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- Written by: Nadine Strauss
WILLIAMS, Calif. – The sixth annual awards banquet honoring the top 10 drivers in the 2019 North State Modified Series, or NSMS, presented by Protect the Harvest was held Saturday night at Granzella's Banquet Facility in Williams.
Business Manager Nadine Strauss acted as master of ceremonies. Speakers were Rick Avila representing the “2018-19 Driving Out Cancer” tour, Shasta Speedway promoter Dave Twyman, and NASCAR official Butch Schafer. Series promoters Jeff Stephens and Bob Strauss talked about the future of modified racing, the 2020 rules, and racing schedule.
The Ferrari-Kramer racing team was crowned NSMS champion. The championship team consisted of two different drivers, Robbie Knittel of Lodi for the first half of the 12-race season, and veteran driver Scott Winters of Tracy piloting the car for the second half.
Knittel was on fire at the start of the season. Third time out in the new car he placed third at Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka. At the next race he was the winner at Stockton 99 Speedway. He came back to Madera Speedway the next race, set fast time and won the feature event there. But then problems with his wife’s pregnancy forced him to hand the driving duties over to Winters.
For many years Winters was a top-runner with the southern-based Lucas Oil Modified Series. During his run with NSMS he set new track records at Madera Speedway, Redwood Acres, and Shasta Speedway. He also won the race at Madera and had six other top 5 finishes in only six races. The team took home $1200 in cash plus a $1000 Lucas Oil products certificate. Plus all team members received Championship Hoosier Tires racing jackets.
Second place honors went to Cameron Austin of Santa Rosa. Austin was the points leader until a mechanical break of the car’s third link gave him a bad finish with only two races left in the season.
Nevertheless in 2019 he set fast time four times, and set a new track record at Redwood Acres Raceway. He had back-to-back wins at All American Speedway in Roseville and Redwood Acres in July. He placed second four times and third four times. Austin only had one finish out of the top five.
Finishing third this year was three-time NSMS champion Darrin Knight of Kelseyville. Knight was the only three-time winner in 2019 – claiming wins at Stockton 99 Speedway, Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Oregon, and at Redwood Acres Raceway. He captured nine top five finishes which included the three wins and three seconds.
Fourth place overall went to another two-man racing team, Ian Elliott of Lakeport and Terry Deal from Roseville. Elliott drove most of the time, but Deal filled in for a couple of events.
Elliot was the 2018 NSMS Rookie of the Year and finished ninth. This season he won two Lucas Oil Dashes for Cash. In main event action he finished fourth once, fifth once, sixth twice, seventh twice, an eighth and a ninth. Elliott also set fast time at Stockton 99 at the April race.
Deal finished a solid fourth in Eureka and had two top 10 finishes. Deal recently moved to Tennessee and sold the car to Elliott. Elliott will be piloting the car full time in 2020.
Ending up in fifth in 2019 was Darrin Sullivan of Kelseyville. Sullivan was the 2016 Rookie of the Year. He was the fastest car at Stockton 99 in June, finished fourth three times, fifth once, and had five other top 10 finishes. He is one of the four drivers whose name is inscribed on the perpetual “Lloyd Burton Challenge” trophy.
Finishing in sixth place was Keith Bloom of Redding. This young man was chosen by Bob Lehman, one of the “industries greats”, to drive his modified. He had previous dirt-track experience before he moved on to the asphalt NSMS modifieds. He won the Lucas Oil Dash for Cash five times. His best 2019 finish was a fifth place. Out of the 12 races, he finished in the top 10 – 10 times.
Seventh place went to Rick Avila of Pleasanton. Avila drove the zebra-striped car and was the NSMS “Driving Out Cancer” spokesperson. Avila placed 10th in points last year and was proud of it. He bettered that record in 2019 and placed in the top 10 three times. He also earned the “Hard Charger Award at the All American Speedway in Roseville.
Jason Philpot of Sacramento finished eighth. In 2016 Philpot won more races than any other driver. In 2019 he was the big winner at the Shasta Speedway Fair race. He never finished lower than eighth, and had seven top five finishes this season.
Ninth place overall went to Sal Lopez of Sacramento. Although he’s raced with North State since 2014, this is the first time Sal finished in the top ten. Our oldest driver at the age of 75, but he still managed to have six top 10 finishes in 2019. Lopez earned the Most Improved Driver award, an embroidered jacket from Sonoco Racing Fuels.
Rich Cobb of Klamath Falls, Oregon rounded out the 2019 top 10 NSMS drivers. Cobb earned the “Hard Charger” award at the June race at Stockton 99 Speedway. He was the winner of the Lucas Oil Dash for Cash at the Shasta Speedway Fair race. During the season he had two top five finishes and four other top 10 finishes.
