Category: Racing News

PHILPOT SLIPS BY JOHNSON FOR NSMS MODIFIED WIN AT EUREKA

May 27, 2018…..Eureka, CA…. After chasing leader Eric Johnson for 34 laps, Jason Philpot of Sacramento took advantage of lapped traffic to slip under Johnson and stay out front the remainder of the 60 lapper to win race #2 of the North State Modified Series, presented by Protect the Harvest, at Redwood Acres Raceway Sunday night. Philpot’s win earned him $1000 plus a $250 bonus from Ward Land Management and Development (WLM&D.) This was Philpot’s first win at the Redwood Acres Raceway.

Johnson held off the late-race challenges of Kris Price to collect $700 (plus a $150 bonus from WLM&D) for his second place finish.

NSMS points leader Randy Houston clocked in fastest at 16.514 seconds over 2nd fast qualifier Darrin Sullivan (16.583), Kris Price (16.628), Eric Price Jr. (16.642) and Herman Pulyer (16.674.) Houston drew an 8 chip for the invert placing Johnson and Dustin DeRosier in row one for the start. Philpot and Pulyer were in row two, the Price brothers Eric and Kris shared row three, and Sullivan and Houston started seventh and eighth.

Johnson forged ahead at the start with Philpot diving under DeRosier for second. DeRosier settled into third with Eric Price fourth and Sullivan fifth. As the field was putting down laps, Houston started a forward run passing Pulyer on lap four. Houston continued, nosing under Sullivan for fifth on lap 16, and while Sullivan rode high, Kris Price also drove by.
Terry Deal was next to join the front runners, and at the half-way mark it was Johnson, Philpot, DeRosier, Eric Price, Houston, Kris Price, Deal, Sullivan, Ian Elliott, Rich Cobb, Pulyer, Stuart Campbell and Rick Avila.

As the leaders approached slower traffic, Johnson chose the high side and it was all Philpot needed to dive low and assume the lead on lap 35. Ten rounds later Eric Price spun in turn two to bring out the first yellow flag.

An uneven restart caused an accordion effect that saw the back of the field stack up causing severe damage to Eric Price’s car, ending his run. Stuart and Avila were also involved and both retired to the pits.

When racing resumed Houston passed DeRosier for third with Kris Price following to assume fourth place. Houston was working hard on Johnson, and with only 10 laps to go Price nosed under Houston for third. Price then set his sights on Johnson, but Johnson never faltered.

Philpot led the field to the Sunoco checkered flag followed by Johnson, Kris Price, Houston, DeRosier, Deal, Sullivan, Cobb, Pulyer and Elliott.

Eliott was the $100 winner in the Lucas Oil Dash for Cash where he later donated the money to the North State Modified Series “Driving Out Cancer” awareness fund. Eric Johnson collected $50 for his second place finish. Houston earned the Keyser Hard Charger award for passing the most cars, Stuart won the Naake Shocks certificate, and the Frank’s Radios awards went to Philpot, Johnson and Kris Price. Scribner Plastics jugs were presented to Elliott and Johnson.

North State Modified Series travels south to Madera Speedway for Race #3 on June 9.
The North State Modified Series is presented by: Protect the Harvest, Lucas Oil, Ward Land Management & Development, Hoosier Tire West, Sunoco Race Fuels, Naake Suspension, Five Star Bodies, Racer Bling, Keyser Racing Products, Scribner Plastics and Frank’s Radios.

WLM&D TIME TRIALS: Randy Houston (16.514), Darrin Sullivan (16.583) Kris Price (16.628), Eric Price Jr. (16.642), Herman Pulyer (16.674), Jason Philpot (16.716), Dustin DeRosier (16.799), Eric Johnson (16.857), Terry Deal (16.892), Rich Cobb (16.996), Ian Elliott (17.013), Stuart Campbell (17.140), Rick Avila (17.253).

