Southern Oregon Speedway Racing Discussion
Can Be Heard HERE
Schedule Released For 25th Season Of Racing
At Southern Oregon Speedway
At Southern Oregon Speedway
Medford,
Oregon...The schedule has been released for what will be the 25th
championship season at Southern Oregon Speedway. Promoter Mike McCann of
KJE Enterprises has kept most of the big attractions the fans enjoyed
last season, but he's added a few nice touches that will make the coming
season on the Jim Rodgers prepared 3/10 mile clay oval even better.
One
of the big announcements at the awards banquet was the addition of Bob
Valencia as the race director. Valencia has served in the capacity of
race director and even flagman at various other tracks throughout his
career, but the Medford racing community may be more familiar with him
as the race director for the popular Speedweek Series. The announcement
of him being added to the team was met with enthusiasm at the banquet.
Bob will be the Southern Oregon Speedway race director and flagman in
2020.
The Kendall Oil Winged
Sprint Cars will compete several times during the season. The Ironhead
Nationals is on the schedule as a $2,000 to win race on August 15th.
Last season, unseasonable rain in August caused the cancellation of the
highly-anticipated race. Just two weeks prior on August 1st, the 4th
Annual Herz Precision Parts Cascade Wingless 360 Sprint Car Challenge
race will happen. Drivers from throughout the West Coast will be
competing for $3,500 to win that night. The Kendall Oil Winged Sprint
Cars will be a part of the May 2nd Spring Buster season opener along
with the IMCA Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars.
They will also close the season on September 19th. The Championship
Night #2 event will also include the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport
Modifieds and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars.
Once
again, the IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds will be featured
prominently throughout the season. The Sport Modifieds produced the some
of the biggest car counts seen throughout the season last year. Again,
both the Modified divisions will be a part of the Roger Haudenshild
Tribute Race on May 30th. Both divisions along with the Outlaw Pro
Stocks compete for bigger prize money that night. They will be joined by
the Mini Stocks. On September 5th and 6th, it's the Fourth Annual R
Charles Snyder Salute, which pays tribute to the popular long-time
announcer and radio DJ. Modifieds will be competing for $5,000 to win on
September 6th, while the Sport Modifieds get a $2,000 to win prize.
Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars will be there on the 5th, while the Outlaw
Pro Stocks will be there on the 6th.
At
the awards banquet, McCann announced the addition of the Timber Cup for
the IMCA Sport Modifieds. This race will happen on June 20th, and they
will be competing for $2,000 to win. Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks and
Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars will also compete that night. Southern Oregon
Speedway will be teaming up with Coos Bay and Yreka to create a
three-race weekend event the following week. It will be the Gambler Aces
High Series. The IMCA Modifieds will compete for $1,000 to win that
night, and the IMCA Sport Modifieds will race for $500 to win. Kendall
Oil Winged Sprint Cars and Mini Stocks will also be on the card. The
IMCA Sport Modifieds will begin their season on
May 9th, joined by the Late Models, Late Model Lites and
OTRO Hardtops.
The popular Late
Model division will be entering its fifth season with much momentum
established last year. They have several races throughout the season,
but the highlight may be the Second Annual Cottonwood Classic on August
22nd. This event pays $4,000 to win, making it the biggest dirt Late
Model race on the West Coast. Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars and Mini Stocks
join them that night. The Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars will call the
Medford track home this year with the majority of their races happening
here. The popular Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stock and Late Model Lites
divisions will also compete several times throughout the season
There
are several other noteworthy races on the schedule, starting with the
Memorial Day Weekend event on May 23rd. Last season this race got rained
out. The Iron Giant Street Stock Series is scheduled to headline this
event with their Third Annual Disorder on the Southern Border race.
Joining them will be the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late
Model Lites and OTRO Hardtops. The Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour
will have a two-day event on June 6th and 7th. The track will also have
Pepsi Kid's Bike Night on July 11th. This will be a $1,000 to win event
for the Tri State Pro Stock Series, joined by the Southern Oregon Dwarf
Cars and Mini Stocks. A Jet Car will be on and on July 25th to burn a
car to the ground. IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Late Model
Lites will be competing that night.