The top six drivers present at the awards ceremony collected Lucas Oil Product certificates. Lopez took home a new Five Star Modified body. Other North State Modified drivers in attendance were Oregon’s Randy Houston and Kelseyville’s Jeremy Nowlin. They received products courtesy of Five Star and Scribner Plastics.
Recognition also went to all the NSMS officials as well as the series sponsors Protect the Harvest, Lucas Oil, Hoosier Tire West, Mort Houston, Naake Suspension, Sunoco Race Fuels, Five Star Bodies, Racer Bling, Keyser Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, and Frank's Radios.
The North State Modified Series begins its 2020 season at Madera Speedway on April 11. The entire schedule can be found on the North State Modified Series Facebook page.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
OLIVEHURST, Calif. – On Saturday, Jan. 25, the Clear Lake Cardinals sent 20 wrestlers – 16 boys and four girls – to compete in the Jason White Memorial Wrestling Tournament.
With 34 teams entered, most from the Sac Joaquin Section, there were some very exciting matches and great battles.
The Cardinals finished with 15 wrestlers in the top four places and took home 12 medals: five firsts, three seconds, four thirds and three more finished in fourth place.
This week the Cardinals went to Lindhurst High School to honor Jason White, a former student who sacrificed his life in order to save others in a school shooting.
It was a great day of wrestling. The team had many breakthroughs with all of the wrestlers showing their growth and development over the season.
The cardinals had five tournament champions.
Hernan Romero continues to be a dominant force on the mat always keeping the match on his terms. When he shoots he doesn't stop till he gets his points.
Liam Davis showed excellent balance and intensity in a thrilling finals match. With an extensive background in grappling sports, he is exciting and unpredictable on the mat. He has a great grasp on how to control his opponents.
Hayden Fowler showed great finesse and technique throughout the tournament. He was making moves look easy. In his finals match, he had a close exciting victory over his teammate and workout partner. It's great to have partners that can push each other to get better together.
Ashley Pyorre was a great show of dominance, toughness and sheer mental will power by overcoming any and all obstacles in front of her! We are all very excited to see the waves she makes at North Coast Sections.
“Vicente Ortega had an awesome day, experiencing his first championship victory,” said Head Coach Nathan Powers. “As a first-year wrestler with only two months, he has shown accelerated growth in the sport. He is a natural-born wrestler with still a lot to learn. I have high confidence he will have much more success as he continues to develop.”
Gold medalists:
Boys – Hernan Romero (128 lbs.), Vicente Ortega (140 lbs.) and Liam Davis (147 lbs.) each went 3-0 with two pins. Hayden Fowler (134 lbs.) went 3-0 with a tech fall.
Girls – Ashley Pyorre (108 lbs.) was 2-0 with two pins.
Silver medalists:
Boys – Ayden Williamson (128 lbs.) and Nicholas Williamson (134 lbs.) each went 2-1 with two pins.
Girls – Tara Wong (103 lbs.) was 1-1 with one pin.
Bronze medalists:
Boys – Mohammad Akbari (128 lbs.) went 3-1 with two pins and a tech fall. Elijah Alvarez (140 lbs.) was 3-1 with one pin. Christopher Krack was at (197 lbs.).
Girls – Ximena Soto (128 lbs.) went 1-2.
Fourth place:
Boys – Asher Reese (115 lbs.) was 2-2 with two pins. Raymond Gonzales-Shoaf (222 lbs.) went 1-2 and Mavis Pyorre (128 lbs.) was pulled from the tournament due to injury.
Also wrestling some tough matches for the Cardinals were Luis Aguilar, Victor Ortega, Samuel Vanoven, Zachary Wilcox and Drake Chesebro.
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- Written by: Nadine Strauss
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The 53rd annual Northern California Racing Association awards banquet honoring the top Lakeport Speedway drivers of 2019 was held Saturday night at the Kelseyville Lions Clubhouse.
NCRA Director Curtis Clauson and former race promoter Blair Aiken acted as masters of ceremonies.
NCRA President Bob Strauss opened the program with his words of wisdom, stating that Lakeport Speedway is “magic.”
The 2019 Modified Championship went to Eric Johnson of Kelseyville. During last season Johnson set fast time and was the feature winner on July 27. He also took home two trophy dash wins.
The Taco Bell Bomber championship was claimed by Lauren Snider of Kelseyville. He was the quickest qualifier three times during 2019, had two dash wins and captured the main event on opening night.
Eight-year-old Landyn Snider earned the championship in the Bandolero class. He clocked in the fastest three out of the five events he raced, and finished second in all five.
Codi Winchel of Rohnert Park, the Legends Car champion, was not present at the ceremonies, but his accomplishments were mentioned including three feature wins.
The top five bomber drivers not only received a cup trophy but were presented with a 3 foot by 5 foot banner displaying their race car.
The top five included Snider, Mike Sullivan, Rick Jelton, David Jones and Trevor Abella.
