Foulger, Clymens, Robles and Oreta are winners

By Don Martin II                                Photography by Paul Gould

Troy Foulger won the 20 lap A Modified Main Event.  This was Foulger’s first visit of the season after wrapping up the Merced Speedway championship, and the four-time Antioch champion looked good in victory behind the wheel of the Bowers Racing Modified.  Reigning champion Nick DeCarlo took the lead from Buddy Kniss on the second lap.  Foulger quickly moved into second, and he and DeCarlo traded slide job passes for the next few laps.  Following a lap eight yellow flag, Foulger raced into the lead on the restart.  DeCarlo had a push exiting Turn 4 on lap 10, and Jeff Decker raced by on the inside for second.  However, Foulger drove a flawless race and won ahead of Decker, DeCarlo, new champion Buddy Kniss and Justin Gant.

Trevor Clymens won the 20 lap B Modified Main Event.  This was he third win of the season for the two-time champion.  He charged into the lead when the green flag waved on the non-stop race. Trevor Clymens ran a fast pace and built up a straightaway advantage over Kevin Brown by the time the race ended.  Troy Foulger and point leader Tommy Fraser had a close battle for third, and Fraser finally made the pass in Turn 2 on lap 15 to grab the championship clinching third place finish.  Foulger and Tommy Clymens Jr rounded out the Top 5.

Kimo Oreta won the 17th Annual Chet Thomson Memorial Hardtop race Saturday night at Antioch Speedway.  The race had to be restarted after front row starters Joel Hannagan and Tommy Thomson bumped wheels racing to the green flag.  Hannagan was eliminated as Thomson spun into one of the big infield tires.  Terry DeCarlo led the restart.  An outside pass on the backstretch on the third lap gained Oreta the lead.  Oreta pulled away to a big lead as DeCarlo and Ken Retzloff battled fiercely for second.  A yellow flag for debris bunched the field on lap 15 and erased Oreta’s lead.  However, Oreta resumed command on the restart and brought it home to an impressive victory.  DeCarlo held off Retzloff for second as Thomson and Matt Dragoon completed the Top 5.

Oreta returned later to win the 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event.  This was the sixth win of the season for Oreta as he clinched his second championship in the last three seasons.  Michael Burch led the first five laps before Oreta charged by in Turn 4 to take over.  Mike Gustafson made a low pass in Turn 4 of the ninth lap to take second, and Jon Haney spun in Turn 4 for the only yellow flag on lap 11.  Oreta continued to lead on the restart as Ryan Cherezian took second from Gustafson.  Oreta ran smoothly down the stretch and held off Cherezian for the win.  Gustafson settled for third ahead of Mike Walko and Haney.

Jason Robles won the 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event.  This was his first win of the season. Robles had a front row start and charged into the lead ahead of Will Buirch and point leader Chris Sorensen.  They ran 18 laps without a yellow flag, and a slower car in the path of the second place battle allowed Sorensen to make an inside move on the front stretch for the lead.  However, the close contact racing left debris on the track.  A yellow flag waved, negating Sorensen’s pass as there is no racing to the yellow flag.  Robles led the restart and brought it home to the checkered flag.  Buirch had a career best second ahead of Sorensen, Breanna Troen and Ken Johns.