LUCAS OIL DASH FOR CASH: Ian Elliott, Eric Johnson, Stuart Campbell, Terry Deal, Rich Cobb, Rick Avila.
SUNOCO / WLM&D FEATURE EVENT: Jason Philpot, Eric Johnson, Kris Price, Randy Houston, Dustin DeRosier, Terry Deal, Darrin Sullivan, Rich Cobb, Herman Pulyer, Ian Elliott, Stuart Campbell, Eric Price Jr., Rick Avila

KRIS PRICE CLAIMS NORTH STATE MODIFIED SEASON OPENER AT SHASTA SPEEDWAY

May 12, 2018…. Anderson, CA….. North State Modified Series, presented by Protect the Harvest, held its season opener at Shasta Speedway this weekend, and when the Sunoco checkered flag flew it was Kris Price of Sacramento who collected the lions share of the prize money with his impressive win. Price was also the winner of the final 2017 NSMS event at All American Speedway last October. Price collected $1000 for the win plus a $250 bonus from Ward Land Management and Development (WLM&D.)

Randy Houston of Medford, Oregon rebounded from an early-race incident to finish second. Cameron Austin of Santa Rosa, driving his brand-new Dana Stahl modified, finished third with Jason Philpot, Sacramento, also working his way back up after an altercation, finished fourth. And Cloverdale’s Dustin DeRosier stayed up front the entire race to take fifth place.

A record number of 27 cars traveled to the Anderson, CA 1/3 mile oval setting the stage for the first “B” main in the series history. Herman Pulyer of Wilderville, Oregon was the victor in this race followed by Dale Didoha and Rookie-of-theYear contender Don Shalla both from Sacramento, Kelsyville driver Donovan Cox, Redding driver John Baker and Stuart Campbell of Eagle Point, Oregon.
2017 NSMS champion Darrin Knight of Kelseyville set fast time of 16.378 seconds on the new Hoosier tires, earning the $100 WLM&D fast time award. Knight drew the number 4 chip for the line-up inversion putting Terry Deal and Austin in the front row for the feature event. Houston and Knight shared row two, and Philpot and Eric Price Jr. started in the third row.

Deal led the way the first six rounds as Houston and Knight were battling for second. Knight passed both Houston and Deal on lap seven, dropping Deal to third and Eric Price fourth. The race was halted on lap 19 when Sal Lopez spun in front of the leaders, and with no where to go, Deal slammed into hard Lopez in turn four. The incident also collected Eric Price with all three cars being towed to the pits. At the same time Brian Denton, Rick Avila and Dale Didoha retired their cars.
The double-file restart saw Houston make contact with Knight sending Knight spinning. This set up a chain-reaction that sent Philpot and Keith Bloom into the infield. When the action resumed Kris Price was the new leader followed by Austin, Darrin Sullivan, DeRosier and local favorite Guy Young.
Flagman Johnny Miskill flew the red flag on lap 28, stopping the cars when Oregon veteran driver Willie Thompson’s car developed an oil leak and caught fire, ending his run.

Knight had worked his way back up to second and was chasing down Price when his engine let go, oiling down the racing surface. Several more yellow flags flew in the final stages. With only three laps to go Houston passed Austin for second but did not have anything left for Price. The finishing order was Kris Price, Houston, Austin, Philpot, DeRosier, Young, Jake Andreotti, Bloom, Rich Cobb, Sullivan, Eric Johnson, P.J. Pedroncelli, Stuart Campbell, Adrianna Strugnell and Donovan Cox.

North State Modified Series travels over to the coast for race #2 at the Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka on Sunday, May 27.

The North State Modified Series is presented by: Protect the Harvest, Lucas Oil, Ward Land Management & Development, Hoosier Tire West, Sunoco Race Fuels, Naake Suspension, Five Star Bodies, Racer Bling, Keyser Racing Products, Scribner Plastics and Frank’s Radios.

Mitchell Faccinto wins Sprint Car Challenge Tour opener in Placerville

Mitchell Faccinto snags Sprint Car Challenge Tour opener in front of sold out Placerville Speedway crowd

By Gary Thomas

Placerville, CA – Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto won twice last season with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards and opened 2018 in stellar fashion, claiming victory in front of a sellout crowd at the Placerville Speedway on Saturday.

