2012  R.J. McGahuey
2013  C.J. Puttnam
2014  Josh King
2015  Josh King
2016  Brock Peters
2017  Brock Peters

SODCA Dwarf Car Southern Oregon Speedway All Time Win List
Jon DeBenedetti 32 
Josh King 25
Kelly Gutches 18
C.J. Putnam 12
R.J. McGahuey 10
Brock Peters 10
Dan Van Acker  9
Jeff Harsha 9 
Shawn Jones 6
Ryan Smith 6
Justin Hood 6
Crash Jackson 5
Greg Dentone 5  
Trevor Hukill  4
Camden Robustelli 4 
Gary Fitzsimmons 4
Curt Hunter 4
Jerry Apland 3
Chad Cardoza 3
Fred Hay 3
Steve Alberdi Jr. 2
Rick Harms 2
Glen Hester 2
Matt Sargent  2
Herman Pulyer 2
Joey Dale 2
Brandon Farquhar 2
Michael Goodson 2
Brad Boswell 2
Gilbert Toste 2
Mason Lewman 2
Cody Peters 2
Josh Wiesz 2
Kevin Bender 2
Doug McVae 2
Mitch Sheeler 2
Tom King 2
Howie Ross 2
Stan Cook 2
Henry Corbin II 1
Ben Wiesz 1
Kyle Resnick 1
Ed Starner 1
Tim Dunn 1
Tim Fitzpatrick 1
Eric Weisler 1
Bob Souza 1
Seth Wilson 1
Randy Shurts 1
Angel Figuroa 1
Kalvin Morton 1
Jerry Houck 1 
Cameron Diatte 1
Cecilia Dillie 1
Wayne Vann Raden 1
Ronnie Williams 1
Clay Goben 1
Mike Grenert 1
Henry Corbin III  1
Steve Orton 1
Ron Crume 1
Trevor Hukill 1
Tom Polazollo 1
Brian Merriman 1
Dean Riggs 1
Ryan Cotrell 1
Ted Stinson 1
Rob Gergel 1
Greg Stratton 1
Gilbert Toste 1
Bert Endicott 1
Mark Hinkle 1
Chris Salyer 1
Steve Hix 1
Ted Olson 1
Jay Ewing 1
Morris Chamberlain 1

OTRO Hardtops Return 

To Southern Oregon Speedway In 2018

White City, Oregon...The Old Time Racers Of Oregon will return to Southern Oregon Speedway. This will be the third consecutive season that the OTRO Hardtop division will run most of their events at the White City racing facility. This is a relationship that began when promoter Mike McCann and OTRO President Vic Bridges talked prior to the 2016 season.

Bridges had been the president of the group and helped plot a course for the OTRO during a difficult time for the Hardtop division. Sadly, Vic passed away during the offseason. Stepping forward to take over the duties is Mark Minter. The Minter family has been a part of the OTRO since its inception in the 1980s, and most of the Minter men have had their turn behind the wheel of the pink #33 Hardtop.

The OTRO is a group of competitors that races for fun, not money and points. Through the years, they have enjoyed putting their race cars on both pavement and dirt tracks and have always given the fans a show. The body styles, the old Ford and Chevy Coupes and Sedans, harken back to the good old days of racing in the 1950s and 1960s.

Minter led off last season with back-to-back Main Event victories before Jamie Britton took over with a pair of victories. Britton had been running on the pavement in Roseburg, but he liked the idea of getting out there on the dirt. Minter and Britton seem to be the powerhouses of the group as the Vic and Louise Bridges entry, which had won several races the previous year, was driven by Bruce Wilkerson to a pair of second-place finishes. No word on who will be driving that car this season.

The Trotter family continues to be big supporters of the Hardtop movement. Father Bill Trotter has been at just about every race the group has had at Southern Oregon Speedway for the past two seasons. He also fields a pickup truck entry. Meanwhile, son Dusty Trotter has been a good supporter of the group. Last season, Dusty remarked that he was working on a second car that hopefully we will see this year.

Also in the group are Dean Cast, Brian Crouch and Jimmy Del Castille. All three drivers have won Trophy Dashes, but they're still searching for their first Main Event wins. Other cars are in various states of repair getting ready for an exciting season of Hardtop racing.

The OTRO has six events at Southern Oregon Speedway this year, and they run their first race as part of the Open Wheel Showcase on Memorial Day Weekend, May 26th. These cars are put together with pride and are some of the nicest race cars you'll find at the track. For further information on the happenings at the speedway, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

2018 Southern Oregon Speedway OTRO Hardtop Schedule
May 26
June 16
June 30
July 21
August 18
September 22

Late Model, IMCA Modified And IMCA Sport Modified Division Previews

Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion

Can Be Heard HERE

IMCA Modifieds To Bring The Excitement To 

Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...If there's one thing fans of Southern Oregon Speedway have counted on since the track opened in 1996, it's the great racing provided by the IMCA Modified division. The division is booked for an exciting 11 race season this year, starting with the season opener on April 28th.

The star caliber back in those early years was second to none. You had drivers like 2 time champion Tom Glover, Dennis Silva, Jay Hinton Jr, Markey James, Dane Smith, Dave Duste Sr and Jr and 1999 champion Dan Estremado. Estremado won the championship the year they went with wings on the cars, winning an impressive 12 Main Events along the way. Then came Mark Wauge.

Wauge won his first of seven championships with a wing on his car in 2000. He's won over 50 Main Events in his illustrious career at Southern Oregon Speedway alone. Despite missing some races last year, he still made a late charge to finish second in the standings. He won the season finale and finished second in the prestigious R Charles Snyder Salute. Only three drivers have won more than one Main Event in the past two seasons in the competitive field. Wauge is one of them, along with Bobby Hogge IV and Albert Gill. As long as he is planning to compete this year on a regular basis, Wauge automatically takes the spot at the top of the list of drivers to beat.

You should not ignore Albert Gill. He was one of the nine different Main Event winners last season and for a while looked like he might win the championship before family commitments caused him to skip races. However, Gill is a two-time division champion and has been a part of Southern Oregon Speedway for the past 20 years.

