Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion
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Late Model Excitement Building Up
At Southern Oregon Speedway
$4,000 To Win Cottonwood Classic Coming On August 24th
Medford, Oregon...There's a lot of excitement in the air at Southern Oregon Speedway regarding the Late Model division. For years, Medford was a hotbed of Late Model racing at the old Medford Raceway, but this style of racing spent many years at Southern Oregon Speedway making only special appearances. When KJE Enterprises and Mike McCann entered the picture in 2016, that changed.
McCann created the Open Stock division in 2016 as a way to find out what the interest was. The rules were such that everything from exotic old school Super Stocks to Street Stocks were welcome. Long time Speedway competitor Bob Dees won the championship that year in a Late Model. What McCann learned was that the interest centered around the Late Model rules. In 2017, the track formerly began the Late Models, and interest has continued to grow ever since, with Nathan Augustine and John Dees being crowned champions.
In the three years since this effort was restarted, fans have been entertained by such hard chargers as two-time Southern Oregon Speedway champion Dustin Knight, long time Stock Car and Sprint Car competitor Mike Linder, hard chargers Darren Cofell and Trent Elliott, 2012 Coos Bay champion Dave Foote, 2018 "Rookie Of The Year" Miles Deubert, David Newquist and Garrett Dees.
For this season, McCann has drafted a ten race schedule for the Late Models with the first race happening on May 11th. Of note for the division is the August 24th event, which is being called the Cottonwood Classic. This will be the biggest Dirt Late Model race in the state of Oregon, and word is that it will pay a minimum of $200 to start, if not more. But the news gets better.
Late Model advocate Cory Penefold will be coming on board at Southern Oregon Speedway. Cory will be handling many different duties, including publicity and racing commentary this season. His Moxie Media Racing Promotions includes, among other things, high quality video footage of racing action and an internet-based radio show that reaches a wide audience. You can find Moxie Media Promotions on Facebook.
Penefold grew up watching the races at several Oregon venues, but Willamette Speedway remains special to him. He learned from one of the best promoters in the game, the late Clair Arnold. Cory is enthusiastically looking forward to helping grow not just the Late Model division but the racing program in general at Southern Oregon Speedway, and he has some big things in the works to be announced soon.
The Cottonwood Classic will be the big date to shoot for, and drivers from all over Oregon and California are already expressing an interest in competing in this show. The Cottonwood Classic is also noteworthy for being the biggest Late Model event in Southern Oregon Speedway history. There is also the possibility of another special Late Model show on the card during the year, which as of yet is to be announced. You can find the full season schedule on the Southern Oregon Speedway website at www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Southern Oregon Speedway prides itself on offering a little bit of something for everybody, from entry-level 4 Cylinder divisions all the way to Late Models and Sprint Cars, but also the IMCA sanctioned Modifieds and Sport Modifieds and the popular Dwarf Cars. Late Models may have been neglected in the Medford area for a while, but this has changed. Bigger and better things are in store for this popular division.
More big announcements will be made in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to the Southern Oregon Speedway Facebook page or the website at www.southernoregonspeedway.com for more information.
IMCA Sport Modifieds Poised For Big Season
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...Perhaps the division that had people talking the most last season was the IMCA Sport Modifieds. A breakout season for the division saw car count increase into the 20s at times, and they also needed a B Main for the point season finale. The eighth season for the division figures to be the biggest one yet.
When management at the time dropped the Pro Stocks in favor of Sport Modifieds, big things were anticipated for this intermediate division. With divisions like the Sprint Cars and Late Models gathering steam at the speedway, drivers need a place where they can learn more and run at good speeds at a somewhat affordable price. The Sport Modifieds under the rule set sanctioned by IMCA certainly fit that bill.
The coming season for the IMCA Sport Modifieds will feature an eleven race schedule, kicking off with the May 4th season opener. Two highlights for the season will be the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race on June 1st, which generally runs for more money. Also, the R Charles Snyder Salute on Labor Day Weekend, which will pay $2,000 to the winner. Drivers are gearing up for an exciting and competitive season of racing on the 3/10 mile clay oval.
Reigning champion David Marble has purchased a Sprint Car that he plans to race for the season, but last word was that he still has the Sport Modified. It's likely that we'll see him in this class at least some, but the division will also have other past champions in the lineup. Two-time champion Dwayne Melvin has been active during this off season in Arizona, and we anticipate seeing him more often this season.
