Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion
IMCA Modifieds Back For 24th Season
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White
City, Oregon...Racing season is just around the corner at Southern
Oregon Speedway. The 24th season of racing on the 1/3 mile clay oval
will kick off on May 4th, and the IMCA Modifieds will be a part of the
show. The Modifieds have been a featured division at the speedway since
it opened in 1996.
Many great competitors have come
through the gates. Some of the early greats of Modified racing include
two-time champion Tom Glover, Dennis Silva, Jay Hinton Jr and Don
Estremado. When it came to setting the bar on Main Event wins, Estremado
was the man. The 1999 champion racked up some 27 feature wins in his
time during the early years of Southern Oregon Speedway, which included
an impressive 14 wins in one season.
The Modified
career win record stayed in place until Mark Wauge began to hit his
stride. Wauge has won some 50 Main Events in his career at Southern
Oregon Speedway, and he has racked up an impressive seven Modified
championships along the way. Anytime there's a big race on the schedule
at Southern Oregon Speedway, Wauge's name comes up as one of the top
local drivers who should contend for the win.
There
are many big events sprinkled throughout the season at Southern Oregon
Speedway, but the Modifieds will continue to offer up some of the
showcase events, which will include the Roger Haudenshild Tribute race
on June 1st, the annual Wild West Speedweek visit on June 22nd and the
Third Annual R Charles Snyder Salute on August 31st and September 1st.
All three events pay bigger purses than normal, and the win in the
Snyder Memorial will net somebody $5,000.
Wauge had
people talking during the offseason when he put his race car and trailer
up for sale. He hinted at the possibility that if everything sold he
would be giving Late Models a try. Recently, Mark has declared his
intent to compete for an unprecedented eighth career Southern Oregon
Speedway IMCA Modified championship. This would also match him with
Speedway all-time Pro Stock feature win leader Frank Word III as an
eight-time champion if he could accomplish it.
There
was speculation heading into last season that Mark would be the driver
to beat in the championship chase. When he won the season opener, people
were talking. Unfortunately, his luck went downhill from there after
blowing a motor in the second race. Mark has put everything in place in
the hopes that he can bring the championship trophy back home this year.
The
championship trophy in three of the past five years has had the same
address. That would be the home of Albert Gill. Gill was involved in a
very close battle for the championship last season, but he used
consistency to get the job done. He finished as high as second on
multiple occasions, but he is hoping to return to the Main Event Winners
Circle for the first time since 2017.
Zach Fettinger
had the opportunity to buy the Monte Bischoff car prior to last season,
and it's a purchase that enabled him to step up his game. Fettinger
scored three feature wins during the year and made himself a serious
title contender. It's just possible that had he not missed the Speedweek
race, Zach would have won the title. Anybody who thinks he can't win
the championship this year may be in for a surprise.
The
bounty hunter of the field is Nick Trenchard. Nick has won some of the
biggest Modified races ever at Southern Oregon Speedway, but the lure of
the big prize money being offered at other tracks sometimes takes him
out of the field. Trenchard has certainly shown that he has what it
takes. He's a championship contender if he wants that, and he is
certainly a threat to win on any given night in which he appears. He
also has a brand new car for this season.
Jantzen Knips
and David Satterfield are two drivers who did well in the standings
last season. Both were Top 5 ranked, and Satterfield, who is a past Pro
Stock competitor, was the top rookie. Not wanting to lose his point
status, Knips was left scrambling after a hard crash destroyed his car,
but he came back with another car to keep things going. Both of these
drivers have been working hard to get faster, and it wouldn't be a
surprise to see them score wins at some point during the season.
The
Duste family has been a part of Southern Oregon racing for many
decades, and last season saw Dave Duste Jr make several appearances. He
is a past feature winner and championship runner-up who reportedly will
be in a newer car this season. You would have to consider him to be one
of the contenders to win on any given race date.
Jesse
Bailey and Preston Jones are two others to contend with. Bailey may have
been a surprise in 2017 when he notched his first career championship
with a very consistent season. He is certainly a driver to watch anytime
he's there. Jones finally stepped up and showed everybody last season
what he can do. He's done well in Sprint Cars and Late Model Lites in
the past, but he won a crowd pleasing battle to win the season finale
last season.
