Using his front row starting position to maximum advantage, Upper Lake’s Jeremy Doss was able to snatch the early lead in Saturday’s Spears Manufacturing SRL Southwest Tour Sunnyvalley Smoked Meats 125 at the Stockton 99 Speedway where he spent the rest of the race fending off multiple challengers to earn the checkered flag.

First to threaten Doss was Bakersfield’s Derek Thorn, who came into Stockton leading in the season point standings while riding a three race winning streak.

Thorn, the night’s fast qualifier, started the race along side of Manteca’s Ross Strmiska in the second row after the pre race invert draw came up a four. Thorn quickly moved into the second spot, staying glued to the tail of Doss throughout the first half of the race.

Thorn finally attempted to slip under Doss coming out of turn #4 on lap 70, but was unable to hold his line when the two cars rubbed. Doss was able to continue, but Thorn went for a spin bringing out a yellow caution.

“I got a run on him (Doss) on the back straight and I tried to go low just when he went down to lap a car and we touched,” explained a frustrated Thorn after the race. “I was already on the edge and when he hit me and I went around. We ended up on the short end of the stick tonight.”

With Thorn no longer in the picture it was Manteca’s Jacob Gomes who now looked to get past Doss when the race resumed.

Gomes patiently stalked Doss for the next 45 laps before making his move with 10 laps to go. He was able to get along side of Doss, but Gomes was never able to complete the pass and was forced to settle for a hard-earned second place.

“We ran hard all night and saved the car as much as we could. I tried to hang back a little early because I knew we would have some cautions at the end,” said Jacobs. ‘We reeled him in late and I tried as hard as could to dive it underneath, but I couldn’t make it stick and I didn’t want to mess both of us up.”

The win was the second of the season for Doss.

“Man, that was a hard race. I really had to work for it,” said a happy Doss. “We were able to hold off Thorn and by the end my car was worn down. I was really nervous when Jacobs came at me. I thought he might get me but I was really fortunate to just hold him off.”

Pole sitter Brandon White, of Eureka, held on for third despite losing brakes while Garrett Archer of Black Diamond, WA, Strmiska and Thorn rounded out the top six.

“We just couldn’t get track position. The restarts were major and I kept getting stuck on the bottom for the restarts which wasn’t the place to be,” said Strmiska. “Once we got spread out we were as fast as anybody.”

Doss now holds a 1005 to 987 lead over Thorn in the season standings heading to round #7 on the 10-race SRL schedule at Irwindale Speedway on Aug. 16.



Reichmuth wins

Pure Stock

Starting from the pole Stockton’s Guido Bindi held the lead for the opening third of the 30-lap Pure Stock feature, but the night would belong to Manteca’s Joseph Reichmuth who had his car dialed in perfectly.

Started in the third row, Reichmuth quickly carved his way to the front of the field where he then made short work of Bindi, easily going below him through turns 3 and 4. 

Reichmuth was never threatened for the rest of the event as he cruised to his second win of the year over Bindi and Stockton’s Donny Darter.

“Our car was on rails tonight. I could just pick my line and go anywhere I wanted to and the car would stick,” said Reichmuth. “Everyone is fast in this class so you really enjoy it when you have a night like this. It is fun to win in this class.”

In the 30-lap NCMA Sprint feature, Tracy’s David Burchett grabbed the lead on the third lap and held off Modesto’s Ed Amador and Fresno’s Audra Sasselli to take the victory.

In the B-4 division, Stockton drivers Marc Jacke and David Kong battled it out to the finish with Jacke taking the win by half a car length.

Next Saturday, Aug. 2, the action shifts to the Stockton Dirt Track where the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series, Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprint Car Series and CSRA Vintage Super Modifieds & Champ Cars will be competing.



Manteca native Scott

Speed in qualifier

Manteca native Scott Speed needed a strong run in the last chance qualifier to make his way into Saturday’s Red Bull Global Rallycross final at Charlotte, NC.

Speed, driving the #77 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Polo R, was in contention for a podium finish in the final until Nelson Piquet Jr. made a brilliant late race move through the joker to take third place behind race winner Ken Block and Sverre Isachsen.

Speed, who suffered a DQ in the previous race in New York, was forced to settle for fifth and now trails Piquet by a 227 to 181 point margin in the driver standings heading into the next GRC event in Daytona, FL on Saturday August 23rd.

“We had a few mechanical issues in the final race that luckily didn’t hold us too far back, but it definitely made it difficult to pass,” said Speed. “Championships aren’t won on the days when you are the fastest, but when you limit the amount of damage. I am glad to have these two races behind us and I’m looking forward to jumping back in the car in Daytona.”