Another two-time champion, Mike Medel, announced at the banquet that he plans on running a full season at his home track. Mike hit the road last season in an effort to expand his setup knowledge on different racing surfaces, but he looks forward to coming back home again. He was a two-time winner during his last full season at the speedway, which won him his second straight championship. Mike is not making any bold predictions, but he clearly comes into the season as one of the drivers to beat.
Branden Wilson is coming off of a very impressive rookie season that saw him ranked second in the standings as well winning a thrilling late race battle with Jimmy Lipke for his first career win. In a bid to step up his game even more, Wilson has a new car and is hoping to make a run at the championship and more feature wins.
A feature victory was something that Willie McFall was unable to accomplish last season. Willie had an at times very frustrating year after scoring his best finish at the opener in second. If he can get his luck back on track again, he would certainly be a player in the championship battle this season.
Two drivers we've sometimes referred to as the Tony's are relative newcomer Tony Duste and Tony Bartell. Duste is the third-generation of his family in racing and turned in a solid performance last season in third in the standings. Though he looked fast at times, what he really lacked was the seat time that he gained last year. It will be interesting to see what he can do this year. Bartell has been a competitor in other divisions at the speedway, and last season he enjoyed Top 5 status. He would have to be considered somebody to keep an eye on in the quest for victory this season.
Two drivers who could become championship threats are second-generation competitor Braxton Possinger and Justin McCreadie. Possinger and teammate McCreadie both took their show on the road and missed several races last year, and yet both had feature wins in Medford. If either of these drivers commits to the full season, they also have to be taken seriously in the battle for the championship.
Rich McCoy is a driver who knows how to get it done in a point race. He is a past Mini Stock champion and a multi-time Modified feature winner at the speedway, and he elected not to compete for points in Yreka last season after leading things five races into the season. McCoy finished as high as second twice in Medford last year, and he is definitely a threat to not only win Main Events but the championship as well.
2016 Yreka champion Jimmy Lipke may not be a championship point racer, but he's certainly a threat to win any time he's there. He had a pair of second place feature finishes in visits last season. Of course, the biggest threat of them all for the championship would be two-time champion Jorddon Braaten, who took his show on the road last season and won championships at both Cottage Grove and Willamette as well as the State. We've heard nothing to suggest, however, that Jorddon will be more than an occasional visitor.
Top 10 ranked 2018 competitors Billy Richey and Danny Rule are two other drivers to watch this season. It was pretty much a rookie season for both drivers last year, but they did have their moments. Both will be hoping to get their first wins this season. Danny's brother Michael Rule joined during the season and had his moments as well last year. Matt Sanders was another driver who took his show on the road last season, but he was a feature winner here and will certainly be a threat anytime he's in town.
There is a great list of competitors on the IMCA Sport Modified roster that includes such hard chargers as past Mini Stock champion Toby Judd, AJ Parker, Austin Petrey, Lloyd Speer, Jesse Merriman, Jon Rouden, Isaac Sanders, Steve Lysinger, Bob Thomas, Brian Knorr and Jacob Hoppes. There are other names anticipated this year as the IMCA Sport Modified roster continues to grow faster than any of the other divisions at the speedway.
The unpredictability is one of the things that makes this division so exciting to watch. You never know who might win from week to week, and there are several drivers in the field capable of getting the job done. The IMCA Sport Modifieds will certainly be a highlight on the program on any night in which they are booked. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
2018 Southern Oregon Speedway IMCA Modified Schedule
April 13 Playday
April 27 Playday
May 4
June 1 - Roger Haudenshild Tribute
June 15
June 22 - Wild West Speedweek
July 20
August 10
August 17 - Hall Of Fame Night
August 31 - R Charles Snyder Salute
September 1 - R Charles Snyder Salute
September 14
2018 IMCA Sport Modified Points
4m David Marble 295
12w Branden Wilson 280
23 Tony Duste 269
7m Willie McFall 261
27 Tony Bartell 256
4y Jimmy Lipke 199
30 Mike Medel 193
74 Danny Rule 186
14 Billy Richey 184
25p Braxton Possinger 182
Past IMCA Sport Modified Champions
2012 Dwayne Melvin
2013 Dwayne Melvin
2014 Jorddon Braaten
2015 Jorddon Braaten
2016 Mike Medel
2017 Mike Medel
2018 David Marble
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
Fred Ryland 2
Brad Alfrey 2
Matt Duste 2
Tyler Rodgers 2
David Marble 1
Braxton Possinger 1
Justin McCreadie 1
Branden Wilson 1
Matt Sanders 1
Guy Ahlwardt 1
Doug Coffman 1
Glen Severson 1
Brian Cooper 1
Todd Cooper 1
Howard Law 1
Justin Holt 1
Dave Duste Sr. 1
Jimmy Ford 1
Mark Wauge 1
Donald Bandfield 1
Bobbio's Pizza Returns As Title Sponsor For Mini Stocks
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...Since the opening of Southern Oregon Speedway back in 1996 only two divisions have crowned a champion each season at the 3/10 mile clay oval. The Mini Stock division is one of them. Mini Stocks have served as a launching pad to other divisions for competitors such as past champions Rich McCoy and Mike Johnson.