Faccinto put together a near perfect night aboard the Western Metal Company/ TSG Recycling No. 37, after winning the BR Motorsports heat race, the Race Punk dash and earning the Metal Works fastest lap in the A-main. The victory was a career first in Placerville for Faccinto and awarded him $4500 thanks to extra money from Elk Grove Ford and Kyle Larson Racing. Adding in the contingency prizes it bumped that number up to a solid $4800 in winnings.

“It feels great to get our first win at Placerville Speedway tonight and even better to do it on opening night with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour,” Faccinto said on the front stretch. “This place hasn’t always been our best, but my guys gave me an outstanding car tonight, so I can’t thank them enough. We had a really good year last season and hope this is a sign of things to come in 2018. We’ll use this momentum and hopefully do it again with SCCT in Stockton on April 14.”

The 35-lap feature began with Faccinto jumping into the lead ahead of fellow front row starter Michael “Buddy” Kofoid. A couple of cautions early on slowed the pace, but once lapped traffic came into play things became interesting. As Faccinto caught traffic it allowed Kofoid and Grass Valley’s Brad Sweet the opportunity to close in and make it a three-car fight for the lead. A caution on lap 21 brought the party to a stop however and gave the leaders an open track.

The remainder of the race saw Faccinto put together smooth and consistent laps and even despite catching traffic towards the end, was able to keep the field at bay and cross under the Ron Stahl checkered flag by 0.737 seconds in front of Kofoid. Faccinto also becomes the first driver to reach three career wins with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards.

Mitchell Faccinto

Kofoid’s runner up finish capped off a solid night in the Van Dyke Motorsports/ Gary Silva Ranches No. 5H machine. The 16-year-old last season finished fifth in the tour standings, ironically one position behind Faccinto. The podium in the feature was rounded out by Sweet, who made a cameo appearance in the Rod Tiner Racing/ Shark Engines No. 83SA. The World of Outlaws regular battled defending SCCT champion Kyle Hirst for much of the race and was able to make the pass with a few laps remaining.

Hirst and Fremont’s Shane Golobic completed the top-five. The remainder of the top-10 was round out by San Jose’s Tim Kaeding, who earned the Pit Stop USA Hard Charger Award by carving way from 16th to sixth, Auburn’s Andy Forsberg, Lemoore’s Carson Macedo, Roseville’s Willie Croft and Penngrove’s Chase Johnson.

A-main finish: 1. 37 Mitchell Faccinto, 2. 5H Michael Kofoid, 3. 83SA Brad Sweet, 4. 83JR Kyle Hirst, 5. 22 Shane Golobic, 6. 42X Tim Kaeding, 7. X1 Andy Forsberg, 8. 21 Carson Macedo, 9. 29 Willie Croft, 10. 5V Chase Johnson, 11. 33T Jimmy Trulli, 12. 56 Justin Sanders, 13. 88N DJ Netto, 14. 41 Gio Scelzi, 15. 75 Sean Becker, 16. 7C Tony Gualda Jr., 17. 97 Shane Hopkins, 18. 55 Cody Hodgson, 19. 57 Dustin Golobic, 20. 5C Colby Copeland, 21. P37 Matt Petersen, 22. 31C Justyn Cox, 23. 3C Tanner Thorson, 24. 47 Mason Moore

The Finley Farms B-main was captured by Cameron Park’s Shane Hopkins, while Lemoore’s Cole Macedo won the C-main. As noted Mitchell Faccinto claimed the Race Punk Dash and the BR Motorsports heat race. Brad Sweet scooped up victory in the Allstar Performance heat, with Tanner Thorson winning the A.R.T. Speed Equipment heat and Carson Macedo taking home the King Racing Products heat.