The consistent Jesse Bailey emerged with the championship last year. For the past two seasons, nobody has more Top 3 finishes in this class than Bailey, and this aided him in picking up a well-earned championship. Bailey isn't likely to be worried about running for points, but if he keeps showing up for the races, he will be one of the top contenders in the championship chase.

Word is out about Jon DeBenedetti. The 2002 champion plans to compete in a Modified in at least some races this year. DeBenedetti is also a multi-time Dwarf Car champion who has won some big races at Southern Oregon Speedway and abroad in his decorated career. Reportedly, he'll be teaming up with car owner Brian Bowman to do some racing this year.

Preston Jones will be another driver to watch this year. Jones has raced in both Sprint Cars and Late Model Lites through the years, and he made his return to the IMCA Modifieds last season with a solid fourth place season. He had to hold off Ray Kniffen Jr for that position. Kniffen, who grabbed a Trophy Dash win last season, has been a competitor at the speedway for some 20 seasons, and he's looking forward to making a run for a higher point position this season.

Two drivers hailing from the Klamath Falls area, Zack Fettinger and Jeremy Ohlde, should see some action this season. Fettinger scored his first Main Event victory last season, and both drivers were Top 10 ranked. Also Top 10 ranked was rookie Jantzen Knips. Jantzen was making his move up from the Outlaw Kart ranks and did a good job. The previous season's top rookie, James Welschonse, had a disappointing effort as various mechanical issues dropped him further back in the standings. He's hoping to recover from the sophomore jinx this season.

Another driver hailing from the Klamath Falls area with a knack for winning big races is Nick Trenchard. Trenchard picked up the win in last season's Roger Haudenshild Tribute, and he will be a factor anytime he shows up. Another driver to keep an eye on is Matt Duste. He is a past runner up in the standings, and indications are that he will be doing more racing this season.

Duane Orsburn, who is a two-time Street Stock champion at the speedway, should be back and dialing in his new car. Other drivers to watch for include last year's top rookie, Shane Everson, Tim Bailey, Kevin Hewitt, Scott Crum and Max Augustine. The fact is, there are several cars in the area that could make appearances with some big-name drivers behind the wheel. People like past Dwarf Car champion CJ Putnam, past Modified and Pro Stock champion Brian Poppa and past Late Model and Modified champion Jeremy Richey are still out there. Poppa has racked up some rather impressive numbers in his career as a champion in Pro Stocks and Modifieds in the same season and a winner of over 50 Main Events.

The IMCA Modified division is poised to have its biggest season in recent years, and it all kicks off on April 28th. Other key dates to mark on your calendar include the Roger Haudenshild Tribute Race on June 2nd, the Wild West IMCA Modified Speedweek Event on June 23rd, Hall Of Fame Night on August 18th and the R Charles Snyder Salute on September 1-2. The drivers are sure to bring the Modified Excitement to Southern Oregon Speedway. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.


2018 Southern Oregon Speedway IMCA Modified Schedule
April 28
May 5
May 19
June 2 - Roger Haudenshild Tribute
June 16
June 23 - Wild West Speedweek
July 7
July 21
August 18 - Hall Off Fame Night
September 1 - R Charles Snyder Salute
September 2 - R Charles Snyder Salute
September 22

2017 IMCA Modifieds Points
68  Jesse Bailey  248
1m  Mark Wauge  226
89c  Albert Gill  195
5j  Preston Jones  189
64  Ray Kniffen Jr.  153
88 Zach Fettinger 131
46  Shane Everson  130
21  Jeremy Ohlde  126
2g  James Welshonse   122
7 Jantzen Knips 122

Past IMCA Modified Champions
1996  Tom Glover
1997  Dennis Silva
1998  Tom Glover
1999  Don Estramado
2000  Mark Wauge
2001  Jay Hinton Jr.
2002  Jon DeBenedetti
2003  Jeremy Richey
2004  Brad Alfrey
2005  Mark Wauge
2006  Brian Poppa
2007  Mark Wauge
2008  Justin Holt
2009  Mark Wauge
2010  Travis Peery
2011  Mark Wauge
2012  Mark Wauge
2013  Dustin Knight
2014  Albert Gill
2015  Albert Gill
2016  Mark Wauge
2017  Jesse Bailey

Southern Oregon Speedway Modified All Time Win List
Mark Wauge 48
Dan Estremado 27
Brian Poppa 23
Dave Duste Sr. 21
Scott Lenz 18
Tom Glover 16
Dennis Silva 14
Jon DeBenedetti 12
Nick Trenchard 9
Albert Gill 9
Bobby Hogge IV 9
Dave Duste Jr. 9
Travis Peery 8
Matt Duste 7 
Jeremy Richey 7
Bruce Rayburn Sr. 7
Jesse Williamson  6
Brad Alfrey 6
Justin Holt 5
Ken Scales 5
Monte Bischoff 4
Rich McCoy 4
Richard Papenhausen 4
Markey James 4
Kevin Hewitt 4
Jesse Bailey 3
Jay Hinton Jr. 3
Bud Walberg 3
C.J. Putnam 2
Dustin Jenks 2
Scott Weldon 2
Dane Smith 2
Duane Orsburn 1 
Travis Holt 1 
Steve Aprin 1
Jerry Severson 1 
Lenny Toolanen 1
Derek Nance 1
Kevin Putnam 1
Justin Estremado 1
Dustin Knight 1
Anthony Restad 1
Tom Berry Jr. 1 
Collen Winebarger 1
B.J. Wild  1
Andy Freeman 1
Kellen Chadwick 1
Ryan Scott Gaylord 1
James Welshonse  1
Danny Lauer 1
Zach Fettinger 1
Troy Foulger 1
Chris Biggs 1
Roger Lorenzini 1
Steven Croucher 1
Rob Gavin 1
Mike Phillips 1

Late Model Division Continues To Grow 

At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...Southern Oregon Speedway will continue to feature Late Model racing on the Jim Rogers prepared 3/10 mile clay oval. Promoter Mike McCann was looking to add some touches to the program as he continues to oversee the task of growing what had been a stagnant racing program at the speedway in the immediate years prior to his arrival. Last season featured an exciting championship battle in what had been the biggest schedule for this division to date.

