Forum: Northern California Sprint Car (go)
Moderators: StuDeedooo

TK, JA, and Becker top 3. 21 cars, all 3 heats had at least one car go thru the turn 1-2 wall. Track was decent, and the main was spectacular for Antioch standards, with TK and JA swapping the lead a couple of times in lapped traffic. the main started as single file arround the bottom, but a top groove developed in 3&4. By far the best Antioch show i've seen in years!

Very good race. For Antioch or anywhere. Got very interesting when they hit lap traffic. Becker was right there if TK or JA had problems.

Congrats to TK on another win, and while I'm sure JA doesn't like second, he has nothing to be ashamed of.

Looking forward to Chico.

I had a great time in Antioch as well. It was the first time I took my 10 year newphew to a race and he had a great time and wants to go back again. I am happy for TK that he is doing well and I think Chico next weekend will be fun! We are lucky here in CA to have soo many talented drivers and there is no telling who will win each night.

*I must admit I did get a little scared when the lights didn't go back on for a while, lol! It was also ironic that the drivers who hit the wall and destroyed it were able to be repaired and back racing.

Winged sprintcars = the fastest and most exciting 
racecars on dirt! 

It was good to be back at the races and it was a great race to see.

Some random thoughts...

I can't remember the last time I saw such "respectful" racing as I witnessed between TK, Jon and Sean. That was really fun to watch.

You can sure tell the time on the road has taught Tim alot. He drove what I thought was a very patient race. Becker got by him early, but TK took his time and let the race come to him. That three wide race for the lead down the front straight with the lapper in the middle would have had a different outcome in races past. Tim knew to not force it and it payed off later. He's always had the talent and now the experience is just adding to what will be a great career.

Thought the track was going to be bad with all the rocks on the surface just before wheel packing, but it turned out pretty well. The tractor tires were once again positioned for a BK infield race, but thankfully, that didn't happen.

You know there is a "cha-ching" happening at Home Depot today to replace all the wood destroyed in turns 1 & 2.

Chuck & I had a conversation with John Soares and he struck us as being unusally jovial??? I talked to him about the Antioch web site not being updated and he's thinking about changing web masters as the current one doesn't have time for it.

Which brings me to the Antioch Gastapo. If Soares is happy, why can't his staff be? I question why GSC even goes there... Here are six things that happend last night that I have personal knowledge of:

- Pit gate security being rude to people signing it.

- Antioch official yelling (loudly) at me for providing Trevor Green a bottle of water to rinse his eyes on a red flag. He almost made me cry and want my blankie...

- Antioch official ordering the GSC Director of Comp, another GSC official, and 2 GSC drivers away from the track edge during a red flag in the Dwarf Car race for lighting malfunctions.

- Antioch official warning a well known GSC photog that if he went beyond the tractor tires during a red flag, he would be banned for life.

- Push truck driver that wouldn't push BK a few feet during a red flag in order to extinguish the big fire he had under his car. Said push truck driver actually got in a yelling match with Brent.

- And finally... Ejecting from the pits a well known and respected crew chief right after the Dash. The offence was riding his quad or bike too fast. This crew chief was working his own car as well as helping on two others when they did the Home Depot two step over the turn one wall and was busier than a Top Fuel crew working a 75 minute turn-around. Three teams said they just might load up if the Gastapo went through with the ejection... the Gastapo did, the teams thankfully didn't. And I am personally aware of one Gastapo member placing all the blame for the ejection in the lap of the GSC DOC when nothing was further from the truth. Dan offered to have the offender remain on foot for the rest of the night and allow him to do his job.... but nein!!! Heard later that the team had a stand-in crew chief for the remainder of the night. His glasses, nose and moustache sure looked fake to me though.

Congrats TK and Tom Rolfe Trucking team! Great to see you doing well.

^ SkyRaider Ultralight -> ELSA

In the tracks defense, i heard from the grandstands the announcement to everyone in the pits to slow down on the quads or be subject to ejection. That was during one of the reds in the heats. I have also been at several drivers meetings where we were told to slow it down. I don't know how it went down in the pits on Sat. so if i'm out of line i apologize, but those rules are there for everyones SAFETY!

No Goat, you're not out of line, you heard correctly. They actually made the announcement a number of times over the PA some say, but I actually only heard it once and it was not mentioned at the driver's meeting.

But... this is but one of many Gestapo like tactics and it seemed like the death penalty for a shoplifting offence. They wouldn't listen to any compromise from GSC officials and would not take into account that crew chief was working on three cars, one of them not located close to his car. This was during red flag situations and our officials even remarked over the radio how well everyone did to get the cars fixed fast in order to save time for the show.

If it was a punk raising hell in the pits on his quad that is one thing but that is not what it was. Now that I think of it though, with the seemingly pissy attitude the Antioch officials have towards GSC, maybe that is exactly how they saw it.

antioch does not even seem to like their own 360 sprint cars. they slam them in their own press releases. i have heard that ocean, petaluma and antioch would like to get together and do something to promote 360 racing at those tracks. but antioch needs to better their attitude towards the sprints. ocean has historically been stock car territory, but john is trying to make room for the 360 sprints. the stock car people are always going to complain about the sprints, in part due to the need of being pushed to start ect.but when people realize that they have to make accommodations for that and stop trying to run a sprint program like a stock car program things work out ok.

We couldn't even bring in water or a bag of peanuts. Good thing I hid mine.

Coming up:

Aug 30-31th - Calistoga: CRA/USAC sprints & midgets
Sept 3-6th - GOLD CUP baby!!!!!
Sept 20 - Ocean Speedway: Civil War

Mike - I agree with the side arm carrying heavy handed cop bit. Antioch may not be the only place that has armed security but it is the only one of all the dirt tracks that I have been to that I can remember there being armed security. They may be antioch Police but they act like willie rent a cops.