"Cowboy" Duane Orsburn has worked very
hard to a step up his racing program, and the two-time Street Stock
champion will be a threat anytime he's in town. Among the many talented
racers to watch for during the course of the season are Jeremy Ohlde,
Andy Freeman, Brett Provost, Ray Kniffen Jr, Stan Gunderson, Bo Shields,
Jon DeBenedetti and division rookies Jimmy Lipke and Justin Foux.
Car
count wise, the numbers were up last year over the proceeding few
seasons, and there is a buzz within the community that Southern Oregon
Speedway is the place to be to race IMCA Modifieds this year. The
speedway continues to reaffirm its commitment to close, competitive
racing under IMCA sanctioning. You definitely won't want to miss the
show anytime these fast, open-wheel Stock Cars are in action. For
further information, go to
www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
2019 Southern Oregon Speedway IMCA Modified Schedule
April 13 - Playday
April 27 - Playday
May 4
May 25
June 1 - Roger Haudenshild Tribute
June 15
June 22 - Wild West Speedweek
July 20
August 10
August 17 - Hall Off Fame Night
August 31 - R Charles Snyder Salute
September 1 - R Charles Snyder Salute
September 14
2018 IMCA Modifieds Points89 Albert Gill 299
88 Zach Fettinger 275
211 David Satterfield 256
54n Nick Trenchard 251
7 Jantzen Knips 248
1m Mark Wauge 215
0 Duane Orsburn 193
73m Dave Duste Jr. 187
68 Jesse Bailey 181
21 Jeremy Ohlde 165
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
2018 Albert Gill
Southern Oregon Speedway Modified All Time Win List
Mark Wauge 49
Dan Estremado 27
Brian Poppa 23
Dave Duste Sr. 21
Scott Lenz 18
Tom Glover 16
Dennis Silva 14
Jon DeBenedetti 12
Nick Trenchard 11
Bobby Hogge IV 10
Albert Gill 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
Zach Fettinger 3
C.J. Putnam 3
Dustin Jenks 2
Scott Weldon 2
Dane Smith 2
Collen Winebarger 2
Duane Orsburn 1
Preston Jones 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
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 Models Offering Bigger And Better Things
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White
City, Oregon...For many years, Late Models ruled the racing scene in
Medford. At the old Posse Grounds race track, some big-name drivers and
big events made a night at that historic venue something people didn't
want to miss. Sadly, the gates closed for the final time in 1989. When
Southern Oregon Speedway opened in 1996, the Late Models were a
surprising omission from the regular schedule.
While
the speedway has offered some big Late Model races through the years,
there hasn't really been much of a commitment from track management to
cultivate a division of their own. Though the track did have a couple of
champions in the later part of the last decade, it wasn't until Mike
McCann of KJE Enterprises stepped into the picture that a new commitment
was made. The Open Stock division was added in 2016.
When
the drivers overwhelmingly threw their support behind the Late Model
idea, the Open Stock class became Late Models in 2017, and the division
has begun to pick up momentum since then. Management has taken notice,
which has led to the addition of the $4,000 to win Cottonwood Classic
event, set for August 24th. This race has gotten so much attention that
drivers from Northern Oregon all the way down through California have
expressed interest in supporting the show.
Some things
are still in the works for the Late Model division in 2019, which will
include an increased purse from last season. Other announcements
regarding the division will be forthcoming very soon, but the word in
Medford is that drivers are wanting to support this division in the
coming season. Oregon has a thriving Late Model division, and it's high
time that Southern Oregon Speedway takes its seat at the table.
One
of the drivers leading the charge into 2019 will be 2018 champion
Nathan Augustine. Augustine has not committed to point racing at this
moment, but he plans to start things off and see where it goes. After
winning the Coos Bay championship in 2016, he won the championship here a
year later. Nathan was on his way to getting it done again last year
when an unfortunate crash left him scrambling to get a new race car. If
not for blowing his motor in the season finale, the championship could
very well have been his. Nathan is a threat to win Main Events whenever
he's there, and he's certainly a championship contender if he chooses to
be.
The man who surprised everybody last year to win
the title is second-generation racer John Dees. Dees improved quite a
bit in his second full year of competing in this class, and this
included five second-place finishes and his first career wins at both
Sunset Speedway and Southern Oregon Speedway. Word is that John may be
looking to race up north as he has moved there, so we're not certain how
much will be seeing the #16 car.