The
track will salute those in the armed service with Veteran's Night on
July 4th, headlined by the Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models,
Late Model Lites and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars. Willamette Valley Bank
Night has proven to be a popular event at the speedway since starting in
2017, and Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, IMCA Modifieds
and IMCA Sport Modifieds will make this a can't miss Event. The Fourth
Annual Hall of Fame night pays tribute to past Southern Oregon racing
greats on August 8th. Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds
and Mini Stocks will be competing on that occasion.
The
2020 season at Southern Oregon Speedway is stacked with great events
from the season opener on May 2nd all the way to the finale on September
19th. There are several big events happening throughout the season with
the heavily rotated schedule helping to create big car counts in
whatever divisions are featured on any given night. McCann and his team
has worked very hard to rebuild a racing program that the fans and
racers can be proud of, and the numbers have continued to grow. For
further information on the happenings at the speedway, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
April 25th - Play Day Test And Tune 4:00PM-7:00PM
May 2nd - Spring Buster - IMCA Modifieds, Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
May 9th - Late Models, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, OTRO Hardtops
May 16th - Kendell Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
May 23rd - Disorder On The Southern Border 3 - Iron Giant Street Stocks, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, OTRO Hardtops
May 30th - 8th Annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks
June 6th - Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour - Monster Trucks
June 7th - Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour - Monster Trucks
June 13th - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Late Models, Mini Stocks, OTRO Hardtops
June 20th - Timber Cup - $2,000 to win IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
June 27th - Gambler Aces High Series - $1,000 to win IMCA Modifieds, $500 to win IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks
July 4th - Veteran's Night - Late Models, Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Model Lites, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
July 11th - Pepsi Kid's Bike Night - Tri State Pro Stock Series $1,000 to win, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
July 18th - Willamette Valley Bank Night - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds
July 25th - Jet Car Meltdown - IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks
August 1st - 4th Annual Herz Precision Parts Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge - $3,500 to win Wingless 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Late Model Lites, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
August 8th - 4th Annual Hall of Fame Night - Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks
August 15th - 2nd Annual Ironhead Nationals - $2,000 to win Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Model Lites, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
August 22nd - 2nd Annual Cottonwood Classic - $4,000 to win Late Models, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks
August 29th - Late Models, Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Mini Stocks
September 5th - 4th Annual R Charles Snyder Salute - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
September 6th - 4th Annual R Charles Snyder Salute - $5,000 to win IMCA Modifieds, $2,000 to win IMCA Sport Modifieds, Outlaw Pro Stocks
September 12th - Championship Night #1 - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks
September 19th - Championship Night #2 - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
Pit Gates Open At 3:00PM, Mud Packing 5:30 PM, Hot Laps at 6:00 PM, Racing At 7:00PM
2020 Southern Oregon Speedway Schedule
April 25th - Play Day Test And Tune 4:00PM-7:00PM
May 2nd - Spring Buster - IMCA Modifieds, Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
May 9th - Late Models, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, OTRO Hardtops
May 16th - Kendell Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
May 23rd - Disorder On The Southern Border 3 - Iron Giant Street Stocks, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, OTRO Hardtops
May 30th - 8th Annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Outlaw Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks
June 6th - Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour - Monster Trucks
June 7th - Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour - Monster Trucks
June 13th - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Late Models, Mini Stocks, OTRO Hardtops
June 20th - Timber Cup - $2,000 to win IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
June 27th - Gambler Aces High Series - $1,000 to win IMCA Modifieds, $500 to win IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks
July 4th - Veteran's Night - Late Models, Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Model Lites, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
July 11th - Pepsi Kid's Bike Night - Tri State Pro Stock Series $1,000 to win, Mini Stocks, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
July 18th - Willamette Valley Bank Night - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds
July 25th - Jet Car Meltdown - IMCA Sport Modifieds, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks
August 1st - 4th Annual Herz Precision Parts Cascade Wingless Sprint Car Challenge - $3,500 to win Wingless 360 Sprint Cars, Late Models, Late Model Lites, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
August 8th - 4th Annual Hall of Fame Night - Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mini Stocks
August 15th - 2nd Annual Ironhead Nationals - $2,000 to win Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Model Lites, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
August 22nd - 2nd Annual Cottonwood Classic - $4,000 to win Late Models, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks
August 29th - Late Models, Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Mini Stocks
September 5th - 4th Annual R Charles Snyder Salute - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
September 6th - 4th Annual R Charles Snyder Salute - $5,000 to win IMCA Modifieds, $2,000 to win IMCA Sport Modifieds, Outlaw Pro Stocks
September 12th - Championship Night #1 - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, Late Model Lites, Mini Stocks
September 19th - Championship Night #2 - Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars
Pit Gates Open At 3:00PM, Mud Packing 5:30 PM, Hot Laps at 6:00 PM, Racing At 7:00PM
Schedule subject to change
Plenty Of Excitement In 24th Season
At Southern Oregon Speedway
At Southern Oregon Speedway
White
City, Oregon...Under the promotion of KJE Enterprises and Mike McCann,
Southern Oregon Speedway continued to gather momentum it's 24th season
of operation. McCann put together an exciting schedule that was filled
with a wide variety of different things to entertain the crowd. The
Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Cars and Late Models have become established
top-tier divisions, while the IMCA Modifieds remain a crowd favorite.
The speedway also saw big increases in car counts for both the IMCA
Sport Modifieds and Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, while the Valley Store
All Late Model Lites, Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets
offered the fans some exciting four cylinder powered racing.
The
season was sprinkled with several marquee events, including the Eighth
Annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute, the Third Annual Cascade Wingless
Sprint Car Challenge race, the new Cottonwood Classic Late Model event
and the Third Annual R Charles Snyder Salute. There was something for
everybody to enjoy, and more people were coming to the races then in
previous seasons. This has people feeling more optimistic about the
future of the speedway as the tradition of great racing in the Medford
area continues.
This turned out
to be the most competitive Sprint Car championship battle since the
division was revived at the speedway in 2016. It was also a good year
for the Wheeler family. Outlaw Kart superstar Mike Wheeler made an
attempt to go Sprint Car racing a few seasons back, but with brother
Vern Wheeler Jr as his crew chief, he was a force on the speedway.
Wheeler still found himself in a battle to the end of the season with
Bailey Hibbard and Charlie Thompson. It was anticipated that David
Hibbard might make another run, but he made a choice early on when son
Bailey had motor issues to let him drive his car and keep his point
effort alive.
Rising young star
Tanner Holmes made an appearance at the season opener and posted an
impressive victory. However, Holmes elected to compete for and won the
ISCS Sprint Car and Week of Speed championships. Wheeler was there to
take command by winning three consecutive Main Events and followed that
up with a second place feature finish. By then, Mike had built a big
enough point lead to enable him to skip a race and still be in the lead.
This was fortunate as he and his family had booked a Hawaii vacation on
August 24th. This also wasn't a very good night for either Charlie
Thompson or Bailey Hibbard, but Mike Wheeler's lead was still roughly 20
points with two races remaining.
However,
when Mike Wheeler returned, motor problems put him out of the Main
Event early, and past division champion Thompson seized the opportunity
to score a feature win ahead of Bailey Hibbard in his second runner-up
finish of the season. Hibbard emerged with a slim lead over Wheeler and
Thompson. Unfortunately, Bailey would crash into a tire exiting Turn 4
to take the green flag in his heat race. It was a night that seemed like
a setup for him to win the title as he had started on the front row,
and suddenly the crew was left scrambling to get his front end repaired
for the Main Event.