The Mini Stocks division has proven to be one of the more exciting shows at the speedway with cars that are closely competitive. As the speedway hasn't really cultivated a Street Stock division the way many other tracks on the West Coast have, the Mini Stocks have stepped in to be a Street Stock division of sorts for the fans to enjoy. The great tradition of Mini Stock racing at Southern Oregon Speedway enters its 24th season.
More exciting news finds the Mini Stocks again being sponsored by Bobbio's Pizza. Some of the best pizza you're going to find in Medford, White City and Central Point is at Bobbio's Pizza. They are also the official pizza of Southern Oregon Speedway as we proudly serve it up to our great racing fans. On the track, the battle for the championship figures to heat up even more as some of the newer drivers on the roster showed much improvement last season. Eleven races have been scheduled for the season, with the opener set for May 4th.
At the top of the ladder you will find David Steele. David has won more Mini Stock Main Events in the history of the speedway than any other driver, but it wasn't until last year when he finally notched his first championship at the speedway. He turned in a very dominant performance with nine wins and two second place finishes among his 11 starts and in doing so was never really threatened for the top position. David reported at the recent banquet that he wasn't necessarily planning to chase points this season. However, he will remain the driver to beat in the point race until he misses an event or two, and he will be perhaps the toughest driver to beat on any occasion in which he competes.
If there had been an award for most improved driver last season, it surely would have gone to Hunter Magnan. The 2017 "Rookie Of The Year" stepped up his game to become more competitive last year. Though a win wasn't in the cards, he had three second place finishes and three thirds to easily secure second in the standings. Having won two Trophy Dashes, however, Hunter sets his sights on his first career feature victory this season. He also could be a serious threat for the championship.
Steve Goetz has already won a Mini Stock championship back in 2013. Though you're not likely to hear him talk about points, he is planning on running the full season again this year. Much like Magnan, Steve went winless last year but had three seconds and three thirds among his best efforts along with a pair of Trophy Dash wins. He was a feature winner the year before and plans to get back into the winner's circle at least once this season.
About everything that could go wrong seemed to happen to 2017 champion Kristopher Mix last season. However, he was one of only three drivers to win a Main Event, making a late pass on Steele to get the job done. Though bad luck dropped him back to fourth in the final standings, Mix proved that he could win a Main Event. This season, he'll be hoping to make multiple visits to the winner's circle and put himself back into title contention.
Another driver to keep an eye on is 2014 champion Gary Anderson. Gary had a rough go of it last season, but he did finish as high as second once and was a Trophy Dash winner. If you know Gary's competitive nature, you know that this isn't good enough. He has won several Main Events in his career at the speedway, and he will be looking to return to his winning ways in the coming season.
Three driver's poised for breakout seasons are Garrett Fredrickson, Mike McLeod and Ashtin Hedges. Fredrickson competed for points for the first time last season and finished fifth in the standings, even making his first Trophy Dashes. He'll be running one more season in this class before moving up the Sport Modifieds. McLeod topped the rookie"s list last season and improved with each start. If not for the late start he had, Hedges might have been the top rookie. He started the season in the Hornet Class before moving on to Mini Stocks, where he had several Top 5 finishes. Hedges may be the driver of these three to really keep an eye on this season.
Two drivers who will be rookies in the field this season are Dylan Irving and Scott Yergis. Yergjs made a pair of starts last season in the former Patrick Stringer-Stine car but will still keep his rookie status. Irving was a feature winner and Top 5 ranked Hornet driver last season, and the second-generation competitor is definitely ready for the move up. He may be the driver to beat in the rookie race.