This season, McCann has booked 10 events for the division. Through the years, Late Models have had some big events at the speedway, including several 100 lap events. However, the division was never really cultivated. Prior to Southern Oregon Speedway, Medford Raceway featured a healthy division right up to the end in 1989. For a brief period from 2008 to 2010, the track attempted to run more races for the division, but that effort was abandoned by 2011. McCann booked what he called an Open Stock division in 2016 to see what was out there, and it was Late Model racers who responded.

Two of the biggest supporters of this revival are longtime Medford area racers Mike Linder and Bob Dees. Dees comes from a background of Stock Car racing and was a Pro Stock Main Event winner prior to getting into Late Models. Linder raced both Late Models and Sprint Cars prior to getting on board with the Late Model movement. The two drivers had a good battle for the championship that season, won by Dees after two time feature winner Linder had a bad final race. Linder's luck didn't improve much last year, but he's out to turn that around this season.

For Dees, Late Model racing is a family affair. His son Garrett won the "Rookie Of The Year" award and picked up his first heat race win in the final race last year before getting a Top 3 feature finish. Son John was also a Trophy Dash winner during the season. Bob picked up a pair of Main Event victories on the way to a third place ranking in the standings. The older Dees is poised to make a run at the championship once again.

To get to that championship, however, he has to get through Nathan Augustine. Augustine was a model of consistency last season when he won more Trophy Dashes than anybody and scored two Main Event victories. He left with the championship trophy. Nathan made one appearance at the speedway in 2016 and won, but he was unable to race more due to his commitment to winning the Coos Bay championship that year. There had been rumors as to whether Nathan would try to defend his championship this year, but he confirmed at the Outlaw Kart banquet in March that he will be back for more this season.

Chris Biggs has driven different types of race cars through the years, including being a participant in the wild and crazy Thrill Car division some 15 years ago. Chris had a Late Model chassis that he was wanting to use, and the addition of the division at Southern Oregon Speedway gave him that chance. He made a pair of visits last season, and he's looking forward to doing more racing this year. In fact, Chris has a second chassis, which he has indicated he would like to build, possibly for IMCA Sport Modified competitor Justin McCreadie to race.

Dave Foote does a lot of driving before he even gets to Southern Oregon Speedway. This is because the Coos Bay resident, who is a past champion of Late Model racing there, chooses to come to Southern Oregon Speedway to race. Dave enjoys the competition and the fast, hooked up race track. After multiple Top 3 finishes last season, Foote has his eyes on a Main Event victory this year.

Like Linder, Don Garrett Jr has Stock Car and Sprint Car racing in his background. Don couldn't resist getting involved in the Late Model division and purchased the 2016 Augustine Coos Bay championship car to go racing last season. His season was a mixed bag of results, but he kept coming back enthusiastically. He is hoping for better results this season.

The status of perhaps the most exciting and entertaining competitor, Dustin Knight, is uncertain. All eyes were usually on the white #77 car last year as he charged his way through the pack for three Main Event victories. Running a close second in the standings headed into the finale, Knight made the decision to race elsewhere and conceded the championship. There has been no word from the team as to whether or not the past Pro Stock and Modified champion will be racing again this year, but he's certainly a welcome addition to the roster.

Kristy Grout is reportedly planning to do more racing at Coos Bay this year, but word is we will still see her sometimes this season. However, we will get another champion on the roster this year. This is because Miles Deuert, the 2014 Street Stock champion, has a Late Model. The Deubert family has been very supportive of Southern Oregon Speedway through the years, and Miles operates JOAT Labs, the title sponsor of the Hornet division. Deubert won some Pro Stock Main Events in recent seasons and is definitely up to the challenge of driving a Late Model. He's very much looking forward to it.

You never know who might show up in the field throughout the season as we saw visits from such hard chargers as Trent Elliott, David Newquist and Joey Olschowka last season. They will have 10 opportunities to go racing at Southern Oregon Speedway, including the season opener on April 28th. Late Model racing is part of the exciting show that the fans expect from Southern Oregon Speedway. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

2018 Southern Oregon Speedway Late Model Schedule
April 28
May 12
May 19
June 2
June 30
July 14
August 18
August 25
September 8
September 15

2017 Late Model Points
24 Nathan Augustine  259
77 Dustin Knight  226
6 Bob Dees 221
75 Dave Foote  194
24k Kristy Grout  149
22 Mike Linder 140
66 Garrett Dees 131
5 Don Garrett  93
16 John Dees 80
X Chris Biggs 43

Past Late Model Champions
2008  Chris Salyer and Roger Lorenzini Jr.
2009  Andy Freeman
2010  Jeremy Richey
2016  Bob Dees
2017  Nathan Augustine

All Time Late Model Winners
Dustin Knight 4
Trevor Glaser 4
Rob Mayea 4
Chris Salyer 3
Richard Papenhausen 3
Nathan Augustine 3
Bob Boyd 3
Bob Dees 2
Clay Daly 2
Jon DeBenedetti 2
Mike Linder 2
Jeremy Richey 2
Darren Coffell 2
Jason Wines 2
Casey Vitale 1
Steve Croucher 1
John Silva 1
Bill Pearson 1
Steve Moore 1
Ron Haggard 1
Jeremy Shank 1
Dane Smith 1
Jim Whisler 1
Trent Elliott 1

Excitement Building For 7th IMCA Sport Modified Season 

At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...There's been a lot of buzz and excitement surrounding the IMCA Sport Modified division at Southern Oregon Speedway. The division is entering its seventh season at the speedway, and from the sound of things, car count is expected to be bigger than ever. There are some big names planning to compete this season, and it's anybody's guess who will emerge with the championship trophy by season's end.

Only three drivers have earned the right to call themselves IMCA Sport Modified champions at Southern Oregon Speedway. Dwayne Melvin kicked things off with the first two championships, Jorddon Braaten won the next two and Mike Medel is the current two-time reigning champion. All three drivers are still on the roster and could be in line to become the first three time champion.

