Home Antioch Racing Season Just Around the Corner at Antioch Speedway

Racing Season Just Around the Corner at Antioch Speedway

by ECT

Antioch, CA — The 59th season of championship auto racing is set to begin at Antioch Speedway on March 30th.

Weather permitting, the 3/8 mile clay oval at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds will offer up an exciting lineup that features All Star Series A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. Promoter John M Soares has several exciting nights sprinkled throughout the season, including memorial races for Larry Damitz (May 27th), Jerry Hetrick (June 8th), Chet Thomson (September 21st) and Donna Soares (October 5th). The Firecracker 50 on July 6th will pay the A Modifieds $1,000 to win.

As if that’s not enough, the speedway will pay $12,000 to win in a special A Modified event scheduled for October 11th and 12th. Several of the top drivers from throughout the West Coast are anticipated for this show, which will also include the B Modifieds for an increased purse. More details for this event will be forthcoming.

With all of the heavy rains that hit Antioch in February and early March, Soares and his crew were joined by several within the racing community in helping make the track ready for a practice day last Saturday afternoon. This turned out to be one of the most successful practices in Speedway history as over 50 drivers checked in.

This year’s lineup will see Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints, A  Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Limited Late Models, DIRTcar Late Models, Dwarf Cars and Bay Area Hardtops competing at various times. Drivers from all of those divisions took advantage of sunny skies to participate in the practice event.

Soares is making various improvements at the speedway this year and promises that this will be the most exciting season the fans have seen in several years. There are plenty of great things being planned for throughout this season.

Information can be found at the track’s Facebook page or www.antiochspeedway.com.

2019 Schedule:

Oval Motorsports Releases 59th Season Schedule For Antioch Speedway

Antioch, CA…A little over a week after it was announced that John M Soares and Oval Motorsports would have the contract to promote Antioch Speedway for the next five years, a new schedule has been released. This will be the 59th season of consecutive championship racing on the 3/8 mile clay oval located at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds in Antioch.

Once again, the All Star Series lineup of divisions will feature the Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, DIRTcar Late Models, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. The Bay Area Hardtops will also make four appearances throughout the season.

It’s a busy schedule with 27 races dates booked and the possibility of a 28th event during the Contra Costa County Fair in May.  The longest continuously active division at the track are the A Modifieds.  They enter their 30th season with a 17 race schedule, including a few extra money affairs.  The Hobby Stocks will kick off their 25th season at the speedway with 19 races booked, with the Dwarf Cars entering their 22nd All Star Series season with a 17 race schedule.

The Limited Late Models will get 14 races for their 20th season, while the Wingless Spec Sprints kick off their 21st season with 12 race dates.  The B Modifieds are the most active class at the speedway with 22 race dates.  We will see the DIRTcar Late Models nine times and the Winged 360 Sprint Cars eight times.  The Bay Area Hardtops are in action four times, and they are a part of three of the biggest events of the season.

Eight All Star Series champions will again be crowned.  Last season, it was Matt DeMartini winning the Winged 360 Sprint Car title.  Nick DeCarlo won the A Modified crown, while Jeff Decker (DIRTcar Late Models), Mark Garner (Limited Late Models), Trevor Clymens (B Modifieds), Chris Sorensen (Hobby Stocks), Mike Corsaro (Dwarf Cars) and Bob Newberry (Wingless Spec Sprints) were the other champions.  For Decker and Corsaro, it was their second straight titles.

There are some big races on the schedule this season, and this includes the Third Annual Larry Damitz Memorial race on April 27th. The DIRTcar Late Models will headline the show along with B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Bay Area Hardtops. Another highlight comes on June 1st with the return of the California Civil War Winged 360 Sprint Car Series. Joining them will be the B Modifieds and Dwarf Cars.

On June 8th, the Third Annual Jerry Hetrick Memorial race will feature DIRTcar Late Models, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Wingless Spec Sprints and Hobby Stocks. On June 29th, it’s the Firecracker 50. The 50 lap A Modified Main Event will pay $1,000 to the winner. The Wingless Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models and Hobby Stocks will also be on the card. A week later, the July 6th program will pay $500 to the B Modified Main Event winner. Wingless Specs Sprints, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars will also compete that night.

