Contact: Mike Adaskaveg (617) 694-1230 [email protected] Antioch, Calif. - Don’t even mention the word points to Antioch Speedway’ All Star Wingless Sprint Car veteran Dan Gonderman. He doesn’t want to know he is the points leader over friend Bill Macedo. The two will go wheel-to wheel again this Saturday night on the high-banked 3/8-mile clay oval. “Keeping the equipment in good shape and winning everything I can is the way I race,” Gonderman explained. “Points? I don’t count them until October.” Home-town favorite Gonderman has made the speedway down the street the center of his racing effort this season. He traveled far and wide to drive sprint cars at different tracks for the last two decades. “We’ve done that (traveled) too long,” he said. “Antioch is my home. I plan on making every race there and at Merced Speedway.” Gonderman’s career is deep with experience. He was street stock “Rookie of the Year” in 1990. From there he graduated into the modified stock car division. But it was the lure of open-wheeled sprint cars that caught him in the 1999. He was crowned champion the first year he competed in the 360 Sprints. This year, he pilots his own No. 8 sprinter at Antioch and jumps in Sam Davies’ No.99 when he heads to Merced Speedway. When he isn’t steering sprint cars, Gonderman is hard at work in the bay as a barge foreman. In the evening, he often runs into Macedo at Main Machine in Concord, where both drivers have their engines maintained. “We have some interesting conversations,” he laughed. “But, we don’t discuss points.” ANTIOCH NOTES: -The Fred Ryland-Larry Damitz battle continues in the Late Model division. The two drivers have been evenly matched all season, trading the top spot between eachother. -Dwarf Car Driver Ricardo Rivera of Hollister was bummed out this week. Rivera likes a good battle, and he’s tied in first place in the point’s race with friendly foe Nick Squatritto of San Jose. The reason Rivera is down? He won’t get to battle Squatritto this week as he is away on a trip. “I start looking at the points when I get my wrecks over with,” he joked. “Me and Nick have learned a lot from each other. It’s our third season of battling head-to-head. It’s has been pretty intense.” Rivera has flipped and crashed his red dwarf car, but always seems to come back stronger. “Dwarf cars are part of a community,” he explained. We all help each other get parts, we race our hearts out against each other, but we are all friends. -Modified legend Scott Busby currently leads champ Troy Foulger by a mere six points going into Saturday’s events. There was no racing for the modifieds last weekend at the speedway, so a large field of hungry drivers will be on hand to race against the two leaders. Michael Paul holds down third in the division. -Gene Haney holds a comfortable lead over Jake Dewsbury in the Super Hobby Stock division. Mike Felt tops the Four-bangers with 300 points. The six division card of racing begins at 6 p.m., with pits open at 1 p.m. and grandstand gates at 4 p.m. Antioch Speedway is located at 1201 W. Tenth Street in Antioch, CA. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children 6-12 and senior citizens. A family four-pack of tickets is $30.