Not only do we know
that we're going to see the #38 car of Miles Deubert, we know that the
2018 "Rookie Of The Year" and two-time feature winner has a new ride
after purchasing the former Bill Egleston car from California. Racing
Late Models has been a dream come true for the 2014 Street Stock
champion, and he would love to be able to make a challenge for another
division championship. To do that, he knew he had to step up his game.
Two
drivers who have fought hard to establish Late Models again in Medford
are 2016 Open Stock champion Bob Dees and Mike Linder. Though Bob's two
sons may not be seen around the speedway as much this year, it's likely
that we'll see him competing for victories in the #6 car. Linder,
however, has sold his car to Chris Biggs. Biggs raced a couple of years
ago, and he's looking to come back again. Furthermore, another car is
being prepared by the team for the return of 2010 champion Jeremy
Richey. Richey's return will certainly make things more interesting in
the battle for victories.
Since moving to Oregon as one
of the top Nevada Street Stock racers, James Welshonse has competed in
Mini Stocks, Sport Modifieds and Modifieds and has been fast in all
three classes. Welshonse is preparing to take on the next challenge as
he has purchased the former Deubert car to make his Late Model debut
this season. If his history is any indication, you can expect James to
be a quick study and become one of the faster drivers in the field.
Two
drivers with new cars this year are Eric Massey and John David Duffie.
Massey ran about half the season last year before a change in location
took him out of the field. He has a new car this year. Duffie has won
many Pro Stock races through the years at Southern Oregon Speedway and
has been putting together a Late Model for a move up. Past Pro Stock
champion Dave Everson moved up last season, and word is that he is
stepping up his game to try and be more competitive this year.
Two
drivers who showed up and scored feature victories last season, Trent
Elliott and Darren Coffel, are reportedly planning to do more racing at
Southern Oregon Speedway this year. In the event that either one of
these drivers makes a full-time commitment, they could very well be the
drivers to beat for the championship. Both drivers scored their
victories in very impressive fashion last season.
One
racer who could answer that call and challenge the fast guys from up
north is Dustin Knight. Reportedly, the Rapp Racing Team has picked up a
pair of Late Models, and one of those cars would be driven by the past
Southern Oregon Speedway Modified and Pro Stock champion Knight. When he
ran Late Models two years ago, at times he was very dominant. It all
depends on what the team decides to do with these cars, but Knight
certainly becomes a threat to win anytime he's in the race.
We
heard that California-based racer Paul Guglielmoni will be bringing
multiple cars to Southern Oregon Speedway, and this isn't just about the
Cottonwood Classic. He's hoping to work the track into his schedule
several times. Paul is a two-time Petaluma Speedway champion. It's
possible that there will be other teams from California coming on
various nights as well. Though we've heard that Dave Foote will be
racing closer to his Coos Bay home, we hope to see the two-time 2018
feature winner on some occasions this year. longtime Southern Oregon
competitor Don Garrett Jr is selling his car, but he'll likely be out
there racing until it sells. It's likely that we'll see Brian Bowman and
Garrett Dees at least a time or two.
We've also
recently heard that 2018 Late Model Lites runner-up Greg Arnold will be
moving up to the Late Model class. Arnold is also a past Southern Oregon
Speedway Truck champion.
