10/11/2024
Antioch Speedway
Pearce Wins Bill Bowers Memorial Race Saturday Night At Antioch Speedway
By Candice Martin
Antioch, CA...October 5...Andrew Pearce of Oakley won the 49 lap IMCA Modified Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The occasion was the Fifth Annual Bill Bowers Memorial. The win was worth $1,500 and a special winner's flannel jacket in memory of Bowers. Pearce won the Main Event Friday night as well.
Bobby Hogge IV started on the front row and was looking for his second win in this event. The Salinas competitor charged into the early lead ahead of Pearce and last year's winner, Troy Foulger of Oakley. An outside pass on the front stretch gained Foulger second on Lap 8. The yellow flag waved moments later for a Chris Long spin in Turn 4. Hogge continued to lead the restart with Pearce moving back into second. Hogge slowed in Turn 3 as Pearce and Foulger raced by. The yellow flag ended up waving on Lap 9 for Hogge.
Pearce led Foulger and Kellen Chadwick of Oakley on the restart. Following a yellow flag on Lap 16 for Vacaville's Randy Shafer in Turn 2, Chadwick moved past Foulger for second on the restart. However, Pearce was running a smooth race up front. A yellow flag waved for the final time on Lap 23 for Clark Gugliemoni in Turn 4. Pearce continued to lead with Chadwick and Foulger not too far behind him. Running close was one thing, but Chadwick and Foulger couldn't find the way around the consistent Pearce. Pearce brought it home to a well-earned victory ahead of Chadwick, Foulger, Nick DeCarlo of Martinez and Cody Burke of Salinas.
Jason Ryan Jr of Oakley won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event. The win was worth $1,000 and made it a clean sweep of the Bowers Memorial weekend events for the 2024 championship runner up. After the heat races, Ryan thought he discovered a major motor issue that would force him to borrow a car for the feature. However, Modified racer Tyler Browne found the solution and Ryan drove his own car.
Tanner Thomas of Atwater set the early pace with Brentwood's Trevor Clymens making a Turn 2 pass on Brent Curran of Twain Harte to grab second on Lap 2. Clymens made an outside pass on the backstretch on the third lap to take the lead. Most of the drivers were running the outside line, and a yellow flag waved for James Graessle of Antioch, who spun right in front of Clymens in Turn 4 on the 10th lap. The restart lap saw Thomas break a right front suspension part and hit the Turn 1 wall for a yellow flag.
On the restart, Clymens led Ryan and Danny Wagner of Bay Point. Ryan went to work on Clymans in his effort to take the lead before making an inside pass on Lap 13. A final yellow flag flew on Lap 17. However, Ryan wouldn't let that slow him down as he maintained command and brought it home to victory. Wagner made an inside pass in Turn 4 on Lap 19 to take second as Clymens settled for third ahead of Matthew Hagio of Prunedale and Buddy Kniss of Oakley
Troy Foulger of Oakley won the IMCA Stock Car Main Event. This was a $400 victory for Foulger and his fifth Stock Car win of the season at the track. He now has 77 combined career wins at Antioch.
Terry DeCarlo Jr of Martinez led the opening lap before Foulger went inside on the frontstretch on the fourth lap to take the lead. DeCarlo came back strong on the outside in Turn 1 a lap later to regain the point. However, a high move in Turn 4 the sixth lap settled the matter in favor of Foulger. Foulger stretched his advantage to a straightaway in the non-stop event as DeCarlo settled for second with Carl Barlow of Silver Springs, Nevada the final lead lap finisher in third. Clarence Holbrook III of Galt and Dan Gonderman of Antioch completed the Top 5.
Chester Kniss of Antioch won the 20 lap Pacific Coast Hobby Stock Main Event. Kniss has won Main Events in four different divisions at Antioch, but this was his first win of the season.
Taylor DeCarlo of Martinez jumped into the early lead ahead of Adriane Frost of Watsonville. Following a yellow flag on Lap 1, Frost took the lead from DeCarlo, and an intense battle developed for second between DeCarlo, Aidan Ponciano of Oakley and Kniss. At one point on the sixth lap they went three-wide down the front straightaway with Kniss in the middle. Kniss made a high pass in Turn 4 on Lap 7 to take second, and the yellow flag waved for Ponciano's spin in Turn 2.
On the restart, Kniss took the lead from Frost as Jared Baugh of Pittsburg settled into third. Through several yellow flags during the final 10 circuits, the Top 3 didn't change. Frost was pressuring Kniss for the lead when a yellow flag ended the race on Lap 20. Following Baugh in third were Todd Gomez of Antioch and DeCarlo.
Racing resumes on October 19th with the IMCA Modifieds back in action along with the IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks. For further information, go to http://www.raceantiochspeedway.com.
Race Results
IMCA Modified
Heat Winners Round 1 (8 Laps)-Clark Guglielmoni, Kellen Chadwick. Heat Winners Round 2 (8 Laps)-Bobby Hogge IV, Andrew Pearce. Main Event (49 Laps)-Andrew Pearce, Kellen Chadwick, Troy Foulger, Nick DeCarlo, Cody Burke, Andrew Peckham, Randy McDaniel, Randy Shafer, Clark Guglielmoni, Paul Guglielmoni.
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Heat Winners Round 1 (8 Laps)-Trevor Clymens, Brent Curran. Heat Winners Round 2 (8 Laps)-Tanner Thomas, Danny Wagner. Main Event (20 Laps)-Jason Ryan Jr, Danny Wagner, Trevor Clymens, Matthew Hagio, Buddy Kniss, Haley Gomez, Tommy Clymens Jr, Kelly Campanile, Brent Curran, Joseph Pato.
Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (8 Laps)-Taylor DeCarlo, Adriane Frost, Chester Kniss. Main Event (20 Laps)-Chester Kniss, Adriane Frost, Jared Baugh, Todd Gomez, Taylor DeCarlo, Chris Long, Aidan Ponciano, Trevor Clymens, Michaela Taylor, Jacob Dewsbury.
IMCA Stock Cars
Heat Winners Round 1 (8 Laps)-Troy Foulger, Jacob Dias. Heat Winners Round 2 (8 Laps)-Troy Foulger, Terry DeCarlo Jr. Main Event (20 Laps)-Troy Foulger, Terry DeCarlo Jr, Carl Barlow, Clarence Holbrook III, Dan Gonderman, Royce Goetz, Jacob Dias DNS, Madison Dias DNS, Jason Jennings DNS.
Article Credit: Candice Martin, Photos by Katrina Kniss
Submitted By: Wylie Wade