There are other cars out there that we didn't see last season that could return, not to mention some visits from drivers based out of the Yreka area. The Mini Stocks always put on a good show, and with the competition level rising, it should be a great season of racing for the class. For more information on the Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks and other things, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
2018 Southern Oregon Speedway Schedule
Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks
April 13 - Playday
April 27 - Playday
May 4
May 11
May 18
June 15
June 29
July 6
July 13
August 10
August 17 - Hall Of Fame Night
August 24
September 7
2018 Southern Oregon Speedway
Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stock Points
67 David Steele 412
33m Hunter Magnan 337
55 Steve Goetz 283
89m Kristopher Mix 263
45g Garrett Fredrickson 204
3 Michael McLeod 191
14t Ashtin Hedges 179
0 Gary Anderson 171
4m David Marble 65
11 Marilyn Yawnick 39
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
2018 David Steele
All Time Mini Stock Main Event Winners*
David Steele 29
Jim Hill 26
Jim Pope 24
Bob Burkett 22
Toby Judd 20
David Marble 19
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
Kristopher Mix 1
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
OTRO Hardtops Return To Southern Oregon Speedway
White City, Oregon...The Old Time Racers of Oregon Hardtops carry the banner as the longest-running Hardtop association on the West Coast. The group was founded back in the 1980s by Harold Minter, among others. These days, Harold's grandson, Mark Minter, is the president of the group, and the drivers of OTRO continue to present these beautiful race cars to a whole new generation of fans.
Through the years, these Hardtop racers have competed on just about every track in Oregon and some in Northern California as well. Whether it be a pavement racing surface or dirt, these guys are not afraid to mix it up and put on a show for the fans. They take old Dodge, Ford and Chevy Coups and Sedans, put a six-cylinder motor under the hood and run on slick tires, presenting an equal playing field for the drivers.
The current relationship between OTRO and Southern Oregon Speedway began in 2016 when Promoter Mike McCann reached out to then OTRO president Vic Bridges in the hopes of getting the group to come do some racing on the dirt. Bridges met with the racers and it was decided to give Southern Oregon Speedway a try. There have been nearly 20 races for the Hardtops at Southern Oregon Speedway since that time.
The Minter family race car wasn't quite ready to go in 2016, but Mark was making repairs and getting it ready for 2017. However, he was also given the opportunity to wheel the Bill Trotter car that year and won the race. In fact, Mark is the only driver in the group to have won a race in each of the three seasons at Southern Oregon Speedway. It's important to note that OTRO does not compete for points, just trophies and good times. It is believed that this ensures more driver respect for each other on the race track and a better show for the fans.
The Trotter family has been very supportive of OTRO in recent years. In fact, Bill Trotter fields two cars at most races, the second being the popular pickup truck. The truck was driven by Chris Mehrer at the first 2016 race, and Chris promptly won the Trophy Dash before putting the car into the wall in his heat race. Chris now has his own car and was the most recent Trophy Dash winner as he continues to dial the bugs out of that car.
But getting back to Bill Trotter, not only does he run competitively at most races with several wins and Top 3 finishes to his credit, he does it with flair. If you've watched his orange race car when the sun went down, you would notice the lights underneath on either side. Bill wasn't the only Trotter to win last season as son Dusty Trotter was a feature winner as well. Dusty fielded a new car last year after selling his old car to Coos Bay racer Justin Krossman.
Longtime Roseburg area racer Dean Cast made most of the races last season. Cast is a past champion racing on the pavement at Roseburg, and he finished as high as second twice last season. Another driver with second place finishes on two occasions to go with his two Dash wins was Jay Smith. With Smith wheeling the Trotter pickup truck, that vehicle had its best results in its three years at Southern Oregon Speedway.
Matt Butler made his division debut last season. Matt is the husband of Kelly Minter, who is the daughter of group founder Harold Minter. Matt had a lot of fun and looks forward to racing again this year. We've also heard through the Minter team that the car once driven by Teddy Deramus will be back at some point this season with Ted's son behind the wheel.
The Hardtop racers are excited about coming to Southern Oregon Speedway six times this season, starting with the first race on May 25th. Other dates include June 15th, June 29th, July 13th, August 3rd and August 24th. Watching these cars go around the speedway gives us a glimpse of the way things were in the early days of racing in Oregon and at other speedways across the United States. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
2018 Southern Oregon Speedway OTRO Hardtop Schedule
April 13 - Playday
April 27 - Playday
May 25
June 15
June 29
July 13
August 3
August 24