There's been lots of talk
about Late Model racing at Southern Oregon Speedway, and for good
reason. There are some big things on the horizon and more exciting news
to be announced very soon. There's nothing quite like watching Late
Models go side-by-side around the 1/3 mile clay oval, and it's a show
that the hardcore Late Model fans do not want to miss. For further
information, go to
www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
2019 Southern Oregon Speedway Late Model ScheduleApril 13 - Playday
April 27 - Playday
May 11
May 18
June 1 - Roger Haudenshild Tribute
June 15
July 6
July 20
August 3
August 17 - Hall Of Fame Night
August 24 - $4,000 To Win Cottonwood Classic
September 7
2018 Late Model Points 16 John Dees 274
24 Nathan Augustine 270
38 Miles Deubert 263
75 Dave Foote 250
6 Bob Dees 226
22 Mike Linder 132
05 Don Garrett 99
66 Garrett Dees 83
7 Eric Massey 76
40 Dave Everson 47
Past Late Model Champions
2008 Chris Salyer and Roger Lorenzini Jr.
2009 Andy Freeman
2010 Jeremy Richey
2016 Bob Dees
2017 Nathan Augustine
2018 John Dees
All Time Late Model WinnersNathan Augustine 5
Dustin Knight 4
Trevor Glaser 4
Rob Mayea 4
Chris Salyer 3
Richard Papenhausen 3
Bob Boyd 3
Darren Coffell 3
Bob Dees 2
Trent Elliott 2
Clay Daly 2
Jon DeBenedetti 2
Mike Linder 2
Jeremy Richey 2
Mikes Deubert 2
Dave Foote 2
Jason Wines 2
John Dees 1
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
Pit Stops
There's
a Garth Brooks song about unanswered prayers. You may not have been
asking for what happened, but it turns out it's a good thing. Southern
Oregon Speedway Mini Stock racer Kristopher Mix was going into the 2016
season with high hopes when he took his car down to Yreka for a practice
event. Unfortunately, that was the last time he drove that particular
car. Chris was sharing a memory on social media recently regarding the
crashing of that car.
But as his father, Keith Mix,
pointed out, it turned out to be a good thing. He was left scrambling,
but he got himself a newer and better car. He had a good season that
year, and he followed that up with the championship the next year. Last
year, though he had his share of bad luck, Mix also got his first career
win. Kris has been very blessed in recent years as he and Carrie Weiser
are expecting their second son this year, life has been good to them,
the race car is ready and racing season is only a few short weeks away.
The
Annual Pear Blossom Parade is coming up on the 13th, and Tony Incerty
of the Southern Oregon Speedway safety crew has been organizing all of
the drivers who will be a part of the parade. They will be showing off
their cars to people who in some cases are not even aware that Southern
Oregon Speedway exists. It's great exposure for the track and it also
shows speedway support for the community at large.
The
grounds of Southern Oregon Speedway are looking better than they have at
this time of the year in many years. This is because Matt Butler and
Kelly Minter have been working very hard at trimming the trees, reducing
the blackberry bushes, keeping the grass trimmed, landscaping and just
whatever they can do to make things more pleasing to the eyes. Their
work also helps in the efforts to dry the pits should weather cooperate.
Matt and Kelly have even put a new shade of blue on the handicap
parking curb.
All that is needed now is dry enough
weather during the week to allow for the pit area to be accessible, and
then the cars could return to the 3/10 mile clay oval as well as the 1/8
mile dirt oval that the Karts will be racing on eight times this year.
The inaugural playday that is scheduled for April 13th isn't looking so
good right now, though it's too early to tell. The track had considered a
practice on April 20th, but as it's Easter Weekend, this was decided
against. Optimism is high that if the weather doesn't allow the first
playday, the one on April 27th will happen. Stay tuned for news on that.
The
Little Southern Oregon Speedway track gets eight races this year. All
of the usual Kart classes are scheduled, which will include the 500
Open, 250s, Box Stock and Beginners Box Stock divisions as well as UAS
Speedway Karts. Management is working on establishing a program for both
Flat Track Motorcycles and Quads as a way to get more vehicles onto the
track. Promoter Mike McCann will continue to oversee things on the
little track.
Another point of concern surrounds the
JOAT Labs Hornets division. Last season, there was some discussion about
cars being too dominant in the field and the need to adjust rules.
Initially, management took the PSI Rule and dropped it down to 160.
However, this has been raised to 185 after further discussion and review
of notes. What seems to be a concern is that the division does not get
out of hand and it remains an entry-level point for drivers to get into
racing without spending too much money.
In the old
rulebook, prior to KJE Enterprises taking over Southern Oregon Speedway
and growing this class, it was pointed out that these aren't race cars
but rather cars that the drivers race. Consider that statement and what
it means. Yes, drivers are racing around the track in these cars, but
when you start putting more money into performance things on these cars,
the costs go up. One way we gain new drivers into the field at Southern
Oregon Speedway is to have a good entry-level division that doesn't
require a big budget to maintain.
The Hornets division
has a growing, dedicated group of competitors, and we are starting to
see more drivers venturing into other divisions from here. For instance,
after a rather dominant performance in 2016 and early 2017, Joby
Shields went Sport Modified racing. After last season, we have seen both
Ashtin Hedges and Dylan Irving make the move up to the Mini Stock
division.
