Even though Michael Paul Jr. didn't win Saturday night's 25-lap Dirt Modified feature, despite a valiant attempt that resulted in six exciting late-race lead changes with the eventual winner Joel Myers, the Petaluma driver reached a plateau never before achieved in the storied history of 51-year-old Petaluma Speedway — winning an unprecedented fifth-straight track championship, and the sixth of his career.
On the list of all-time track achievements, only Ed Sans Jr., who earned six titles in the Late Models, and David Lindt Jr., who won five 360 Sprint Car and one Dirt Modified crown, have won as many championships, but neither of those memorable drivers ever captured five straight.
In another category, Paul Jr., and his father, Michael Paul Sr., have combined for an unparalleled nine track championships, the most for one family.
“I just go out and try to win races, the points are an afterthought,” said Paul.
He challenged Myers for five breathtaking laps as Myers repeatedly denied Paul's bid. After taking, then losing. the lead on three consecutive laps, Paul got too high in Turn 4, and slipped to a third-place finish when Nick DeCarlo grabbed the spot with two laps to go.
Winning the battle gave Myers a clean sweep for the night, and resulted in the Santa Rosa driver's first repeat win of his career. A great run on a tired old motor nicknamed “Tombstone” lifted Myers to within seven points of All-Pro Series second-place finisher Oreste Gonella in the final point standings. Gonella finished fourth, behind Myers, DeCarlo and Paul Jr. David Lindt II was fifth.
Just one week after leaving the Speedway with his wrecked sprint car strapped to a flatbed trailer, 16-year-old, fourth-generation racer Chase Johnson of Penngrove led every lap of the winged 360 Sprint Car feature to capture his first-ever victory. The Petaluma High School junior, with a long racing pedigree, ran most of the race in lapped traffic, forcing his closest pursuer, defending champion Bradley Terrell, to play catch-up for most of the race. Several yellow flags near the end tightened the field but Johnson responded with the precision of an experienced veteran in turning away Terrell.
“I was just trying to be smart and patient, and be as smooth as possible,” noted 2010 rookie-of-the-year Johnson, who gave up playing football at Petaluma High to concentrate on a racing career that began as a 5-year-old competing in go-karts, and has resulted in six karting championships.
Joining a long legacy of family racers, Chase is the great-grandson of both highly-regarded sprint car owner Pete Bellotti, and BCRA Midget Hall-of-Famer Johnny Franklin, the grandson of Nor-Cal Midget ace Bobby Johnson, and the son of Don Johnson, who competed in sprint cars at Petaluma Speedway along with his brother, Rob Johnson.
Finishing third was Billy Aton, followed by Roberto Kirby and fast-qualifier, and soon-to-be 20-year-old, Alissa Geving, who with one All-Pro points race remaining, clinched her third track championship.
In the Late Models, Morgan Hill's Jeff Decker has a virtual lock on his second consecutive track title, with one race to go, but you never know what will happen. He also looked like a sure winner in the 25-lap feature race where he was gunning for his third straight win, and had led every lap from the pole with Chico's Richard Papenhausen never far behind him.
With Decker guarding the bottom, Papenhausen poured on the power and got the traction he needed to sweep around the outside and surge past the defending champ to win the event by a tenth-of-a-second for his second victory of the season. Papenhausen and Decker were the only cars in the 12-car field to complete the full 25 laps, with Paul Guglielmoni placing a distant third, Clarke Guglielmoni finishing fourth and 32-year racing veteran Rod Arnold coming in fifth.
With three races remaining in the All-Pro Series season, the Super Stock division is gearing up for a championship showdown between reigning champion Steve Studebaker of Santa Rosa and Petaluma's Steve Dempsey, who trails Studebaker by just five points.
Studebaker was in a good spot to increase his points lead, which stood at 13 points entering the 25-lap feature, as he led the initial 10 laps until Rick Karnes edged into the front spot ahead of him and Dempsey. Dempsey grabbed second place from Studebaker on Lap 15, and two laps later got underneath Karnes in Turn 2 for the lead.
In two of Dempsey's previous three wins Studebaker finished second, but this time, as both drivers came out of Turn 4 heading for the finish line, Studebaker uncharacteristically slid sideways, and dropped from second to fifth place, as Michelle Byron, David Spriggs and “Ironman” Shawn McCoy swept past.
The victory was Dempsey's division-leading fourth in seven races, with Studebaker owning the other three wins.