Mike Wheeler
wasn't the only member of his family looking very impressive on the race
track. 2016 champion Jake Wheeler, the nephew of Mike, returned thanks
to Ron Osborne putting him behind the wheel of his car. Jake won the
season finale ahead of Mike. It was the second win of the season for
Jake, who also had a second and third and two Scramble victories. With
his second place finish, Mike Wheeler managed to hold off Bailey Hibbard
by just seven points for the championship. Thompson, who didn't finish
the final race, was still a respectable third.
Season
highlights for Mike Wheeler included three wins, a pair of seconds, a
Scramble win and a heat race victory. Bailey Hibbard's stats included
his two second place finishes and a third, one Scramble triumph and two
heat race victories. Thompson's one win came from his four Top 5
finishes, and he also had a Scramble win and a heat win.
Enrique
Jaime wasn't far behind Thompson in the final run down as he settled
for fourth. He had one third place among three Top 5 finishes. He also
had a heat race win and a Scramble victory. Despite a bit of bad luck as
well as surrendering his car to son Bailey on one occasion, 2018
champion David Hibbard counted three third place finishes out of his
four Top 5 efforts as season-highs. He also won two Scrambles and one
heat race. This put him fifth in the standings.
Even
after a late start, past Outlaw Kart champion Johnny Burke used his two
Top 5 finishes and two heat race wins to move into sixth in the
standings and win top rookie honors ahead of Anissa Curtice and David
Marble. Those two drivers finished eighth and ninth, respectively.
Curtice had a season-high third place finish and a heat race win, while
Marble had a season-high fifth and a heat race win after a thrilling
battle with uncle TJ Winningham in the season opener.
Winningham,
who is a past Sprint Car champion at the speedway, had two season high
second place finishes among his three Top 5 efforts. He also had a heat
race win to put him seventh in the final standings. Despite his late
start, Jake Wheeler had two wins, a second and a third along with his
Scramble victory. Wheeler also impressed at the $3,500 to win Cascade
Wingless Sprint Car Challenge race, presented by Herz Precision Parts.
He had a thrilling duel for the lead with eventual winner Jeff Ensign
before settling for a strong $1,500 second place finish. Cottage Grove
star Kinzer Cox made a visit during the season and had a victory. Blaine
Cory took a year off from running for points, but he still had a
season-high second and a Scramble victory. Due to unseasonable rain in
August, the $2,000 to win Ironhead Nationals race was canceled.
The
popular Late Model division held their fourth-straight championship
season, and it's interesting to note that over 30 drivers competed at
different times during the season. Trent Elliott has become one of the
top Late Model drivers in the state of Oregon, but he hasn't really been
chasing points. For 2019, he and his team decided to zero in on
Southern Oregon Speedway as did another Oregon Late Model star, Darren
Coffell. What followed was one of the more dominant efforts from any
driver at the speedway for the season.
Following
his Cottage Grove championship, Preston Luckman decided to make a
successful run at the Coos Bay Speedway Late Model championship, but he
made a visit at the season opener at Southern Oregon Speedway and outran
Elliott for the victory. The Late Models had an interesting start as
Bobby Hogge IV won the Late Model portion of the Roger Haudenshild
Tribute race. Elliott won the next race, while Coffell was the
fourth-straight different winner. However, Elliott's championship bid
wasn't seriously in doubt as he collected five victories and three
second place finishes in eight starts. He also led the class with four
Trophy Dash wins while also having two heat wins and a Scramble victory.
The clear highlight for Elliott in his championship effort was his
dominant victory in the $4,000 to win Cottonwood Classic.
With
Elliott hitting the afterburners, there was a good battle for second
between Coffell and 2013 Pro Stock champion Dave Everson. Coffell had
some impressive moments, which included two victories and three second
place finishes. However, Everson remained very consistent down the
stretch. Highlights included two third place finishes and the second he
earned in the season finale. Everson also had two heat race wins and his
second Trophy Dash win in the finale. Everson's impressive run in the
finale, coupled with mechanical issues for Coffell, earned him runner-up
honors in the point battle ahead of Coffell.
