$3,500 To Win Wingless Sprint Car Race Saturday Night At Southern Oregon Speedway
It’s been an exciting month of August at Southern Oregon Speedway, and Saturday night’s racing will bring it to a close. Fans have seen two big Dwarf Car shows, a big Winged Sprint Car event and five Southern Oregon racing legends get inducted into the Hall of Fame. On Saturday night, it’s the Second Annual Cascade Wingless 360 Sprint Car Challenge Race, presented by Herz Precision Parts. Joining the Sprint Cars on the bill will be the Late Models, Bobbio’s Pizza Mini Stocks and JOAT Labs Hornets.
The lure of the $3,500 first prize is going to bring out some big name talent for this special Wingless Sprint Car race. It takes a different breed of driver to wheel these cars around the track without a wing, and in Geoff Ensign you have a driver who is just as fast with a wing as without. Last season, he won the Winged Sprint Car championships at both Petaluma and Watsonville in California. He came up to Southern Oregon Speedway and drove the Ted Finkenbinder entry to the win in last year’s Wingless Sprint Car race. Ensign and Finkenbinder will be back to defend the honors.
Last Saturday night, second-ranked Kendall Oil Winged Sprint Car competitor Jeffrey Hudson was making laps without a wing. The talented 18 year old leadfoot is excited about making his first Wingless start, and he looked good in practice. Last year, 2016 Winged Sprint Car champion Jake Wheeler was a surprise entrant, and he ended up finishing fifth in the Main Event. He too will be removing his wing and making a run at the big money.
Past Northwest Wingless Tour and Oregon Double Shot Series champion Tim Alberding will be coming down to make a run at the money as well. Three-time Oregon Double Shot Series champion Guy Weedman will also be competing in this year’s race. He will be joined by two-time Orland Raceway Wingless champion Bill Hopper and 2015 Antioch Speedway Sprint Car champion Shawn Arriaga.
Young Ariel Biggs is making a name for herself at various races up and down the West Coast. She’s not afraid to get behind the wheel of a Sprint Car or a Midget, and she’s won races in both divisions. She competed in the Northwest Focus Midget Race at Southern Oregon Speedway earlier this year, and she will be back this Saturday along with such other notables as Mark Herz, Kevin Pendergrass and Lance Hallmark. A field of roughly 16-20 competitors is anticipated for the big money race.
The Late Model point battle is anything but over. After picking up three second place finishes this year, John Dees finally scored his first ever victory in the most recent race after passing leader Nathan Augustine. The win enabled Dees to overtake rookie Miles Deubert for second in the standings, and he only trails Augustine by 20 points. Deubert has been struggling just a little bit lately, and he only leads Dave Foote by 16 points in the battle for third. Foote won his heat race and the Trophy Dash last time out. Other drivers to watch for this week include Bob Dees, John Dees and Mike Linder.
People might have been wondering why point leader David Steele did his “Polish Victory Lap” after winning his seventh Bobbio’s Pizza Mini Stock Main Event of the season. This was his 27th career win at Southern Oregon Speedway, making him the all-time Mini Stock Main Event win leader. Steele is well on his way to the championship, leaving the battle between reigning champion Kristopher Mix and Hunter Magnan for second. Mix finished third in the Main Event last week, moving him to within 12 points of Magnan. Steve Goetz looked good in his third second place finish of the season, and 2014 champion Gary Anderson was back finishing fourth after a hard crash into the front wall a few week earlier left the rest of his season in doubt. Word is we may see Yreka stars Marilyn Yawnick and Mike Whitaker for a second straight race, and other drivers to watch for include Garrett Fredrickson, Ashtin Hedges and Michael McLeod.
Bree Tritchler had her worst finish in six races, and that’s the bad news. The good news is she finished third and continues to lead 2016 champion Tim Hedges by 13 points in a close JOAT Labs Hornets championship race. Bree’s teammate Chris Boynton won his second Main Event of the season last week and leads a very close battle with two-time winner Brandon Wonsyld and Dylan Irving for third. Wonsyld is only seven points back. Other drivers to watch for this week include Zach Nelson, Jenna Hedges and Dylan Sauer.
Saturday nights Sprint’s Car show will offer plenty of excitement for the fans. Wingless racing isn’t something we get to see here very often, and the money will draw some top-notch talent. Gates open at 5 p.m. with the first race starting at 7 p.m. General Admission is $15. Veterans, Seniors and Juniors (7 to 12) are $10 and Children 6 and under are free.
