InsideGroove - Race Report

FREEDOM SERIES OPENS MONDAY NIGHT IN CHOWCHILLA

Chowchilla, CA -- The 2004 Freedom Series, a three race mini season consisting of three holiday themed events, will open Monday night at 6 PM at Chowchilla Speedway. The dirt modifieds, super street stocks and hobby stocks will be the three divisions racing. Because Tuesday is a work day, the racing will start early at 6 PM and will be pushed along for an early conclusion. Pill draw closes at 4:30 for the qualifying heat starting assignments.

George Steitz has promoted this series in both 2002 and 2003, but the dramatic increase in his son Garrett's racing activities with Friday night racing at the now IMCA sanctioned Watsonville Speedway adding to his Saturday night runs made it physically impossible for him to devote time to this project. Chowchilla Speedway promoters Tom and Cindy Sagmiller did not want the holiday race concept to die and want to continue Chowchilla's strong history as a special event venue so they elected to continue the series themselves. They have posted the strong event purses that the series has seen from it's inception as the dirt modified feature will pay $1000 to win followed by $500, $300 and $250 for the next three finishers with decent payback through the field. The super street stock purse is $800 to win followed by $400, $250 and $150 for the next three spots. The hobby stock winner collects $500 and second is worth $250. All purse money will be paid in the pit area at the conclusion of each race night and the series will also have a point fund for the top drivers. The other two dates are Friday July 2 and Monday Sept 6.

Charles Paul from Porterville is the defending Freedom Series dirt modified champion and he has a new dirt modified that has never been raced. Paul is also racing in the super street stock ranks at Bakersfield this season. Bradley Pounds was second in points in 2003, but is now living in Tennessee. Wins in 2003 went to Paul, Steve Pemberton and 2002 Freedom Series champion Jim Pettit II. The dates work around Pettit's NASCAR Southwest Series schedule so look for him to make his dirt track season debut. Pettit was the 2002 Freedom Series champion ahead of Kellen Chadwick and Eric Jacobsen. Jacobsen only ran two of the three races that season, but won both and Nick Caughman Jr won the first ever Freedom Series main event.

Watsonville Speedway regular Chris Messmer was the 2003 Freedom Series super street stock champion with a win, a second and a third. Messmer has an incredible record at the track going in 2004 with five wins and a second as he paces the season point standings. Nathan Corn and Billy Macedo were 2-3 in points last year, but Corn has moved up to the limited late model action this year. California State Street Stock Series champion Rich Denman and Johnny Cardoza won the other two races in 2003 and Darrell Hughes took the Freedom Series title in 2002 as he, Cardoza and Paul shared the three feature wins.

Chowchilla Speedway's own Jimmy Brewer was 2003 Freedom Series titlest in the hobby stocks as he won all three legs. Robby Sawyer finished second in points ahead of Corey Gilmore. Sawyer has moved up to the super street stock ranks in 2004 and is battling for the Bakersfield track title along with posting two wins in Hanford. He is a likely super street stock entrant on Monday night. I hear that Gilmore is now drag racing. Phil Indihar was the 2002 hobby stock titlest with two wins in the three races. Jay Connelly won the first ever Freedom Series race for the hobby stocks back in 2002. Indihar pretty much owns a car for every class so he could appear anywhere, but has been an IMCA Modified regular in 2004.

The series has always drawn support from surrounding area tracks like Chico, Petaluma, Antioch, Merced, Hanford, Bakersfield, Watsonville and Santa Maria and that should again be the case this year. Participation in the Monday racing pretty much rides on surviving the previous nights of the busy holiday weekends as the super street stocks will be racing leg 1 and leg 2 of their four race, four track series at Santa Maria on Saturday night and Merced Sunday night. Some of the drivers expected to be racing on Monday night include dirt modified stars Paul Stone, Marcus Aue, Richard Papenhausen, Duane Cleveland, Pettit, Chadwick and Brad Coelho. The super street stock field should be headed by Messmer, Denman, Cardoza, Hughes, Paul Pelletier, Darren Thomas, Rick Watterworth, Sawyer, Jeremiah VanScoy and young 16 year old sensation Steven Hannah. Track regulars Brewer and Marshall Weaver will lead the hobby stock contingent, but several cars from Bakersfield are expected including current point leader Richie McGowan, who won the big Steitz November race in Chowchilla in 2003.

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