Even though Michael Paul Jr. didn't win Saturday night's 25-lap Dirt Modified feature, despite a valiant attempt that resulted in six exciting late-race lead changes with the eventual winner Joel Myers, the Petaluma driver reached a plateau never before achieved in the storied history of 51-year-old Petaluma Speedway — winning an unprecedented fifth-straight track championship, and the sixth of his career.
On the list of all-time track achievements, only Ed Sans Jr., who earned six titles in the Late Models, and David Lindt Jr., who won five 360 Sprint Car and one Dirt Modified crown, have won as many championships, but neither of those memorable drivers ever captured five straight.
In another category, Paul Jr., and his father, Michael Paul Sr., have combined for an unparalleled nine track championships, the most for one family.
“I just go out and try to win races, the points are an afterthought,” said Paul.
He challenged Myers for five breathtaking laps as Myers repeatedly denied Paul's bid. After taking, then losing. the lead on three consecutive laps, Paul got too high in Turn 4, and slipped to a third-place finish when Nick DeCarlo grabbed the spot with two laps to go.
Winning the battle gave Myers a clean sweep for the night, and resulted in the Santa Rosa driver's first repeat win of his career. A great run on a tired old motor nicknamed “Tombstone” lifted Myers to within seven points of All-Pro Series second-place finisher Oreste Gonella in the final point standings. Gonella finished fourth, behind Myers, DeCarlo and Paul Jr. David Lindt II was fifth.
Just one week after leaving the Speedway with his wrecked sprint car strapped to a flatbed trailer, 16-year-old, fourth-generation racer Chase Johnson of Penngrove led every lap of the winged 360 Sprint Car feature to capture his first-ever victory. The Petaluma High School junior, with a long racing pedigree, ran most of the race in lapped traffic, forcing his closest pursuer, defending champion Bradley Terrell, to play catch-up for most of the race. Several yellow flags near the end tightened the field but Johnson responded with the precision of an experienced veteran in turning away Terrell.
“I was just trying to be smart and patient, and be as smooth as possible,” noted 2010 rookie-of-the-year Johnson, who gave up playing football at Petaluma High to concentrate on a racing career that began as a 5-year-old competing in go-karts, and has resulted in six karting championships.
Joining a long legacy of family racers, Chase is the great-grandson of both highly-regarded sprint car owner Pete Bellotti, and BCRA Midget Hall-of-Famer Johnny Franklin, the grandson of Nor-Cal Midget ace Bobby Johnson, and the son of Don Johnson, who competed in sprint cars at Petaluma Speedway along with his brother, Rob Johnson.
Finishing third was Billy Aton, followed by Roberto Kirby and fast-qualifier, and soon-to-be 20-year-old, Alissa Geving, who with one All-Pro points race remaining, clinched her third track championship.
In the Late Models, Morgan Hill's Jeff Decker has a virtual lock on his second consecutive track title, with one race to go, but you never know what will happen. He also looked like a sure winner in the 25-lap feature race where he was gunning for his third straight win, and had led every lap from the pole with Chico's Richard Papenhausen never far behind him.
With Decker guarding the bottom, Papenhausen poured on the power and got the traction he needed to sweep around the outside and surge past the defending champ to win the event by a tenth-of-a-second for his second victory of the season. Papenhausen and Decker were the only cars in the 12-car field to complete the full 25 laps, with Paul Guglielmoni placing a distant third, Clarke Guglielmoni finishing fourth and 32-year racing veteran Rod Arnold coming in fifth.
With three races remaining in the All-Pro Series season, the Super Stock division is gearing up for a championship showdown between reigning champion Steve Studebaker of Santa Rosa and Petaluma's Steve Dempsey, who trails Studebaker by just five points.
Studebaker was in a good spot to increase his points lead, which stood at 13 points entering the 25-lap feature, as he led the initial 10 laps until Rick Karnes edged into the front spot ahead of him and Dempsey. Dempsey grabbed second place from Studebaker on Lap 15, and two laps later got underneath Karnes in Turn 2 for the lead.
In two of Dempsey's previous three wins Studebaker finished second, but this time, as both drivers came out of Turn 4 heading for the finish line, Studebaker uncharacteristically slid sideways, and dropped from second to fifth place, as Michelle Byron, David Spriggs and “Ironman” Shawn McCoy swept past.
The victory was Dempsey's division-leading fourth in seven races, with Studebaker owning the other three wins.
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