southernoregonspeedway Archives

IMCA Modifieds, Northern SportMods spy big paydays at Southern Oregon’s Snyder Salute

MEDFORD, Ore. – IMCA Modified and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod drivers will spy the chance to run for big payouts at Southern Oregon Speedway’s R. Charles Snyder Salute. Held in honor of the late track announcer and James Bond fan, the fourth annual special sees the Modifieds run for $1,000 to win and a minimum of $100 to start their qualifying feature on Friday, Sept. 3 and for $7,007 to win and a minimum of $707 to start on Saturday. The Saturday winner becomes eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational and IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Shaw Race Cars Western Region, KMJ Performance State and track points will be awarded. Northern SportMods chase a top check of $707 on Friday and $1,007 on Saturday. National, state and track points are awarded to SportMods both nights. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, KMJ Performance and track points will be awarded both nights; Modifieds also earn Shaw Race Cars Western Region points. Early Modified entry fee is $150 and includes the driver’s pit [Read More]

Ryan Peery sweeps IMCA Pacific SportMod Showdown

By Ben Deatherage WHITE CITY, Ore. (July 24) – Southern Oregon Speedway wrapped up the IMCA Pacific SportMod Showdown on Saturday for Dusty’s Transmission Night. The 40-lap, $2,500 to win feature had 41 Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods on hand. When the green flag flew for the main event, Travis Peery, took control of the top spot to lead the opening lap. However, it was a short-lived reign as his son Ryan, winner from the previous night at White City, seized control by lap three. Travis rebounded to edge out Ryan on lap four. Unfortunately, due to a caution, the pass was nullified, handing back the position to Ryan Peery. Six more stoppages were to be had for the rest of the race resulting in heavy lapped traffic being taken out of the picture but restarts even more critical. Ryan was briefly challenged from time to time, but not enough of a threat to his supremacy. Ryan Peery scored his eighth triumph of the 2021 campaign and swept the Pacific Sport Mod Showdown. It is his [Read More]

Haudenshild Tribute IMCA Modified win is ‘something special’ for DeBenedetti

By Stephanie Deatherage WHITE CITY, Ore. (June 12) – An IMCA Modified driver who’s won a lot of big races in his career won one he described as “something special” Saturday night. Jon DeBenedetti was in and out of the lead before taking the $2,000 checkers at Southern Oregon Speedway’s eighth annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute. The new Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier had put an engine purchased out of a car that Haudenshild had sponsored into his own ride just the day before. “We put it in Friday and won with it on Saturday. That was pretty cool,” DeBenedetti said. “I told (the previous owner) I’d buy it and win with it and that’s exactly what I did.” He’d started third in the 30-lapper and fell back to fifth before running the inside line back to second, behind Zach Fettinger. DeBenedetti’s first pass to the front was negated by caution but he moved ahead following the next restart, on lap 13. Californian Darrell Hughes II saw his bold move rewarded with the front spot [Read More]

Braaten back in victory lane at Southern Oregon

By Ben Deatherage WHITE CITY, Ore. (June 5) – The first repeat winner of the 2021 season at Southern Oregon Speedway emerged from the Saturday night Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature, as Jorddon Braaten scored his second straight victory at the White City facility. Braaten now has three wins in KMJ Performance Oregon State competition and five overall in the current campaign. Billy Richey and Branden Wilson were second and third, respectively. Yreka, Calif., teen Ryan Peery posted a fourth-place result followed by Matt Sanders in fifth.

Southern Oregon Speedway roars back to life

By Ben Deatherage WHITE CITY, Ore. (May 29) – The last time the clay was shredded at Southern Oregon Speedway was on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. Since then, the facility had laid dormant and quiet as a tomb. But that all changed as a new era of racing began on Saturday, May 29, as the White City clay oval roared back to life and IMCA feature wins belonged to Craig Cassell and Jorddon Braaten. Craig Cassell made the tow all the way from Albany well worth it as he mastered the IMCA Modified field for his first win at SOS. Nick Trenchard was second followed by Albert Gill in third. The rest of the top five was made up of Zach Fettinger and Jesse Bailey, in fourth and fifth, respectively. The Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods witnessed as a familiar face graced victory lane. Jorddon Braaten got the job done in the main event. He now has four wins on the current campaign and two in the KMJ Performance Oregon State competition. Matt Sanders was the [Read More]

