A report from the Outlaw Kart banquet and other Kart information. Photos and story by Don Martin II Southern Oregon Speedway.
Trevor Grimes proudly displays his Box Stock and 250 Kart championship trophies.
Three time winner Malachi Johnson with his Beginners Box Stock championship trophy.
Box Stock runnerup Keaton Augustine and father Nathan Augustine.
250 Kart championship runnnerup Carley Holmes was a three time feature winner last season.
Grimes, Johnson And Holmes Celebrate Championships
At Southern Oregon Speedway Outlaw Kart Banquet
Several of the stars of Little Southern Oregon Speedway gathered at Abby’s Pizza to crown the 2017 Outlaw Kart champions. A bigger turnout than the previous banquet was there to celebrate the 20th season at the smaller track and hear the latest news.
Promoter Mike McCann addressed the families regarding the increased 11 race schedule and his plans for a strong 2018 season. Afterwards, 20 trophies were handed out, honoring the Top 5 competitors in each of the regular Cage Kart divisions.
The star of the evening was Trevor Grimes. In addition to winning his third straight Box Stock championship on the strength of his four wins and one second place finish, Grimes won two features in the 250 Kart division to secure that championship as well. Word from the Grimes family is we could see Trevor’s younger brother making his debut in the Beginners Box Stock division, making it three Grimes siblings competing this season.
One of the most enthusiastic and exciting drivers to watch in the 250 Kart class was Carly Holmes, who picked up three victories to secure the runner-up trophy as Cadyn Smith, Braden Weiser and Reece Slyter earned third through fifth place trophies, respectively.
Keaton Augustine was there with his Late Model championship winning father, Nathan Augustine, to collect his runnerup Box Stock trophy. Keaton had a win, a second and a third to hold off Yreka champion Taylor Fuller for second in the standings. Fuller was also there to receive his trophy as Sophia Bauer and Vinny DeBenedetti finished fourth and fifth, respectively. The DeBenedetti family will have two Karts this season as Vinnie’s sister, Jamie DeBenedetti, makes her debut in the Beginners Box Stock class.
Young Malachi Johnson battled through early season motor problems as he earned the Beginners Box Stock championship. Johnson won the last three Main Events to secure the title. Incoming champion Kiley Grimes had a mathematical shot at the championship going into the finale, and she was at the banquet to receive her runnerup trophy. Uriah Sanders, two-time winner Jacob James and Keegan Bounds also earned trophies as they finished third through fifth, respectively.
Rising star Tanner Holmes has only been competing in the 500 Open Kart class for a year, but his win and second place finish secured him the championship at his home track. Also noteworthy was Tanner’s “Rookie Of The Year” and seventh place ranking at the very competitive Red Bluff Indoor Series this past winter. Mike Wheeler, Wyatt Pinckney, Johnny Burke and Kenny Boardman earned the second through fifth place trophies, respectively.
The Speedway Karts will be a part of the 2018 schedule, and their two exciting visits last season were noted. The record shows UAS feature wins were earned by Richard Torzilli and Kenny Boardman last season, while long time track supporter Steve Rambo won both 4 Cycle Main Events. The 2018 season will kick off on May 18th and 19th with a two day event, featuring the Speedway Karts and KT-100 classes.
All of the young racers and their families were thanked for their continued support of the Friday night racing program. It was noted that the show couldn’t go on without each and every one of them. There will be plenty of excitement and a few surprises still in the works for the coming season. Weather permitting, there is a playday booked for the little track on April 14th. For further information, go to, www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Schedule For 20th Anniversary Outlaw Kart Season
Released For little Southern Oregon Speedway
The 2018 schedule has been released for the Outlaw Kart program at Little Southern Oregon Speedway and it’s a little bit bigger than it has been in the past two seasons. Eleven events have been booked, including a two-day show to open the season on May 18th and 19th.
The KT-100 Challenge, presented by Speed City, opens the show on May 18th along with the track’s regular lineup of Beginners Box Stock, Box Stock, 250 Karts and 500 Open Karts. The KT-100 Challenge Main Event will run on Saturday along with a full program for the UAS Series Speedway Karts, presented by Speed City of Medford.
One of the changes in the 2018 schedule is the inclusion of the Speedway Karts at all events. Speedway Karts run the entry level 4 Cycle class and the faster UAS division, and both will take part in the remaining nine events, which will include championship point racing for both divisions.
The schedule will show race dates on June 8th, June 22nd, July 6th, July 13th, July 20th, August 10th, August 17th, September 7th and September 21st. This year there is only the one opening weekend event for May. The past two seasons have seen four May events rained out, so promoter Mike McCann is hoping to have better luck getting the season started by starting it later and going later. This should result in much more racing on the fast 1/8th mile dirt oval, prepared by Uncle Rich.
The popular Beginners Box Stock division, which is the gateway for the youngest racers to get started, returns this year with word of several new competitors. Last season, we saw the first starts ever for Yreka Winter Series champion Carson Henson and Mike Wheeler Jr. Word is that there will be several other newcomers in this class, which should make for some entertaining racing for the fans. Malachi Johnson and Kiley Grimes have won the past two championships.
The popular Box Stock division is the next division in line for the youngsters, and with three time champion Trevor Grimes moving up to the 250 Kart class, it is a wide open race to see who the champion will be this year. It will be interesting to see what newcomers and returning drivers will take part in this class.
Grimes was only out to get his first starts in the 250 Kart class last season, but he ended up winning the championship. Will he be able to repeat? One driver who could present a big challenge for him is fellow Box Stock champion, Carley Holmes. Vinny DeBenedetti and Yreka Winter Series champion Cadyn Smith also made the move into the 250 Kart class last season.
The bigger question is how the 500 Open Kart division will respond after a disappointing 2017 season. The elephant in the room is the higher cost for drivers to maintain their 500 Karts, and the fact that it has seeped down to the 250 Kart class hasn’t helped matters either. Still, there is word of 250 drivers getting 500 Karts, including brothers Braden and Bodee Weiser. It is hoped that this division will return with a bigger car count. Management has issued the challenge to the 500 Open Kart division that they need to bring at least four Karts to the show to get a purse.
Other things are being examined for potential shows in the future, and management has looked into Flat Track Motorcycle racing and Lawn Mower racing as well. Also on the table is a potential Hornet race, or even a Hornet Figure 8 event. The goal is to continue to keep Little Southern Oregon Speedway going for years to come. Records show how many talented young racers have gotten their starts at this track before moving on to the bigger track.
The aforementioned Speedway Kart division is an important addition to the program. Several enthusiastic competitors came to compete in the final two events last year, sparking much optimism for the future of this style of Kart racing. It just adds to the family fun aspect of the sport. The Fuller family of Speed City in Medford is enthusiastically supporting the Speedway Kart class, and this means you see such stars as Yreka Summer Series UAS champion Brionna Fuller, Lori Fuller, Larry Fuller, Steve Rambo, Yreka Summer Series 4 Cycle champion Johnny Hoult, Debbie Medeiros and many more.
Racing fans looking for more of a racing fix will find it at Little Southern Oregon Speedway on Friday nights 10 times this year, and it’s a nice appetizer heading into the bigger track on Saturday nights. Who are the rising young stars of Southern Oregon racing? You can find that answer on Friday nights. Stay tuned for more information or go to the http://southernoregonspeedway.com/OutlawKarts.html