The division was started in somewhat controversial fashion back in 2012 when management at the time decided to drop the Pro Stock division in favor of the Sport Modifieds. A few drivers, including Medel, Melvin and Bob Nelsen, got on board and helped establish the new class. After winning his Street Stock championship, Braaten made the move up to this class. Braaten has scored some of the biggest wins in this division's history at the track so far.

Medel made a dream come true last year. For the most part, he's raced in cars that he's purchased from somebody else, but he had a brand new car built just for him from the shops of Ryland Racing prior to last season. The goal was to repeat as track champion, and as a two-time feature winner, he made it happen. He solidified that with his impressive Top 5 run in the R Charles Snyder Salute and left little doubt when he won the finale. Medel could very well be the man to beat this year.

The big question is will Jorddon Braaten make the commitment to run for the track championship? In the past two seasons, Jorddon has visited other tracks during the season. He didn't end the season empty-handed either. Jordan has won the Pacific Sport Mod Challenge championship for the past two seasons and was the 2016 IMCA State champion. He won the R Charles Snyder Salute and Roger Haudenshild Tribute events last year and the bigger prize offered on both occasions. Nobody has won more Sport Modified Main Events at Southern Oregon Speedway than him.

Melvin has shied away from point racing over the past two seasons, but he was a feature winner in 2016. He decided to start racing a little more often last year and earned multiple Top 5 finishes before he blew a motor to end his season. Dwayne is gearing up to do more racing this season, and he should not be counted out in the battle.

Willie McFall is hoping to add his name to the championships list. He's coming off of his best career points season yet in second. It was a year in which he finished as high as second in the Main Event with a pair of Trophy Dash victories. Willie is certainly somebody to watch as he competes for his first Main Event victory.

Justin McCreadie picked up a pair of feature victories in Yreka last year and looked like he could do the same at Southern Oregon Speedway. He only made three visits to the track last year, and he will be hard to keep off of the winner's list this year if he does more racing at the home track. Another driver to keep an eye on in the race for victory is Jesse Merriman. In his rookie season last year, he ranked 4th and picked up top rookie honors along the way.

Tony Duste is the third generation of his family to go racing at Southern Oregon Speedway. His father, uncle and grandfather are all multi time feature winners at the speedway. Tony only ran a few times last year, but he shows great promise already. We also saw the debut of both Matt Sanders and Isaac Sanders, who also raced at Yreka last season. Matt Sanders recently got a new car as he hopes to step up his game this season.

Both AJ Parker and Tony Bartell had their highs and lows last season, but they still managed to rank in the Top 10. Both have been good supporters of the program in the past couple of seasons. Bob Thomas was all set to go racing last year when an injury took him out for the season. With a clean bill of health and a car that's ready to go, Thomas is looking forward to racing at Southern Oregon Speedway.

Another driver looking to make his first laps in a Sport Modified is Joby Shields. Joby became quite dominant in his short time in a Hornet, and the second generation racer is looking forward to the next challenge. Brandon Wilson is another new name on the list, and other competitors, such as Danny Rule, Cory Biggs, Braxton Possenger and Lloyd Speer will be others to watch for. Though past Mini Stock champion David Marble has made plans to race elsewhere this year, it won't be a surprise to see the two-time Top 5 ranked Sport Modified competitor for at least some visits. He is certainly due for another win.

Erroneous reports suggested that last year's third-ranked competitor, Rich McCoy, had sold his race car. However, the past Mini Stock champion was seen competing and earning a Top 3 finish recently in Yreka. No word as to whether Rich will be competing at Southern Oregon Speedway this year, but he certainly becomes an instant contender if he does.

The IMCA Sport Modified division is definitely gathering momentum, and there's been some speculation that the car count average could reach into the 12-16 area. They kick their season off on April 28th and are a part of the big Roger Haudenshild Tribute Race on June 2nd, the IMCA Modified Wild West Speedweek race on June 23rd, the Hall Of Fame Night on August 18th and the R Charles Snyder Salute on September 1-2. It should be a great year for IMCA Sport Modified racing at Southern Oregon Speedway. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

2018 Southern Oregon Speedway IMCA Modified Schedule
April 28
May 5
June 2 - Roger Haudenshild Tribute
June 16
June 23 - Wild West Speedweek
July 7
July 21
August 18 - Hall Of Fame Night
September 1 - R Charles Snyder Salute
September 2 - R Charles Snyder Salute
September 22

2017 IMCA Sport Modified Points
30m  Mike Medel  280
7m  Willie McFall  237
95  Rich McCoy  218
11j  Jesse Merriman  189
4m  David Marble  171
69  Dwayne Melvin  163
84 Jorddon Braaten 152
51n  Jayson Nelson  134
27b  Tony Bartell  127
76  A.J. Parker  123

Past IMCA Sport Modified Champions
2012  Dwayne Melvin
2013  Dwayne Melvin
2014  Jorddon Braaten
2015  Jorddon Braaten
2016  Mike Medel
2017  Mike Medel

IMCA Sport Modified All Time Win List
Jorddon Braaten 28
Rob Fitzsimmons 8
Dwayne Melvin  6
Bob Nelsen  5
Mike Medel  5
Rich McCoy 3
Brad Alfrey 2
Matt Duste  2
Glen Severson 1
Brian Cooper 1
Todd Cooper 1
Fred Ryland 1 
Howard Law 1
Justin Holt 1
Dave Duste Sr. 1
Jimmy Ford 1
Mark Wauge 1
Donald Bandfield 1



Past Southern Oregon Speedway Pro Stock Champions
1988  Jim Walker Jr.*
1989  Jim Walker Jr.*
1996  Scott Lenz
1997  Jim Walker Jr.
1998  Jim Walker Jr.
1999  Brian Poppa
2000  Brad Alfrey
2001  Jim Walker Jr.
2002  Frank Word III
2003  Frank Word III
2004  Frank Word III
2005  Frank Word III
2006  Brian Poppa
2007  Frank Word III
2008  Frank Word III
2009  Frank Word III
2010  Frank Word III
2011  Dustin Knight
2012  Ken Irving**
2013  Dave Everson**
2014  Ken Irving**
2015  Jeffrey Hudson**
2016  Steve Borror **
2017  Scott Lenz
* Medford Raceway
** Outlaw Pro Stock Association