Past
Coos Bay champion Dave Foote was coming off of a season with two
feature victories, but he didn't have quite the same luck as the
previous season. However, his season-high second place finish out of two
Top 5s and his heat race win enabled him to grab fourth in the
standings ahead of Miles Deubert, who had a pair of fifth place
finishes. Seven-time IMCA Modified champion Mark Wauge bought a car from
Trent Elliott and joined the Late Model ranks starting on the second
week. Unfortunately, motor issues plagued him for a few races,
eliminating any shot he had at finishing second in the standings. With
four third place finishes, a Dash win and four heat triumphs, Wauge
finished just a point behind Deubert to settle for sixth.
2016
champion Bob Dees had a season-high third out of three Top 5 finishes
to rank seventh ahead of 2018 champion Nathan Augustine. Augustine ran a
limited schedule that saw him finish fourth three times. Both Chris
Biggs and Eric Massey collected one Top 5 finish to end up ninth and
tenth, respectively. Another of the top Oregon Late Model stars, Rob
Mayea, had a respectable showing in second in the Cottonwood Classic
ahead of Hogge. Following the momentum established in 2019, optimism is
high for an even better season ahead for the Late Models.
The
IMCA Modified championship was decided between Jesse Bailey and Zach
Fettinger. One of the interesting concerns that local stars have when
they're running for the points is the fact that the track has two big
events that attract some of the top drivers from the West Coast. These
two events tend to shake up the standings, but Fettinger was not about
to let that impact his effort. In recent seasons, we've seen that
getting a second win in the IMCA Modified division isn't so easy. 2015
Pro Stock champion Jeffrey Hudson kicked things off with a victory
behind the wheel of the Don Roemer car. Bobby Hogge IV had an impressive
double win night on the Roger Haudenshild Tribute night with his $2,000
victory. Bailey won the third event, while Willamette star Collen
Winebarger won the Speedweek race. Fettinger finally grabbed his victory
in the fifth event. By then, the slightly more consistent Fettinger led
Bailey in the standings, but things got interesting in August.
On
Hall of Fame night, Fettinger had his worst performance of the season,
while Bailey became the only two-time winner of the year. This enabled
Bailey to close the gap on Fettinger, but that would prove to be his
high-water mark. Bailey was unable to make it into the R Charles Snyder
Salute and suffered mechanical issues in the Trophy Dash at the finale,
which meant he didn't receive any points from IMCA in the finale. That
dropped from second to fourth. Fettinger had a win, a second and a third
out of six Top 5 finishes. He also had four heat race triumphs and two
Dash victories as he scored a well-earned division championship.
Despite
a late start, 2016 Yreka Sport Modified champion Jimmy Lipke used a
season-high third place finish to help him finish second in the
standings and win top rookie honors. Ray Kniffen Jr was fielding a new
car, and getting the set up just right was a bit of a struggle. However,
he made all of the races and earned two season-high sixth place
finishes out of four Top 10s. He also had a heat race win to earn him a
career-best third in the standings. With two wins to go with a heat race
win and Trophy Dash victory, Bailey settled for fourth ahead of Justin
Foux. Foux had been leading the rookie race until missing the finale. He
had two season-high third-place finishes out of three Top 5s to settle
for fifth in the standings.
It
was a challenging season for two-time Street Stock champion Duane
Orsburn. He flipped his new car early in the season, but he was back
without missing too many races. Orsburn turned in an impressive
performance to close the season as he won the Main Event and the Trophy
Dash. He also had two heat race wins during the season. He missed fifth
in the standings by just four points. Three-time champion Albert Gill
had a hit and miss season. Motor issues prevented him from being a title
contender, but he did have two seconds, a Dash win and a heat race
victory to end up seventh in the standings ahead of the steady David
Satterfield. Satterfield had two season-high eighth place finishes out
of three Top 10s.