Shane Golobic opened the evening by setting the Quick Time Mortgage/ ADCO Driveline and Custom Exhaust fast time with a lap of 11.114 around the quarter-mile. It marked his fifth fast time with the tour in 11-starts.

The Placerville Speedway returns to action next Saturday April 7 with the opening Red Hawk Casino championship point race. Divisions set to hit the track for “First Responders Night” will include theWinged 360 Sprint Cars, Pure Stocks, IMCA Sport Mods and Mini Trucks. More info can be found at www.placervillespeedway.com

The Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards will return to competition on Saturday April 14 at the Stockton Dirt Track. The night of racing will honor National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Jimmy Sills with the third annual Jimmy Sills Classic. More info can be found at www.stocktondirttrack.com

The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is proudly sponsored by Elk Grove Ford, Abreu Vineyards, Hoosier Racing Tires, Bianchi Farms, Kyle Larson Racing, All Star Performance, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Pit Stop USA, Auto Meter, ADCO Driveline & Exhaust, Bullard Construction, Chris Kenner Racing Specialties/ Security Race Products, CLT Logging, CRV Carbon Solutions, D&D Roofing, Driven2SaveLives, Dynachrome, Finley Farms, Garner Heat Treat Inc., Garth Moore Insurance and Financial Services, Jockos Sprint Parts, Keizer Wheels, Kevin Sharrah Designs, Light Up the World Beverages, Moto Wear, Metal Works, Naake Suspension, PT Shocks, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Quick Time Mortgage, Race Punk, R&R Racewear, Saldana Racing Products, Team Ford of Woodland, Walker Performance Filtration.

The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is operated under the Russell Motorsports Inc. banner, which also manages the Placerville Speedway in Placerville, California. For sponsorship opportunities and inquiries, RMI can be reached at 530-344-7592 or office@sprintcarchallengetour.com

More information on the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards can be found at our official website www.sprintcarchallengetour.com – Be sure to also like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter for the latest breaking news regarding SCCT.

Photos courtesy of Jason Tucker and Joe Shivak

NORTH STATE MODIFIED SERIES GEARS UP FOR 2018 SEASON

Photo: Cloverdale driver Dustin DeRosier (#12) and Sacramento’s Jason Philpot will be competing in the North State Modified Series’ season opener at Shasta Speedway on May 12.

The North State Modified Series (NSMS), presented by Protect the Harvest, will once again bring top-notch modified action to six different race tracks for 10 events throughout Northern and Central California.

The 2018 season opener at All American Speedway on April 21 was canceled by AAS promoter Bill McAnally when he was not able to secure a contract with the fairgrounds in time. That moves the first NSMS race to Shasta Speedway in Anderson, CA on May 12.

Two weeks later the series moves to the coast’s Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka, CA on May 27. The Eureka show will be the only Sunday event on the tour.

The series heads to central California on June 9 for a combo show with the southern-based Lucas Oil Modifieds at Madera Speedway. Then back to to the ¼ mile Ukiah Speedway on June 23.

The month of July is slated for a race at the All American Speedway on July 7, and a return to Redwood Acres Raceway on July 21.

The only race in August will be held at Lakeport Speedway, the smallest track on the circuit. Lakeport is the most challenging track for the modified competitors due to its narrow, circular configuration.
Events in September include the final show at Redwood Acres Raceway on Sept 8, and the 3rd Annual Lloyd Burton “Against the Wind” Modified Challenge on September 29 at Shasta Speedway.
The tour ends at All American Speedway on October 13 for a Trifecta Championship Night featuring the North State Modified Series, the Pacific Challenge Late Models Series, and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.
The North State Modified Series is presented by: Protect the Harvest, Lucas Oil, Ward Ranches, Hoosier Tire West, Naake Suspension, Sunoco Race Fuels, Five Star Bodies, Racer Bling, Keyser Racing Products, Economy Heating & Air, and Scribner Plastics.

NSMS modified rules, procedures and other information are available at the new web site www.northstatemodifieds.com.

Press Release 04/04/18
By Nadine Strauss, 707-274-1662