Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion
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24th Season At Southern Oregon Speedway Opens On May 4th
White City, Oregon...The 24th season of racing at Southern Oregon Speedway is set to begin on May 4th. The lineup offers some of the best racing the 3/10 mile clay oval track has to offer. Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars and IMCA Modifieds headline along with IMCA Sport Modifieds, Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets. The Practice Day scheduled for April 13th was cancelled due to wet grounds, but the track is hoping to get a practice in on April 27th ahead of the opener.
As he enters his fourth year as promoter of the speedway, Mike McCann of KJE Enterprises has offered a great schedule of racing that will bring the fans all of the great things they've been enjoying in recent years and more. The track will also have the Malicious Monster Truck Tour once again, presented by Dave's Carpet And Vinyl Liquidators of Medford. This time, however it happens on June 8th and 9th, giving the fins a great opportunity to see these gargantuan vehicles flying through the air and crushing cars beneath them.
The highlights on the schedule include such standards as The Iron Giant Street Stock Series visit on May 25th and the Seventh Annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute race on June 1st, which will feature the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks, among other classes. IMCA Modifieds will roar into town as part of the IMCA Wild West Speedweek event on June 22nd, also featuring IMCA Sport Modifieds and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars.
The Modifieds also get one of the signature events once again as the Third Annual R Charles Snyder Salute will happen on August 31st and September 1st. The Sunday portion of that event, which honors the popular local radio DJ and longtime voice of Southern Oregon racing, will pay $5,000 to win for the Modifieds. Sport Modifieds will pay $2,000 to win that night. The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars will be there both days and the Pro Stocks will be a part of the September 1st program.
Sprint Cars will be shining brightly in August, starting with the 3rd Annual Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge, presented by Herz Precision Parts. This event pays $3,500 to win and is the biggest paying Wingless Sprint race in Oregon. A week later, the Ironhead Nationals offers $2,000 to win for the local Winged Sprint racers. The track proudly offers a Stock Car oriented show as part of the Third Annual Hall Of Fame Night on August 17th.
Another big attraction has been added to the program on August 24th. This is the $4,000 to win Cottonwood Classic for the Late Models. It's the biggest paying race on the West Coast for Dirt Late Models and is already attracting interest from drivers up and down the coast. This is just a taste of what is to come at Southern Oregon Speedway this year.
On May 4th, reigning Winged Sprint Car champion David Hibbard and son Bailey Hibbard will make their presence known as the family tries to keep their name at the top of the list. Last year's IMCA Sport Modified champion, David Marble, is moving up to the Sprint Car ranks, joined by past 500 Open Kart champion Johnny Burke and California Kart racer Anissa Curtice. The new blood in the class will join such stars as past champions TJ Winningham and Charlie Thompson, Mike Wheeler, Merissa Henson, Blaine Cory, Aaron Miller and rising young star Tanner Holmes.
Mark Wauge announced that he's competing for an unprecedented eighth IMCA Modified championship. He is currently one win shy of 50 career IMCA Modified wins as he sits on top of that division's all time win list. Reigning champion Albert Gill has brought that championship trophy home in three of the past five years and remains a threat in the pursuit of a fourth title. Other stars, such as Zach Fettinger, Dave Duste Jr, Preston Jones and David Satterfield, will be out to put their names in the record books.
With Marble only running part-time in the IMCA Sport Modified ranks, two-time champion Mike Medel announced that he's coming back to race locally again. He puts his name at the top of the contender's list, but other such hard chargers as Branden Wilson, Willie McFall, Tony Duste and Doug Coffman, will be making this a wide-open battle that the fans are sure to enjoy.
David Steele has set the bar high in the Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks, but there are drivers gunning for his spot. Hunter Magnan comes off of a strong runner-up season and will be looking to get his first career win. Others, such as 2017 champion Kristopher Mix, 2014 champion Gary Anderson and 2013 champion Steve Goetz, will be battling fiercely at the front of the pack.
The Hedges family has been at the center of the JOAT Labs Hornets class trying to help it grow. With Ashtin Hedges moving up to Mini Stocks, his father Tim Hedges is out to see if he can capture his second division title. Last year, the honors went to the consistent Bree Tritchler, who will be back for a title defense. Other drivers to reckon with this year include Brandyn Wonsyld, Chris Boynton, Jenna Hedges and Darrel Nelson Jr.
There's a lot of excitement in the air as Southern Oregon Speedway gets ready to start a new season. Last season was the most successful the speedway has seen in about a decade, and efforts are underway to make it even better this year. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