Positions six through 10 were presented with a personalized plaque. They were John McCullough, Evan Smith, Seth Chew, Amber Portlock and Forrest Kuecker.
Similar awards were presented to the top 10 in the modified class. Receiving those awards were Johnson, Michael Snider, Darrin Sulllivan, Chris Salmina, Richard Knight, Jeremy Nowlin, Anthony Esburg, Ian Elliott, Michael Knight and Robert Schmidt.
Special recognition went to all the Lakeport Speedway officials, the Redwood Acres Raceway officials who helped all season long, and he track sponsors – Taco Bell, Anderson Logging, BiCoastal Media, Hillside Powersports and Marine, D & P Pools, Clearlake Redi-Mix, Napa Auto Parts, Perkins Septic Tanks, Steve Taylor Excavation, Snap-on Tools, Wicked Sounds and Lake County Tribal Health.
At the conclusion of the ceremonies, Gary Wielen, treasurer of the Kelseyville Lions Club, presented NCRA business manager Nadine Strauss with a check for $400 towards sponsorship for 2020.
Wielen said his club considered NCRA and the Kelseyville Lions partners, and looks forward to a long and resourceful relationship at Lakeport Speedway.
The 2020 auto racing season at Lakeport Speedway begins on April 25. The schedule can be found on the NCRA-Lakeport Speedway Facebook page.
California Outdoors: Keeping a red-eared slider, hunting on private property, steelhead report cards
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Question: I was fishing for stripers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta near Courtland and inadvertently caught a red-eared slider via hook and line. Could I have kept the turtle? (Anonymous)
Answer: Yes, you could have kept it. As per the California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 5.60, there are three non-native subspecies of turtles that are legal to fish for and keep: red-eared sliders, painted turtles and spiny softshell turtles. You will need a sportfishing license to take any of these, but there is a year-round season and no limit for them. Turtles may be taken by hook and line, as per CCR Title 14, section 2.00 and 5.60(e)(3).
The presence of red-eared sliders in waterways is typically due to careless pet owners who release the turtles into the wild when they don't want them anymore. Now they compete against native turtle species, such as the western pond turtle, which is protected.
So be sure you know your turtles! If you were to inadvertently catch a western pond turtle or any turtle other than red-eared sliders, painted turtles and spiny softshell turtles, you would have to return it to the water immediately.
Hunting on private property
Question: I have recently been granted access to a 21-acre parcel of private property in Corralitos in Santa Cruz County. Can I legally go in there with whatever tags I have for the game I'm after and dispatch legally via archery? Is it allowed per county regulations? (Joshua)
Answer: Sounds like a great opportunity! There are a few legal considerations to keep in mind. First, please note that some local jurisdictions prohibit discharge of a firearm in certain areas. Check local ordinances to be sure you're in compliance with those.
In Corralitos, we'd suggest that you start with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department, if your hunt site is in the undeveloped area of the city. If the property is within the incorporated area, check with the City of Corralitos Police Department.
Second, assuming it's ok to hunt on this particular piece of private property, you must still abide by all state, federal and local laws. California Fish and Game Code (FGC), section 3004, prohibits hunters from discharging a firearm or bow and arrow or other deadly weapon within 150 yards of a neighbor's dwelling, residence or other building or barn. As you noted in your question, you'll also need all appropriate tags and validations for the game you plan on taking, in addition to a valid hunting license.
Third, FGC, section 2016, requires hunters to obtain written permission from the landowner prior to hunting on private land. You can use this form to obtain written permission. Be sure to have the signed permission with you while hunting.
Fourth, be mindful when hunting near property boundaries. Animals taken via archery often travel farther after being wounded than those shot with a rifle. The law does not permit hunters to enter another person's property to retrieve game. If you shoot an animal that dies on property you don't have access to, call 1-888-334-CalTIP.
Finally, remember that being granted access to private land is a privilege. Being courteous and respectful of the property and its owners can go a long way in ensuring future hunting opportunities for yourself and, indirectly, for the larger hunting community. Happy hunting!
Steelhead report cards
Question: Where do I buy a steelhead report card? (Jim)
Answer: You can get a steelhead report card online through ALDS, or from any license agent or California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) license sales office. Basically anywhere you can buy a fishing license, you can get the report card!
Report cards purchased online will be shipped by mail and are not available for immediate use (allow 15 days for delivery). The period to report is Jan. 1-31 of the following year. Please remember that you are required to report all of your fishing activity and effort of the previous year (Jan. 1 through Dec. 31) – even if you didn't go fishing, didn't keep any steelhead you caught or were not successful in your fishing efforts.
This data is still valuable to our fisheries biologists! The information submitted by anglers helps guide the development of fisheries management and regulatory decisions, and enables biologists to track angling trends over time. More information about steelhead report cards can be found on the CDFW website.
If you have a question for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, email