Nick Trenchard
didn't really pursue points. He did finish second in the Third Annual R
Charles Snyder Salute behind unlikely winner Kellen Chadwick. Chadwick
had started last on the grid to score the $5,000 victory. Trenchard,
meanwhile, had a second and a third out of four Top 5 finishes along
with two heat race wins to finish ninth in the standings ahead of Jeremy
Ohlde. Ohlde had one fourth and three sixth place finishes to secure
10th in the standings. Troy Foulger won the Preliminary Feature at the R
Charles Snyder Salute ahead of 2018 California State champion Shane
DeVolder. DeVolder led several laps in both events that weekend, but
traffic eliminated his chance of winning the big money. Dave Duste Jr
and Andy Freeman both had season-high second place finishes.
The
IMCA Sport Modified division continued to grow by leaps and bounds.
This made things a bit challenging for Jorddon Braaten as the high point
man usually found himself starting in the sixth row in the Main Event.
However, Braaten was never really seriously challenged for the
championship. He led the class with three feature wins, a second and
three thirds on the way to his third division championship. He also had
three Trophy Dash wins and five heat race triumphs. The Sanders
brothers, Isaac and Matt, tried to stay in the hunt with Braaten, but
eventually Matt Sanders would skip the season finale to race elsewhere
as he competed for the lucrative Pacific Sport Mod championship, which
he won.
The absence of both
Sanders brothers in the season finale opened the door for two-time
champion Mike Medel and Branden Wilson to battle it out for second in
the standings. On that occasion, Wilson scored his season-high second
place finish, but Medel's third Top 5 finish of the year meant he would
get runner-up honors while Wilson settled for third. Wilson did have
three Top 5 finishes and two heat race wins, while Medel had three heat
race triumphs. Meanwhile, Isaac Sanders ended up fourth in the standings
with one win and one second out of four Top 5 finishes as well as four
heat race victories. Matt Sanders also had a win and a second with five
total Top 5 finishes and a heat race win to end up fifth.
Second
year racer Steve Lysinger showed marked improvement with two 10th place
finishes as well as a late-season heat race victory, giving him sixth
in the standings by only five points over Joby Shields. Shields came
close on the strength of his season-high third place finish in the
finale. Second-year racer Brian Knorr also had a better season with a
season-high seventh place finish out of two Top 10s. He ended up eighth
ahead of Austin Petray. Petray had a season-high second place finish,
and Willie McFall managed to grab 10th in the standings despite a
difficult season. He had a season-high 10th place effort.
The
big car count meant getting a win was challenging as there were so many
good drivers that you never knew who would win on any given week. At
the $2,000 to win R Charles Snyder Salute, past Mini Stock and Sprint
Car star Merissa Henson turned in a very impressive performance in
driving the Donny Bottoms car to victory ahead of Braaten. In the final
race, it was newcomer Bartley Foster getting the win. Other drivers
adding their names to the winner's list included Braxton Possinger and R
Charles Snyder Salute Preliminary Feature winner Andrew Peckham. Among
other highlights were season-high second place finishes for Justin
McCreadie, Tyler Rodgers and Chase Thomas. One of the victories for
Braaten was in the $1,000 to win Roger Haudenshild Tribute race.
The
Bobbio's Pizza Mini Stock division saw the emergence of Ashtin Hedges
as a star. Hedges put up numbers that might have won him a championship
in another division. Unfortunately, he happened to be competing against
the division's all-time feature win leader, David Steele. Steele, who
was also the incoming champion, was a hard driver to beat. If he wasn't
winning the Main Event, he was finishing second. Steele racked up seven
feature wins and two second place finishes to make him the most dominant
driver at the speedway in 2019. He also won seven heat races and five
Trophy Dashes. Because Hedges had a penchant for finishing second, the
point race stayed close during the first half of the season. Hedges led
the division with six second place finishes, but he also had a win. He
also scored five heat race triumphs and two Trophy Dash victories. In
the end, Steele won the championship and Hedges was a respectable
second.
Coming off of a
disappointing season, 2017 champion Kristopher Mix had high hopes of
being a championship contender. He never quite hit his stride, and he
found his hands full trying to hold onto third in another close battle.