New promotional team sets the bar high at Southern Oregon

WHITE CITY, Ore. – The bar will be set high at Southern Oregon Speedway. Idle for all of 2020, the 3/8-mile dirt oval at White City re-opens with a new promotional team in place and both IMCA Modifieds and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods on race night programs. Just seven weeks will separate Travis Hoppes and the Southern Oregon Motorsports team from being having been selected to operate the track to opening night on May 29. IMCA Modifieds and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods will run on select Friday and regular Saturday race programs through Sept. 18. “We want this to be the number one facility on the West Coast,” Hoppes said, in the midst of extensive facility-wide improvements. “We want to make everything here look good and we want to show our drivers and fans that we care.” Built as a 3/8-mile oval, the track has been extended and reshaped to its original configuration. Renovations, largely focused on safety, include additional lighting, replacement of concrete walls and upgrading of catch fences. Pitside grandstands have been moved [Read More]

Bailey impresses at Southern Oregon

By Don Martin II WHITE CITY, Ore. (Aug. 17) – Jesse Bailey scored an impressive win in the 25-lap IMCA Modified feature Saturday at Southern Oregon Speedway. Bailey made an impressive outside groove effort that gained him the lead late in the race. Not even in the top five with 10 laps left, Bailey began working the higher line before a lap 20 yellow flag bunched the field. On the restart, Bailey was making his a bid to move into second as another yellow flag flew. Andy Freeman led Bailey and Jeremy Richey on the ensuing restart. Bailey made a high pass in turn four of the 24th lap to finally get the lead and eventual victory. Jorddon Braaten won the 20-lap Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature from the 10th starting spot. He’d also won his heat race and the trophy dash earlier in the evening. Hall Of Fame Night saw Markey James, Jim Walker Sr., Jay McCleary, Sam Dykes, Dave Shinn and Freddy Higginbotham inducted into the Southern Oregon Racing Hall of Fame during intermission. [Read More]

Southern Oregon win to Winebarger on night two of Wild West Modified Shootout

By Ben Deatherage WHITE CITY, Ore. (June 22) – Another defending race winner was first to the checkers, on night two of the Wild West IMCA Modified Shootout Collen Winebarger topped Saturday’s main event at Southern Oregon Speedway, gaining a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth with the $1,000 victory, his series second in a row at White City. Kellen Chadwick took full advantage of his pole starting spot, taking the lead early and remaining there much of the race. Chadwick cruised until the culminating laps when he was briefly barricaded by traffic. Winebarger managed to cut down Chadwick’s lead and for the first time in the feature put significant pressure on the leader. The two battled briefly until lap 33 when Winebarger edged out in front. Winebarger went on to win the main event, his career fourth Wild West Shootout triumph. Chadwick, Jesse Williamson and Zach Fettinger were next across the stripe, while Jerry Flippo posted a fifth in his series first career feature start. Nick Trenchard had repeated his winning ways on opening [Read More]

Hogge, Braaten are IMCA winners at Southern Oregon’s Haudenshild Tribute

By Don Martin II WHITE CITY, Ore. (June 1) – Another visit to Southern Oregon Speedway resulted in another IMCA Modified victory for Bobby Hogge IV. Hogge won the seventh annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute race for the IMCA Modifieds Saturday at White City. The California speedster piloted his backup car to the Modified checkers and drove a Paul Guglielmoni-owned late model to the winner’s circle as well. “This is a track that can be challenging because of its unique characteristics. You’ve got to pay attention there as a driver,” said Hogge, who’d won the R. Charles Snyder Salute at Southern Oregon last September and was already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. “It was definitely a good night for us. We went home happy campers.” Hogge had drawn the pole with Crack The Whip winner Nick Trenchard starting eighth and trophy dash winner Zach Fettinger lined up in 11th. When the green flag waved, Hogge immediately moved into the lead ahead of rookie Justin Foux and Albert Gill. Two-time defending race winner Trenchard was [Read More]

Hudson, Sanders win IMCA openers at Southern Oregon

By Don Martin II WHITE CITY, Ore. (May 4) – Jeffrey Hudson and Matt Sanders opened the 2019 season with IMCA feature wins Saturday at Southern Oregon Speedway. Hudson, the 2018 sprint car runner-up, landed a full-time ride in an IMCA Modified for this season. He took the lead from rookie Justin Foux early on and held off the rapidly approaching Mark Wauge for the win. The last 16 laps went without a yellow flag and Hudson had a good lead, but Wauge slowly began to chip away at the advantage. The laps ran out, however, before Wauge could get close enough to attempt a pass. Sanders beat race long leader Justin McCreadie back to the line in a photo finish to win the 20 lap Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod main, contested by 21 drivers. McCreadie led Sanders on a lap 16 restart as Jorddon Braaten raced past Rich McCoy for third. Sanders got a run on McCreadie on the final lap, they exited the fourth turn side by side and it was too close [Read More]