Another story to add. At the end of the night I was talking with someone when two walked by and one shined his light in my face. When I turned to look at him they both stopped and gave me the "hard stare down". After a couple of minutes I guess they decided I was not a threat and left. Between that and the "cross the tire barrier again and your out of here" response, I will have to think hard about going back next year. And I think that was evident in the crowd saturday night.

As for the quad/scooter incident. Who decided they were going to fast? On a scooter? I doubt Ashley was able to get the scooter going faster than a sprint car idling through the pits. They tell everyone hurry up, hurry up. But if you move faster than a walking person we are kicking you out. I would say they need to decide what is more important to them but I think they already have.

It is too bad. It was a really good race but not good enough to make up for the "gastapo" tactics. If they don't want sprint cars there they should just say so.

Some more fuel for the fire: Two cars were brought to the work area on a hook, the first came from the track exit and the second was brought through the entrance of the track while the first car was about to push off - almost a disaster in the making.  Add in the tow truck driver that drove over a team's jack, then was trying to drop the car while crew members were in the middle of changing a front tire and didn't have a stand or jack underneath the car.

Walls that were covered in mud and hard for drivers to see, track personnel trying to scavenge damaged wings for recycling during the course of the evening, armed security guards, lights that are malfunctioning, push trucks nearly pushing cars into equipment in the push-off lane, no transponders.  Definitely felt like the track was not ready for us.  To top it off the ticket prices went up but the purse did not.

Oh yeah, congrats to TK, JA & SB on an impressive drive and some great racing.

I am not defending the Security @ Antioch, but we have had some abuse the last severals weeks with the Quads. In fact there were some fines levied this past weekend @ Silver Dollar. I sit at the pit gate and can't begin to tell you the number of times guys are asked to please slow down, going into the pit area. There is also a state law regarding them leaving the pit area. The signs are posted on the fairgrounds and right at the pit gate. A few years ago the insurance company was contemplating forbiding them in the pit area, but they reconsidered. So no matter who it is please refrain from the abuse. It is things like this that make insurance rates to climb.

Robbie, I understand what you are saying and I completely agree, but.... this was not that.

I mean, this was flat stupid all night.

I don't mean to sound like sour grapes, and I certainly do not represent the majority of GSC membership, but I have no qualms saying that GSC should wash it's hand with Antioch and I really feel the vast majority of those in attendance pitside would agree.

I grew up at that track. My parents started dropping me off at the main gate and coming back for me at 11:00 in 1966. I love that track, but my opinon..... be done with it.

It really does suck that Antioch has screwed up one of the best races of the year. I don't want to see the GSC leave Antioch (again!), i wish that they would learn to work WITH traveling series and not try to out enforce everyone. We should be talking about how great the race was..... instead we're burning bridges..

I tend to agree with you also Robbie, with the 4-wheelers anyway. But like Top said I really did not see anyone going that fast as compared with race cars. Definitely not as fast as I have seen them at chico between the pits proper and the gate. Fines I can agree with. Removing them from the pits just before the main? Seems a bit harsh. Also the fact that he was on a scooter on gravel. Could he really have been going that fast? I thought Dan's solution was more than amicable but as they put he is not the law they are. Of course anyone telling you something with one hand on the butt of their unclipped gun is always going to be right.

I wouldn't go so far as to say don't go back but I do think something needs to be done. There is a reason less and less cars show up and less fans are in the stands.

But it was ok for the number 1 dwarf car to speed through the pits to get back into a race that he was several laps down.  Actually he did it twice and the second time, the sprints were lined up for there A feature.  That was a near disaster...........What happend to going to your work area and you are done, must only apply to the sprint cars.

Good to hear that TK is winning some races again!

First of all - Congrats TK!

     I had vowed to stay out of this discussion but so many memories have been floating around in my head I just can't sit on the sidelines any more. I can't quit thinking - "What the hell?" I was at Antioch a lot during the 90's. I was there when NARC returned in 1990 and probably didn't miss any of the NARC shows when NARC was still NARC during the 90's. Additionally - by being the Northern Stars Minisprint Tour's photographer I would guess that I was at Antioch an average of once a month during their racing season since Bert and Brynda Bockover scheduled us quite frequently. I looked forward to going to Antioch. The track surface was consistantly one of the best. The food was great - SLOW - but great. The crowd - whether it was the minisprints or the full blown sprint cars was very enthusiastic and I ALWAYS looked forward to that.

     It's been 10 years since I have been to Antioch and that has more to do with my decision to step back from the sport a little then it does the change in promotors at that facility. I can't help but think that the timing was ironically right though. If just a small fraction of the comments made in this thread are true it would frustrate the hell out of me to see these things taking place. Those in charge need to accept responsibility for what has happened at that place. If they aren't willing to make changes then those in charge of the GSC series will make the necessary decision for them. It's hard to express how thankful I am that John Padjen Motorsports is in a leadership position in sprint car racing in Northern California. JPM's success is no accident - the cream always rises to the top. Sure - the Soares family has been around a long time - I'm not gonna deny that. They are and have been successful. Would it hurt for them to look around and change their ways a little? Hell even the cops in Knoxville lightened up a little bit during the Nationals when it was pointed out by Doug Auld in a great Open Wheel column that they didn't need to be such Nazi's not to mention the fact reminding them that the Nationals essentially pays the sallary of the entire city government of Knoxville.

     My mom's oldest sister - my aunt - passed away last week and I'm thankful that the last time I saw her three weeks ago she was still healthy. I think I'll stay away from Antioch from here on out so my memories of that place will continue to be good ones as well......

sorry for your loss