Mix had two season-high third place finishes out of six Top 5s and two
heat race wins. With his Trophy Dash win at the season finale, he
managed to clinch third in the standings, which was a good thing. He
blew a motor while leading the other Trophy Dash held at night. Motor
issues also hurt Hunter Magnan, who seemed poised to make a championship
run himself. However, the 2018 runner-up had a win, a second and two
thirds and a heat race win, which kept him within seven points of Mix in
the final rundown.
Dylan Irving
topped the rookies list and finished fifth overall on the strength of
two 4th place finishes out of three Top 5s. He rolled his car off the
back stretch one night, but he was still able to finish the race. Motor
issues sidelined Steve Goetz from the first two races. He earned two
season-high third-place finishes among his five Top 5 efforts and also
won two heat races to end up sixth in the standings ahead of Michael
McCleod. McCleod had one third out of four Top 5 finishes. Rookie
Brandyn Wonsyld ended up eighth with one Top 5 finish. Andrew Hall
returned In a Ford Pinto to finish ninth in the standings ahead of 2014
champion Gary Anderson. Both drivers had a season-high fifth place
finish.
Charlie Eaton came into
the season as the reigning Valley Store All Late Model Lites champion,
but he was about to get some serious competition from past Super Truck
champion Greg Arnold. Arnold put up numbers that made him very difficult
to beat as he only failed to get a Top 3 finish in the seventh and
final race. It was still the closest battle at the speedway as Arnold
held off Eaton by a mere eight points to claim championship honors.
Arnold had four wins, a second and a third along with three heat race
wins and a Trophy Dash victory. As he had taken his four cylinder motor
out of his car to run the Cottonwood Classic, Arnold borrowed the Lee
Doty car and won with it. Eaton won the season opener and had two
seconds and two thirds along with a pair of Trophy Dash wins and a heat
race victory. He would settle for second in the standings.
Since
2016 champion Doty retired from driving, he brought past Stock Car
driver Ross Payant out of retirement to wheel his fast #7 car. Payant
responded with two feature wins, a second and a third to secure third in
the standings. He also had a pair of Dash wins and two heat race
victories. The Hadley team returned, and Krista Hadley wasn't too far
behind Payant in fourth. She impressed with three-straight second place
finishes to close out the season and also had a third. Krista scored a
popular Trophy Dash win and a heat race victory.
Dusty
Aos managed to finished fifth in the standings with a third out of
three Top 5 finishes, while Eric Aos had two fourth place finishes out
of four Top 5s. The division's all-time Main Event win leader, Terry
Hadley, had a season-high fourth out of two Top 5s and also won two heat
races. Jim Cunningham had a rough start to his season with
four-straight non-starts before picking up any kind of momentum with a
pair of sixth place finishes. He settled for eighth in the standings
ahead of past Mini Stock racer Pete Bowne. Bowne had a third place
finish at the season opener. Mike Cloud ended up 10th.
The
JOAT Labs Hornets division featured a spirited duel between and Dylan
Sauer and 2016 champion Tim Hedges during the first half of the season.
However, a rough eighth race of the season led to the ninth race being
canceled and the division being discontinued for 2020. Dylan Sauer
kicked things off with four-straight feature wins, but when Hedges
rattled off back-to-back victories, he stayed in the hunt. Unfortunately
for Hedges, his final two starts were anything but good, and he
actually didn't start the final race after contact put him hard into the
front wall in the heat race. Dylan Sauer won those two races, and the
second and third place finishes he had meant he had all Top 3 feature
finishes. He also won four Trophy Dashes to claim the championship in
impressive fashion.
Tim Hedges
spent most of his time at the final race fixing the front end of wife
Jenna Hedges' car to get her back out. She responded with her third
season-high second place finish that night. She also had a pair of
thirds, and this enabled her to beat her husband by just eight points in
the race for second in the standings. In addition to his two victories,
Tim Hedges had two seconds and two Trophy Dash wins. Jenna had one
Trophy Dash victory. Not too far behind Tim Hedges was rookie Quentin
Tritchler. Tritchler had two season-high second place finishes and one
third and would claim the division's top rookie honors.
