Northern California Racing Association just completed its 40th year at Lakeport Speedway. It is rare that a race car driver’s club can survive that long in this day and age. And as NCRA celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2006, it will strive to continue to bring the best side-by-side racing on the west coast.
Lakeport Speedway is a small quarter-mile paved oval located at the Lake County Fairgrounds. It has a unique pit area and grandstand seating that allows race fans to reach out and almost touch the race cars as they speed by.
NCRA’s four regular divisions include the modifieds, mini stocks, bombers and modified bombers. New to the speedway this year were the L.A. Cruisers .... where a driver can only run one lap in the lead before he has to "move it on over" to the outside groove. "Grandpa" Paul Lauenroth earned the championship in this special division at the distinguished age of 64. The youngest cruiser driver was 14 year old Colby Hicks.
In NCRA’s premiere modified division Terry McIntire captured his second consecutive championship, and although he never won a feature event, he set fast time eight times and finished second more than any other driver. Aaron Hicks, Derrick Crayford and Bob Strauss won three main events each and finished second, fourth, and sixth respectively in points. Other seasonal feature event winners with one each were Todd Coburn (Red/White/Blue series), Lance Blacker, David Furia, Danny Bishop, Thomas Wright (RWB) and Darrin Knight (RWB).
With five rookie drivers in the mini stock class it was easy pickin’s for Kelly Gray who finished 214 points ahead of Billy Shaul to claim his first championship. Gray lost the championship in 2004 when his car was protested by another driver and found to be illegal. Gray was the winner of seven main events and had 12 fast times. Rod Gard, who won three main events, crashed his car at mid season and finished out the season sitting in the grandstands. Shaul won rookie of the year honors and claimed two feature wins. Jonathon Reynolds also won two features and Kevin Barba had a single season victory.
The bomber class continues to grow, and although Eric Johnson was the dominant force this year it was Scott Griffin who came out on top to win the championship. Griffin had two wins and set fast time six times. Second place runner Jimmy Sorrels had three wins and took six trophy dashes. Johnson’s record was impressive with eight feature victories and nine fast times, but Johnson’s car was protested at mid-season and he lost one night’s points in the outcome. Other main event winners were Richie Schwarm (two) and Robert Byers (one).
Kyle Medina was the one to beat in the modified bombers, and in regular season action he set fast time 14 times and captured 11 out of 14 feature events. 2005 is Medina’s first championship in his third season of racing. 2004 champ Charlie Collins finished second to Medina and had two wins, and Darren Tubbs was the other feature winners. The modified bomber division will graduate to street stocks in 2006, will have more performance items, and will not run passengers.
Special events were added to spice up the season, including the Airport Auto Brokers late model series, the Pro-4 modifieds, the Bay Cities Racing Association midgets and vintage midgets, the Legends Cars of the Pacific, the NCMA Sprint Cars, the North State Late Model Tour Series, the Nostalgic Race Car Group, and the Goofy Boat Races.
The second year of the "Goofy boat races" produced the three largest crowds of the season. The June event saw 12 boats in tow and the winner was L.A. Cruiser driver Rick Bryant. July’s boat race produced 15 boats with Nickolie Rhodes the $250 winner. A record number of 25 boats were in the pits for the September event with 23 taking the green flag, and it was the team of Don Presler and Richie Schramm who dazzled the crowd with their marine-style gymnastics. Due to the nature of the event, the 2006 boat races will be named the "Eve of Destruction."
The 8th Annual INEX Spring Nationals for Legends Cars saw Zachery Kavert set fast time and win Friday’s main. Ryan Partridge was Saturday’s feature winner, and young Martin McKeefery took Sunday’s 40 lapper. Other winners in the Legends Cars of the Pacific Series included Frankie Marks and Kelly Martin.
The Pro-4 modifieds enjoyed seven points races at Lakeport and 2005 champ Ken Gifford won five, Chris Straka won one and the other was rained out. Gifford broke the track record three times in 2005, lowering it to 12.983 on September 17.
Bay Cities Racing Association held three midget shows at Lakeport in 2005. John Sarale won the first event, Mike Hubert III captured the July show, and Ryan Kaplan came out on top in the August race. In the NCMA Sprint Cars Scott Holloway broke his own track record and it now stands at 12.576 seconds. The feature event was rained out after Rob Hammond and Pat Ariaz won the heat races.
The North State Challenge Series visited twice last season and on June 11 Mike Doss set a new track record of 11.695 and won that event. It was Derek Thorn the big winner of the second NSCS race. The Airport Auto Brokers late models had its first event rained out. Winners of the next three features were Dale Preston, Mike Doss and Jeremy Hopkins.
The 3rd annual Marlene Baker Memorial Bomber Bash #10 was the only September event at Lakeport Speedway and $600 winners were Eric Johnson of Kelseyville in the bomber division and 2005 champion Kyle Medina of Lakeport in the modified bomber class.
Post season events in 2005 included the Western States Modified Nationals, a three-track series that also included Redwood Acres Raceway and Shasta Raceway Park. Jay Linstroth of Citrus Heights was the overall winner of this series. This event, as well as the Lakeport / Shasta Bomber Challenge were a part of the 16th annual October Classic. Jeremy Donahoo of Hopland was the winner at both speedways to chalk up the Lakeport/Shasta Challenge.
Seven classes of race cars supported the October Classic with 140 cars in attendance. New to the classic this year were the "Bonus Bombers. This division was voted the best show of the weekend with 36 drivers entered. October Classic winners were Todd Coburn in the modified division, Todd Carmichael in the late models, Kevin Barba in the mini stocks, Donahoo in the bombers, Charlie Collins in the modified bomber class, Ken Gifford in the Pro-4 modifieds, and Kenny Grinols in the bonus bombers.
The 2006 season opens on Saturday, April 15 with the NCRA Modifieds, Mini Stocks, Bombers, Modified bombers and L.A. Cruisers. Bomber Bash #11 is slated for September 16, and the 17th annual October Classic will be held on October 13, 14 and 15. The complete schedule, as well as the class rules, can be found at www.lakeportspeedway.com