Longtime Mini Stock supporter and reigning
champion David Steele has expressed his thoughts in the past about
whether the Hornet division might be affecting numbers in the Mini Stock
class. The Mini Stocks left alone would be the entry-level division,
though now drivers have a division that allows you to do less and might
be just a little bit cheaper on the wallet. This isn't to suggest that
the Mini Stock division is getting too expensive, which it really isn't.
However, it is hoped that more drivers get a year or two of experience
in the Hornet class and give Mini Stock racing a chance. As drivers can
do just a little bit more with their Mini Stocks, the racing its just
that much more competitive.
Of course, the pinnacle of 4
Cylinder racing at Southern Oregon Speedway is the Valley Store All
Late Model Lites division. Recently, we got word that 2018 runner up
Greg Arnold was preparing to make a move up to the Late Model division.
Arnold would be taking the car he has and putting a Late Model motor in
it. We were wondering what this might do for car count, but we know of
two drivers that were not mentioned in our recent season preview article
who are going Late Model Lites racing this year.
One
such driver is Jim Cunningham. Jim took the wheel of the #99 car last
season and did well enough to become one of the Top 10 drivers in the
standings. He has gotten his hands on a rather competitive car. This
would be the #40 car that both Randy Hansen and Late Model Lites legend
Andy Westcott had driven to victories in 2017. Cunningham becomes a
driver to watch in the race for victories this season.
Mike
Cloud has had his frustrations with rules. He had wanted to return to
Mini Stock racing, only to find that the rules no longer involved the
inclusion of Mini Trucks. After running his truck with the Late Model
Lites a time or two, he went out and got himself another car to run with
the Late Model Lites. Mike has done well in Mini Stocks in the past and
felt that this was the right challenge for him. We're happy to see that
he will be joining the Valley Store All Late Model Lites division the
season.
Through the years, Late Model Lites racing has
been pretty exciting when there have been enough cars on the track. The
fans have seen great racing from the likes of Brian Johnsen, Terry
Hadley and Parker Jones, and now we've got another great crop of racers
that will include stars such as Eric Aos, Ross Payant, Dusty Aos and
reigning champion Charlie Eaton. These cars are fast, and there are some
good drivers to entertain the fans this season.
Entertainment
will be the order of the day for the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars.
The banner race for the division is the $2,000 to win Ironhead Nationals
on August 10th, but there are plenty of other racing opportunities.
We've been a little concerned where the car count might be as drivers
like Jeffrey Hudson, Blaine Cory, Enrique Jaime and Merissa Henson may
not be on hand when the season opens on May 4th.
However,
the roster is growing with new drivers. We had reported in the recent
season preview of the addition of past 500 Open Kart champion Johnny
Burke to the roster along with reigning IMCA Sport Modified and past
Mini Stock champion David Marble. We've also heard about the addition of
California racer Anissa Curtice and Jared Hood of the famous Hood
family. Don Hood is a Southern Oregon Racing Hall of Famer, inducted in
2017. Jared will be continuing the family tradition. Curtice has been
racing 500 Open Karts in California as she hails from Eureka.
We
have continued to hear rumblings of other drivers putting cars
together, but as we haven't seen names, it's difficult to say anything
else. We're hopeful that there will be some surprises in the field.
Southern Oregon Speedway has made a commitment to Sprint Car racing, and
this has led to more variety for the fans to enjoy on any given week
when they are there.
Not to be forgotten in the
discussion are the Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. The group will once again
be doing a barbecue, car show, fan meet-and-greet at Granger's
Accounting on April 20th. Some fans may not be familiar with this group
of racers, but they are some of the nicest people you'd want to meet.
This will be an opportunity for everybody to get an
up-close-and-personal look at the race cars and get to talk with the
people who drive them.
Everything going around the
community now has been very positive in terms of drivers getting ready.
All they're looking for right now is some clear weather and the go-ahead
to do some racing. The April 13th practice day might be 50/50, but
there should be a better chance of a practice taking place on April
27th. After that, it's time to get down to business on May 4th with a
show featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Kendall Oil Winged
Sprint Cars, Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets. Are you
ready for racing season to get started?