Southern Oregon Speedway Pro Stock All Time Win List
Frank Word III 61
Jim Walker Jr. 34
Brian Poppa 31
Dave Everson 18
John David Duffie 17
Cal Lanfear 13
Kurt Slama 13
Tony Walker 9
Jeremy Richey 7
Steve Borror 6
Brian Johnsen 6
Gary Rotarius 5
Scott Lenz 5
Ken Irving 4
Brad Alfrey 4
Jamie McCleary 4
Rob Fitzsimmons 4
Andy Freeman 3
Rocky Nash 3
Dustin Knight 3
Seth Carder 3
Jeffrey Hudson 3
Dan Thomas 3
Miles Deubert 2
Jeff Hudson 2
Jake Word 2
Terry Townsend 2
Mark Wauge 2
Jer Deubert 2
Chris Charleton 2
Jarred Morrill 2
Bob Dees 2
Gerald Robeson 2
Jay McCleary 1
Glen Severson 1
Butch Poppa 1
Scott Flowers 1
Dave Quick 1
Scott Martin 1
Rusty Azvedo 1
Jay Poppa 1
Scott Bennett  1
Derrel Nelson Jr. 1
Eric Ralph 1
Ron Willis 1
John Wayne Cahill 1
Jim Hill 1
Rick Hunsley 1
Chris Charlton 1
Dave Duste Jr. 1

Iron Giant Disorder At The Border May 19th, Plus Mini Stocks, JOAT Labs Hornets, Valley Store-All Late Model Lites News

Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion

Can Be Heard HERE

Iron Giant Street Stocks Return For 

Disorder At The Border On May 19th

White City, Oregon...Once again, the Road To The Iron Giant runs through Southern Oregon Speedway. The Iron Giant Street Stock Series will again run eight races at eight different tracks throughout Oregon, and the series kicks off at Southern Oregon Speedway on May 19th with Disorder At The Border II. The Iron Giant Series was the brainchild of Chris Sine and James Whitehouse.

Last season, they booked a similar schedule, but the races at Sunset Speedway in Banks and River City Speedway in St Helens were both rained out. The competitive six race series included six different Main Event winners, but when the points were all tallied, it was Kyle Yaeck winning the inaugural championship.

Yaeck won the Mark Howard Memorial race in Cottage Grove last season, and he was certainly the most entertaining driver in scoring a second place finish in the first Disorder At The Border race at Southern Oregon Speedway. In that race, won by Donald Schott, Yaeck came from the back of the pack and had the crowd entertained before finishing second ahead of Washington Street Stock champion Jack Parshall.

The record will show that Ron Brewster won the Madras event, Nick Hanson scored the victory at Roseburg on the pavement, David Cronk won the Battle At The Beach in Coos Bay and Joey Tanner won the prestigious Iron Giant Race in Willamette. Other notable events won by stars of The Iron Giant Series last year included Brian Cronk's victory in the Clair Cup at Willamette and Yaeck's victories in the Prather Family's Lucas Oil race at Coos Bay and the Jim's Thriftway 100 lap event at Sunset Speedway.

Yaeck won the championship by 75 points ahead of Erik Jarnport last season. Jarnport only had a six point margin between himself and third place finisher Whitehouse, while Sine and Jessie Yankee rounded out the Top 5.

Street Stock enthusiasts will know that the division was a part of Southern Oregon Speedway for five years from 2010 to 2014. The first year, no championship points were kept, and the track also ran Enduro races on some nights when they also had Street Stocks. The first champion was Duane Orsburn, who won back-to-back championships, the second ahead of Jorddon Braaten, who won the third season's title. The record also shows that Miles Deubert was the last crowned Street Stock champion at Southern Oregon Speedway in 2014.

Though the division did manage to reach double digits on occasion in 2012 and 2013, rules changes saw the class decline rapidly, leaving many disappointed drivers who were hoping this could build into something. One driver who still has his Street Stock is Top 5 2014 competitor Garrett Dees. Though Dees is coming off of a "Rookie Of The Year" award winning season in Late Models, he is preparing his car in the hopes of winning the $1,000 first prize in this year's 50 lap Street Stock event. It's been speculated that if even a half a dozen drivers could materialize from the Medford area, the division might have a chance to rise again in the future.

In the meantime, The Road To The Iron Giant Street Stock Series will give the fans a taste of an exciting style of racing that they don't get to see very often in Medford. Street Stock and even Hobby Stock competitors from California would also be welcome for the big event. Again, Kyle Yaeck, James Whitehouse, Chris Sine, Jack Parshall, David Cronk and others are anticipated to kick off the Road To The Iron Giant Series on May 19th at Southern Oregon Speedway.

Street Stocks do not come alone on May 19th. Joining them will be the exciting Late Models, Mini Stocks, Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. If that's not enough, there will Outlaw Kart racing at the little Southern Oregon Speedway track that afternoon. The Karts will also compete on the small track a night earlier. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

2018 Road To The Iron Giant Street Stock Series Schedule

May 19 - Marson Trucking - Disorder On The Boarder II - Southern Oregon Speedway, Medford, Oregon
June 2 -  Second Annual Street Stocks vs Sportsman challenge Part 1 Madras Speedway, Madras, Oregon
June 23 - 12th Annual Mark Howard Memorial Wall Banger Cup - Cottage Grove Speedway, Cottage Grove, Oregon
July 7 - 20th Annual Jim's Thriftway 100 - Sunset Speedway, Banks, Oregon
July 28 - Street Stock Smackdown 50 - Douglas County Speedway, Roseburg, Oregon
August 11 -  Disorder At The Northern Border - River City Speedway, St. Helens, Oregon
August 25 - 2nd Annual Battle At The Beach - Coos Bay Speedway, Coos Bay, Oregon
September 1 - 3rd Annual Iron Giant - Willamette Speedway, Lebanon, Oregon

2017 Road To The Iron Giant Points
Kyle Yaeck    565
Eric Jarnport    490
James Whitehouse 484
Chris Sine    441
Jessie Yankee    382
Ron Brewster    381
David Cronk    375
Jack Parshall    353
Shannon    Horn    343
Jordon McDonald    342

