Southern Oregon Speedway Update
Fast Freddie Hay #10 is coming off of back to back Top 3 finishes as he looks for his first Dwarf Car win since 2015.
David Marble #4m leads the pack in the IMCA Sport Modified championship battle.
Malachi Johnson #777 will be looking for his fourth straight Beginners Box Stock win Friday night at the little track.
Modifieds, Dwarf Cars And Karts At Southern Oregon Speedway This Weekend
Southern Oregon Speedway heads into its final race of July with an exciting five division show on the big track this Saturday night, featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Southern Oregon Dwarf Cars, Valley Store-All Late Model Lites and OTRO Hardtops. On Friday night, little Southern Oregon Speedway will offer a full program of Outlaw Kart racing. It’s a great opportunity for the fans to satisfy their need for speed before the one week break.
The Southern Oregon Dwarf Car Association will be taking center Stage for the next couple of races. This weekend offers one final tune-up at the home track before the big Dwarf Car Nationals event on the first weekend of August. The Dwarf Cars have seen a resurgence of driver support, and it’s led to a wide-open battle on the race track.
Last time out, Cody Peters scored his first feature win of the season. He now joins his father, Brock Peters, on the winner’s list along with Kalvin Morton, Camden Robustelli, Josh King and Guy Tow. Robustelli and Morton are the only two-time winners on the circuit so far. While these drivers have claimed victories, Chad Cardoza, Ryan Smith and Fred Hay have been knocking on the door to victory. Hay has scored back-to-back Top 3 finishes, and Cardoza was shown as the point leader going into the most recent race.
The Dwarf Cars aren’t the only division that has had a wide-open battle on the race track every week. IMCA Sport Modified competitors have been battling hard all season long for Main Event glory, and there have been no repeat winners to date. Wins have been earned by Justin McCreadie, Braxton Possinger, Branden Wilson, Fred Ryland and point leader David Marble. Marble has been very consistent this season. Following his third place finish last time out, he emerged with a 28 point lead over Willie McFall in the championship chase.
As Marble has begun to pull away, McFall has Tony Bartell, Wilson and Tony Duste all within five points of him in a close battle for second. Wilson won the most recent race by surprising race long leader Jimmy Lipke as he beat him back to the finish line with a last-lap pass. Lipke is rumored to be coming back to make another run at the win. Another driver planning to be there this week is two-time reigning champion Mike Medel, who had anything but a good race last time out. Both drivers are hoping for their first wins at the track this year, and others to watch for include Jesse Merriman, Danny Rule and rookie Brian Knorr.
In the IMCA Modified division, it’s rumored that the point race will get a shake up as Nick Trenchard heads up north to make a run at a big payday. Trenchard has been known in recent years as somewhat of a bounty hunter with a knack for winning big races. In his absence, two-time champion Albert Gill is poised to take over the lead. However, Gill is hoping for a feature win. He has finished second twice this year, but second place isn’t what he came to do. Another driver who has struggled a bit in recent weeks is seven time champion Mark Wauge. Wauge led early last time out before pitting. It turned out that he had a blown motor. This leaves the team going back to the drawing board once again. Zach Fettinger has been on a roll with two wins, and this has him just five points behind Wauge in the battle for third as David Satterfield is a surprising fourth. These two drivers are anticipated this week along with Jansen Knips, Bo Shields, Jeremy Ohlde and Andy Freeman.
Last time, Charlie Eaton became the first repeat winner of the Valley Store-All Late Model Lites division. It really looked like reigning champion Bob Burkett was going to get the win until contact between he and 2016 champion Lee Doty gave Eaton his opportunity to take the lead. In winning the race, Eaton increased his slim lead to just eight points over one-time winner Greg Arnold in the standings. Arnold will be hoping to rebound from bad luck last time out, and other drivers to watch for include Eric Aos, Dusty Aos, Terry Hadley and Krista Hadley.
The Old Time Racers of Oregon Hardtops return for their fourth appearance of the season. Mark Minter, Bill Trotter and Dusty Trotter count themselves as the feature winners so far. Lest anybody thinks these old time V6 powered cars that run on slick tires aren’t being raced hard, Dusty Trotter’s night ended early last time when he and Jay Smith crashed on the back stretch in a close battle for a Trophy Dash win. Smith has a pair of second place finishes and will be looking to get a win this week along with Justin Krossman.
The Friday night Outlaw Kart program has been ruled this season by the youngest of the kids. Malachi Johnson has rattled off three Beginners Box Stock wins in a row to take the lead in the championship battle ahead of Carson Henson. Last time out, Johnson and Mike Wheeler Jr had a spirited dual for the feature win. The Beginners class features kids from 5 to 8 years old. Keaton Augustine continues to lead the Box Stock race after back-to-back wins, and Vinny DeBenedetti is closing in fast on point leader Trevor Grimes after his second straight win. Add the UAS Speedway Karts and 500 Open Karts, and it should be a fun night at the little track on Friday. Racing starts at 7 p.m., and the $10 admission gets you pit access as well as seats in the bleachers.
On Saturday night at the big track, gates open at 5 p.m. with the first race firing off at 7 p.m. General Admission is $12, Seniors, Veterans and Juniors (7 to 12) are $6 and children 6 and under are free. For further information, go to www.southernoregonspeedway.com.
Southern Oregon Speedway
Point Standings
IMCA Modifieds
54n Nick Trenchard 179
89 Albert Gill 163
1m Mark Wauge 148
211 David Satterfield 146
88 Zach Fettinger 143
7 Jantzen Knips 139
555 Bo Shields 126
21 Jeremy Ohlde 109
30 Andy Freeman 101
5 Preston Jones 91
IMCA Sport Modifieds
4m David Marble 190
7m Willie McFall 162
27 Tony Bartell 158
12w Branden Wilson 157
23 Tony Duste 157
11j Jesse Merriman 130
401k Brian Knorr 119
14 Billy Richey 112
15jt Justin McCreadie 109
30 Mike Medel 100
Valley Store-All Late Model Lites
5 Charlie Eaton 136
39 Greg Arnold 128
99 Dusty Aos 105
66 Eric Aos 91
43 Bob Burkett 68