Every Saturday night through July and August will offer racing. In September, the third straight Saturday night race will be the 17th Annual Chet Thomson Memorial Hardtop race. Joining them on the September 21st program will be the A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars for what will be a loaded program. The track stays dark a week later in support of the Jim and Pat Pettit Memorial Dirt Track Shootout at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville.

Antioch Speedway will remember Donna Soares with a special memorial race on October 5th. The wife of John M Soares passed away last October. The A Modified Main Event that night will pay $1,500 to win with DIRTcar Late Models, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Hardtops also on the schedule. An open show is tentatively planned for October 12th that will include A Modifieds and B Modifieds. A Modifieds will be paying $12,000 to win. Further details on purse will be forthcoming. The track will also have a Hall of Fame Night, likely to be scheduled in August. However, that information will be forthcoming as well.

On March 16th and 23rd, the speedway will open for back to back play days. On the 30th, the All Star Series season kicks off with a show featuring A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Dwarf Cars. The crew is hard at work making preparations on the race track, and this promises to be an exciting season from start to finish. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.

2019 All Star Series Antioch Speedway Schedule

March 16 – Playday
March 23 – Playday
March 30 – A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
April 6 – Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Dwarf Cars
April 13 – Winged 360 Sprint Cars, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
April 20 – Wingless Spec Sprints, DIRTcar Late Models, A Modifieds B Modifieds
April 27 – 3rd Annual Larry Damitz Memorial – DIRTcar Late Models, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Bay Area Hardtops
May 4 – Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks
May 11 – DIRTcar Late Models, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Dwarf Cars
May 18 – Contra Costa County Fair – TBA
May 25 – Winged 360 Sprint Cars, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
June 1 – Civil War Series Sprint Cars – Winged 360 Sprint Cars, B Modifieds, Dwarf Cars
June 8 –  3rd Annual Jerry Hetrick Memorial – DIRTcar Late Models, Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modifieds B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks
June 15 – Winged 360 Sprint Cars, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
June 22 – Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models, $300 To Win Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
June 29 – Firecracker 50 – $1,000 To Win A Modifeds, Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks
July 6 – Wingless Spec Sprints, $500 To Win B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
July 13 – Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
July 20 – DIRTcar Late Models, Limited Late Models, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Bay Area Hardtops
July 27 – Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints, A Modfieds, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Dwarf Cars
August 3 – Winged 360 Sprints, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Dwarf Cars
August 10 – Wingless Spec Sprints, DIRTcar Late Models, A Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks
August 17 – Winged 360 Sprint Cars, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
August 24 – Wingless Spec Sprints, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks
August 31 – Wingless Spec Sprints, DIRTcar Late Models, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Dwarf Cars
September 7 – Wingled 360 Sprint Cars, A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
September 14 – Wingless Spec Sprints, DIRTcar Late Models, B Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars
September 21 – 17th Annual Chet Thomson Memorial Hardtop Race – A Modifieds, B Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars, Bay Area Hardtops
September 28 – No Races
October 5 – Donna Soares Memorial Race – DIRTcar Late Models, $1500 To Win A Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Hobby Stocks, Bay Area Hardtops
October 11 – Open Show – A Modifieds, B Modifieds
October 12 – Open Show – A Modifieds $12,000 to win, B Modifieds purse to be announced

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1 comment

Not Sure Mar 28, 2019 - 2:45 pm

No World of Outlaws races anymore? Didnt see any mention of them in the article. I went to most of those in Antioch and also Chico for several years. I remember an A Main at Antioch few years back with the World of Outlaw cars were it went all 30 laps with no caution, the exhaust/alcohol fumes started to burn the eyes at the end, but it was EPIC!!!! Wish they would come back. I look forward to the racing this year and will certainly be showing up to watch and cheer the drivers on either way!!! RACE ON!!!!

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