2017 Cottage Grove Speedway Street Stocks
Evan Britton    472 (2)
Garrett Barth    438
Hunter Bloom    424 (1)
Roy Moore    403
Ray Bloom    392
Andrew Langan    344 (2)
Kyle Yeack    195 (2)
Melissa Adams    174
Jody Tanner    164 (1)
David Schmidt    134

2017 Willamette Speedway Street Stocks
Jody Tanner    787 (1)
Kevin Roberts    768 (3)
Dakota Godard    662
Shawn French    547
Kyndal Irvine    473
Steve Jorgenso    455
Justin Evans    410 (1)
David Cronk    377 (2)
Mckenzie Lockhart 366
Jesse Yankeee    354 (1)
Kyle Yaeck (4), Brian Cronk (3), Andrew Langan (2)

2017 Sunset Speedway Street Stocks
Arnie Case    1197 (4)
Tony Catalano    798 (1)
Joey Tardio    774 (1)
Chuck Andrus Jr    556
Doug Pitsch    551
Chris West    534 (2)
Kevin Roberts    466
James Baker    455
Justen Case    442
Marc Farrar    430
Kyle Yaeck (1), Joey Tanner (1), Brad Gentry (1), Craig Loomis (1)
2017 Madras Speedway Sportsman

2017 Coos Bay Speedway Street Stocks
Justin Krossman    1092 (5)
Ken Fox        1004
Jeff Thurman    766 (2)
Daniel Land    694 (3)
Steve Dubisar    692 (8)
Josh Bearden    288
Kelly McIntyre    136
Dustin Hitner    114
Stacy Robinson    112
RC levin    98
Kyle Yaeck (1), David Crock (1)

2017 Madras Speedway Sportsman
Bill Wild     682
George Stills     663
Ryan Johnson     624
Abe Stills     529
Lance Handsaker    425
Allen Sheridan     288

2017 River City Speedway Street Stocks
Greg Brumbaugh 1139
Justin McMullen/Natasha/Bud 1133
Tom Zywicki 1113
Terry King 1047
Scott McMullen/Natasha/Bud 919
Trevor Lively 827 R
Gary Kordosky SR 790
Corey West 534
Hunter Gollyhorn 409
Mike Crase 239

2017 Douglas County Speedway Street Stocks
Jeff Solberg    596
Kevin Ballard    485
Neil Pecor    406
Bill Stewart    396
Kyle Brown    217
John Dumire    166
Chris Lemon    164
Chris Becker    107
Pete Lemon    94
Karl Smith    50

Past Southern Oregon Speedway Street Stock Champions

2014  Miles Deubert
2013  Jorddon Braaten
2012  Duane Orsburn
2011  Duane Orsburn

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
April 20, 2017:  Donald Schott

Valley Stor-All Returns To Sponsor Late Model Lites 

At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City,  Oregon...One of the fastest and most exciting divisions at Southern Oregon Speedway is the Late Model Lites division. For the 4 Cylinder racer looking to go a little faster, this division was added to the roster in 2003, a year after the Super Truck division was retired from the roster. As with the Mini Stock division, Bryan Barns won the first championship in this class, backing it up with the 2004 crown.

Speaking of back to back championships, Bob Burkett followed up his 2016 Mini Stock championship by winning the Late Model Lites title in his rookie season in this division last year. Burkett is far from a rookie in racing, having won roughly 20 Main Events at Southern Oregon Speedway and ranked second in the Mini Stock championship battle four times. Burkett has a knack for winning Trophy Dashes and has probably won more of them at Southern Oregon Speedway in the last half-dozen seasons than anybody else.

Through his consistency, Burkett won a close battle with another consistent competitor, Charlie Eaton. For Eaton, second place in last season's race was a career-best effort. However, he would love to put his name in the winner's column this season. As champion, Burkett joins a list of stars such as two time champions Brian Johnsen and Joe Guider, Lee Doty, Parker Jones and Reggie DeVore on an impressive list of title winners.

It was thought that Lee Doty would be the driver to beat last season, and he did nothing to discourage that thought when he won the season opener. However, it was one misfortune after another after that, causing Lee to skip the last couple of races making repairs to his batteted car. He will be back stronger than ever when the season starts. He will reportedly not be the only car #7 on the track as 2014 champion John Barger is rumored to be returning.

Greg Arnold went on record as the final Super Truck champion in 2002. He purchased the #91 car and was one of the top stars last season. Like Eaton, Arnold will be out to try and score a feature victory this year. Another driver to watch for is Dan Prewitt. Dan was a feature winner in 2016, but he had the dubious distinction as the unluckiest driver in the field last season. Despite misfortunes that often times prevented him from even starting the Main Event, Dan kept coming back and giving it his best.

The Aos family should be represented by both father Eric and son Dusty Aos. Dusty finished fourth in the standings last season and served notice to the competition that he will be a driver to contend with this season when he won the season finale. His father is a past Main Event winner in this division and would love to get back into the win column this year.

After looking impressive with two Main Event victories last season, Randy Hansen put his fast #40 car up for sale. No word on who has bought this car or what their plans are. Hansen has another car, but how much we will see him hasn't been announced. Meanwhile, teammate Bob Westcott, who also won a Main Event last season, is currently putting another car together.

Casey Osuna switched from the pavement to the dirt to run the final race last year and is rumored to be joining the field this year. There are several other drivers at large who could make appearances this season, including the division's all time Main Event win leader Terry Hadley, Krista Hadley, Nolan Fincher and Steve Thompson.

The Late Model Lites division clocks in with times comparable to the IMCA Modifieds, and the racing can get very exciting, as evidenced by some of the battles put on by last season's two time winner Randy Hansen, Lee Doty and Bob Burkett. The drivers are all stepping up their programs as they know winning a Main Event in this division will not be easy. Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites will compete nine times this season, opening up with a race on May 12th. For further information, check out www.southernoregonspeedway.com.