Chris
Boynton ended the season with back-to-back third place finishes to give
him three for the season as he maintained fifth in the final rundown.
The balance of the Top 10 in the standings with made up by rookies Shawn
Nelson and Lacey Sauer, Ryan Nelson, Derrel Nelson Jr and Zach Nelson.
Several of the drivers have already purchased Mini Stocks or Sport
Modifieds to move up in classes and continue racing in 2020.
The
Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars had the majority of their races at Southern
Oregon Speedway once again. Incoming champion Josh King and perennial
title contender Camden Robustelli were once again the top competitors.
The Dwarf Cars produced the biggest car counts at the speedway as they
consistently had around 24 cars. The official point list was not made
available at press time, but his four wins, two seconds and a third
along with four Scramble victories helped get King the overall
championship. Robustelli couldn't overcome some early-season bad luck,
but he still had three wins and a second to finish second in the
standings ahead of the consistent Chad Cardoza. Cardoza had a
season-high second place finish along with five straight third place
efforts to wrap up the season. He also had a Scramble victory. Fred Hay
had a season-high third place finish to end up fourth in points.
Two-time
series champion Brock Peters had one win and two seconds during the
first three races, which were his best efforts at the group's home
track. Cody Peters and Ryan Smith each had season-high second place
finishes, while Smith also had a third. Cody Peters picked up a pair of
Scramble wins. The Dwarf Cars are expected to have most of their races
at Southern Oregon Speedway again next year.
The
Old Time Racers of Oregon Hardtops made five visits to the speedway as
they lost two visits due to rain outs. Dean Cast and Mark Minter both
had a pair of feature wins, while Cast had a second and two thirds.
Driving the Dusty Trotter car, Dan Fouts also had a win and a second
along with one Trophy Dash win. Season-high second place finishes were
earned by division mainstay Bill Trotter, Justin Krossman and Matt
Butler, while Daryl Haugh and Jay Smith each had a third place finish.
Bill Trotter also had a third place finish. Other Trophy Dash wins were
earned by Butler, Haugh and Brian Weberg II. The group that brings
vintage Coup and Sedan race cars to the speedway will be back for
several appearances again in 2020.
The
Calculated Comfort Outlaw Pro Stocks made three appearances. This
included their annual visits for the Roger Haudenshild Tribute and R
Charles Snyder Salute. They also headlined Pepsi Kid's Bike Night on
July 13th, which was perhaps their highlight of the season. Dr Scott
Lenz won the first two visits, but association bylaws stripped an
apparent second place finish from him at their final Medford race. Lenz
ultimately lost the championship to Scott Flowers, who won the second to
last race of the season in Yreka. That was the first win for Flowers in
five years. His highlights in Medford included a second and a third.
Tragedy
struck the group at the R Charles Snyder Salute. Following a Top 10
finish that maintained the Top 5 point status he had going into the
night, Bryan Hammond suffered a heart attack moments later in the pits.
He would not recover. Jeff Haudenshild won that Main Event ahead of 2015
champion Jeffrey Hudson and Matt Harlow. Haudenshild had a third place
finish earlier in the season, while 2016 champion Steve Borror finished
second at the July event. Trophy Dash wins went to Scott Lenz and James
Flowers. The Pro Stocks will again make visits to the speedway in 2020.
As
mentioned above, the 2019 season had several big events. There was a
huge car count of over 80 competitors at the Roger Haudenshild Tribute,
and the R Charles Snyder Salute had well over 100 racers once again. The
track continued to honor Southern Oregon racing heritage with Hall of
Fame night in August, and there was once again a big Monster Truck event
in June. Several big events have been established in recent seasons at
the speedway, and that's expected to continue heading into 2020 and
beyond. There's lots of reasons to be excited about racing at Southern
Oregon Speedway.