2018 Southern Oregon Speedway
Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites Schedule

May 12
May 19
June 16
July 7
July 21
August 4
August 26
September 8
September 15

2017 Southern Oregon Speedway
Valley Stor-All Late Model Lites Points
43 Bob Burkett  206
5 Charlie Eaton  192
91 Greg Arnold  119
3 Dusty Aos  105
99 Bill Spencer  105
66 Eric Aos   96
40 Randy Hansen  86
7 Lee Doty  82
29 Dan Prewitt  75
40 Bob Wescott  35


Past Late Model Lites Champions

2003  Brian Barns
2004  Brian Barns
2005  Reggie DeVore
2006  Joe Guider
2007  Jacob Cole
2008  Brian Johnsen
2009  Parker "Hollywood" Jones
2010  Brian Johnsen
2011  Joe Guider
2012  Jamie Guider Newberg
2013  John Barger
2016  Lee Doty
2017  Bob Burkett

All Time Late Model Lites Main Event Winners*

Terry Hadley 26
Brian Johnsen 22 
Bryan Barns 12
Parker Jones 10
Steve Thompson 8
John Barger 7
Rick Rapp 7
Lee Doty  6
Joe Guider 5
A.J. Salyer 5
Tony Christopher 5
Reggie DeVore 5 
Pat Akins 5
Jamie Newberg 5
Bob Westcott 5
Preston Jones 3
Skipper Klimcheck 2
Tyler Jensen 2
Dan Estremado 2
Chris Salyer 2
Randy Hansen 2
Danny Prewitt 1
Nick Camus 1
Tony Bartell 1
Eric Aos  1
Krista Hadley 1
Belinda Duste 1
Jake Cole 1
Vicki Macormic 1
Bob Burkett 1
Dusty Aos 1
Patrick Lanigan 1
Greg Arnold 1

All Time Super Trucks Main Event Win List*

Lindsey Bryant 11
John Wayne Cahill 11
Patrick Lanigan 8
Harvey Foster 5
Roger Lee Jr. 5
Bryan Barns 5
Brian Merriman 4
Greg Arnold 3
Travis Holt 3
Shawn Gillespie 2
Terry Townsend 1
Buck Hornbaker  1

Mini Stock Racing Back At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City,  Oregon...Since the gates opened at Southern Oregon Speedway in 1996, the Mini Stock division has been a part of the championship program. This will be their 23rd championship season. If there's one racer in the group who can appreciate tradition, it's third generation racer Kristopher Mix. Mix grew up watching his father, Keith Mix, race at the old Posse Grounds Speedway and other racing venues in Oregon.

Last season, Mix surprised the field by winning a closely contested championship battle that saw no less than five drivers with a mathematical shot at the championship going into the final race. Great racing and racers is nothing new to the Mini Stock division. Through the years, this division has had many great stars, including four time champion John Derby, two time champions Tracy Bradley and David Bishop, inaugural champion Bryan Barns, Rich McCoy and Mike Johnson.

One of the drivers Mix had to beat for the championship last season was Johnson's 15 year old son, Michael Johnson, who finished a strong second. Last season also boasted three other past Mini Stock champions in the field with 2013 champion Steve Goetz, 2014 champion Gary Anderson and 2016 Yreka champion David Steele. There were also occasional visits from 2016 champion Bob Burkett, who moved up to win the Valley Stor-All Late Model lites title last season.

They don't get much better then David Steele, who has won somewhere in the area of 50 Main Events between Southern Oregon Speedway and Siskiyou Motor Speedway in his impressive career. Steele appeared to be the driver to beat last season after dominating the first two races of the season. However, major motor problems derailed his effort. As if to remind everybody that he is still one of the best, Steele ended the season with three straight Main Event victories.

Word has it that Steele is getting ready to come back out, though he admits he's more interested in going out there and having fun than chasing points. Steele should be joined by team mate Goetz, who indicated last year that he may take on a car owner role with his niece driving the yellow #55 car.

One of the more interesting cars in the field is the blue #007 Pinto Wagon of Andrew Hall, who is Mix's Neon Mafia teammate. Hall had indicated the possibility of moving up in divisions this season, though he said that either way his car would be out there this season with him or somebody else driving.

After an impressive third place season, Dillen Lausen will apparently be out of the division as Mike Weiser has sold that car back to its former owner, 2015 champion David Marble. Johnson might be poised to win the championship. However there have been rumors that he will be making a move into either the SODCA Dwarf Car or IMCA Sport Modified class. The team actually purchased the #27 Dwarf Car of Anthony Pope. Johnson had his 2016 and 2017 cars up for sale late last year, though we haven't heard if they have sold and who bought them.

Hunter Magnan struggled at times in his rookie season, but he still won last year's "Rookie Of The Year" award. Prior to the season finale, he purchased the #8 car from the Fettinger Racing Team. Magnan was trying to sell his old car as of this writing. At the moment, one driver to watch in this year's rookie battle is 2016 Hornet division champion, Tim Hedges. Hedges will attempt to do double duties in a Mini Stock and a Hornet this season.

There are several other teams at large, including Garrett Fredrickson, Patrick Stringer-Stine and Mike Cloud. At the end of the 2016 season, Randy Simmons indicated that he would take last season off preparing a new car. No word on his status for this season. There are other rumors as we prepare for an exciting 12 race season, but we'll have to see who is there on race night.

The Mini Stock division has served its role well throughout the history of this track as an affordable division with close competition. That hasn't changed, as last season's close point battle has proven. The season will kick off for the division on May 5th, and then the battle will be on to see who the next champion will be? Will Mix repeat? Will Steele win his first home track championship? Will there be a new champion? Stay tuned. As always, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com for further information.


2018 Southern Oregon Speedway Schedule
Mini Stocks

May 5
May 12
May 19
June 16
June 30
July 14
July 22
August 11
August 18
August 25
September 8
September 15

2017 Southern Oregon Speedway
Mini Stock Points
89m Kristopher Mix  272
777 Michael Johnson  262
87 Dillen Lausen  260
67 David Steele  258
55 Steve Goetz  250
007 Andrew Hall  208
0 Gary Anderson  169
33m Hunter Magnan  144
421 Patrick Stringer-Stine 71
43 Bob Burkett 48

Mini Stock Champions

1996  Brian Barns
1997  Scott Holt
1998  Rich McCoy
1999  Tracy Bradley
2000  Tracy Bradley
2001  Tom Lanigan
2002  Mike Johnson
2003  David Bishop
2004  David Bishop
2005  Tony Christopher
2006  Milton Carter
2007  Jim Pope
2008  John Derby
2009  John Derby
2010  John Derby
2011  John Derby
2012  Toby Judd
2013  Steve Goetz
2014  Gary Anderson
2015  David Marble
2016  Bob Burkett
2017  Kristopher Mix

All Time Mini Stock Main Event Winners*

Jim Hill 26
Jim Pope 24
Bob Burkett 22
Toby Judd 20
David Steele 20
David Marble 18
Patrick Lanigan 17
John Derby 15
Milt Carter 15
Bryan Barns 12
Mike Johnson 12
Gary Anderson 11
Joe Dirt 9
Tracy Bradley 8
Steve Goetz 7
Dave Bishop 7
Monty Stratton 6
Tyler Lockwood 5
Mike Goldstrand 5
Travis Holt 4
Curt Ballard 4
Tom Lanigan 4
Rich McCoy 4
Mike Chastain 4
Larry Williams 4
Clarence Cole 3
Eric Bray 3
Chuck Flynn 2
Jared Larsen 2
Tom Williams 2
Rocky Bass 2
Pat Akins 2
Scott Holt 2
Jim Narramore 2
Travis Fisher 2
Jerry Apland 1
Jason Watkins 1
Jared Morril 1
Randy Fernandes 1
Josh Bratton 1
Chris Biggs 1
Don Borror 1
Justin Holt 1
Jack Clement 1
Paul Haslow 1
Andy Haas 1
Joe Guider 1
Michael Goldstrand  1
James Welshonse 1
Michael Johnson 1
David Mullane 1
Tony Christopher 1
Eddie Farley 1
Joe Forsma 1
Mike Higbee 1
Jim Gilbert 1
Bob Thomas 1
Jerry Apland 1
Dean Combs 1
Brian Peterson 1
Andy Stiffler 1

JOAT Labs Returns As Title Sponsor 

For Hornets Division At Southern Oregon Speedway

White City, Oregon...JOAT Labs returns as the title sponsor for the Hornets division at Southern Oregon Speedway this season. Miles Deubert, who runs JOAT (short for Jack Of All Trades) Labs came on board as the title sponsor last year and built several cages for new cars as the division enjoyed its best season ever. Optimism is high for an even better season this year.

The Hornet division was first introduced as part of the Southern Oregon Speedway schedule in 2013 and had small fields in 2014 and 15. Champions those first two seasons were Robbie Jones and Drew Fielder. When Mike McCann took over promoting the track in 2016, there was a new commitment made to promote and grow this entry level class. Car count hit an all-time high that season as Tim Hedges won a close battle with Darrell Nelson Jr. for the championship.

Hedges reaffirmed his commitment last season as he fielded four cars on multiple occasions. His wife, Jenna Hedges, and son Ashtin Hedges, also raced regularly last year. Jenna outran Tim to finish second in the standings, while Ashtin finished fourth. Jenna was also crowned the first "Rookie Of The Year" for the class. Nelson, meanwhile, shared the driving duties in his car with sons Zack and Ryan, while youngest son Gabe Nelson finally made his division debut in one of the Hedges cars at season's end.

The good news is the Nelson team will have multiple cars this season while the Hedges team continues to field multiple cars as well. Tim Hedges plans to do double division duty as he also moves up to the Mini Stock class. The Hornet division has produced a few new stars into the Mini Stock class, including 2017 Mini Stock point runnerup Michael Johnson, Garrett Fredrickson and Dillen Lausen.

Last season saw the return of past Thrill Cars champion Jason Stoutenburgh. Stoutenburgh won the final four races to solidify his well earned championship. The division is a gateway class to welcome young drivers into the sport. Last season, second generation racer Dylan Irving made his debut at 14 years old, joined by teammate Brandon Wonsyld and John Corder in the popular Ashland High School PT Cruiser.

The 2017 season ended with two new lady competitors, Bree Tritchler and Kelli Burton. Burton took over the #57 car, which was at the season opener and had been parked ever since. Word is that there will be several other new competitors in the Hornets division this season.

The sport is always looking for talented young drivers, and Southern Oregon Speedway offers one avenue with the Outlaw Kart program that takes place on the smaller track on Friday nights. The easiest way for new or inexperienced competitors to get started on the bigger track is the affordable Hornets division.

Drivers learn the basics in what is essentially a bone stock front wheel drive Mini Stock class. From there, they can move up to other divisions. JOAT Labs is still making new cages to ensure the safety of the drivers. Also, JOAT Labs will have a house car that will be driven by multiple different drivers throughout the season.

Southern Oregon Speedway is proud to offer an exciting 11 race schedule for the division, which begins on May 5th.. Point standings will be kept at each event as well as the regular purse and trophies for Main Event and Trophy Dash winners. It all adds up to more excitement with the JOAT Labs Hornets at Southern Oregon Speedway. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.

2018 Southern Oregon Speedway
JOAT Labs Hornets Schedule

May 5
May 12
June 2
June 23
June 30
July 14
August 3
August 18
August 25
September 8
September 15


2017 Southern Oregon Speedway
JOAT Labs Hornets Points
007 Jason Stoutenburgh  265
27j Jenna Hedges  223
11h Tim Hedges  221
54a Ashtin Hedges  190
11 Dylan Irving  161
8g Derrel Nelson Jr. 158
7 Brandon Wonsyld 155
555 Joby Shields  76
95 David Coggins  71
8g Zach Nelson  71

Past Hornet Main Event Winners

Robbie Jones 8
Joby Shields 5
Jason Stoutenburgh 4
Drew Fielder 3
Dale Tarp 3
Derrel Nelson Jr.  2
Tim Hedges 2
Tanton Swaim 1
Lon Fox  1
Brian Dickens 1
Jason Peeble 1
David Coggins 1