Chowchilla’s Jeff Streeter ends drought at Merced Speedway

Chowchilla racer Jeff Streeter found Victory Lane at Merced Speedway on April 16, ending a drought that seemed as long as the one affecting his crop-dusting business. He dueled with Winton’s Paul Stone and emerged victorious in the International Motor Contest Association modified stock car main event.

“It was exciting to win again; there’s no better feeling to win at my home track,” Streeter said. “It was also a thrill to experience the last two laps from the driver’s seat.”

Streeter’s car seemed to slow after he led Stone through the early circuits of the 20-lap feature. Stone passed him on the outside near the race’s midway point. Then, a lapped car driven by Jerry Corn of Oakhurst closed off Stone’s lane with two laps to go.

“I stuck to the inside of the track,” Streeter said. “I saw the slow car moving higher on the track and getting into Paul’s lane. I knew I would soon have an opportunity to pass them.”

Streeter charged into the lead with one lap to go.

“I hung on as I hit a small bump and moved up a groove,” he said. “Stone was right there alongside me. He’s a great driver, and I knew we wouldn’t wreck. He put the pressure on right to the checkered flag.”

Stone thought he had the race won before encountering Corn.

“I came back to get alongside Jeff on the white-flag lap, but it was too late; I couldn’t get by him in just one lap. The track was great – there were two fast lanes, and either car could pass on the inside or outside.”

Streeter won two features at Merced Speedway in 2013, when he would travel as far as Iowa to race in IMCA modified stock car competition.

“The drought nearly killed my business,” Streeter lamented. Some Valley farmers cut back on vegetable acreage, and others switched to crops such as almonds and pistachios, resulting in less aerial spraying.

“I had to cut back on my racing and concentrate on keeping the business going,” he explained.

Streeter, 36, has been racing for 20 years, including in NASCAR as a part-time Busch Series driver in 2001 and ’03. This season, he is hoping to race at Merced Speedway on most weekends and head to the IMCA Super Nationals in September.

The science of setting up a new car has Streeter and his crew busy through the week preparing for Saturday night racing. He has raced his new car five times.

“I totally missed the setup (of the chassis) the first week of the season, and we faded halfway through the feature,” he said. “This week we were a little off, but I have a base setup for the track now.”

Saturday night will be a rematch between Streeter and Stone. Streeter will have a slight disadvantage because of the IMCA’s handicapping rules.

“I’ll be starting further back in the pack,” he said. “The challenge is to make the car work and stay out of trouble.”

Hobby Stocks added to Saturday’s program – A lot will be on the line for Hobby Stock drivers Saturday night at Merced Speedway. Their division was added to the program to make up for a rainout two weeks ago. The top 10 finishers in this week’s main event will be qualified for the Ted Stofle Classic on April 30.

Saturday night’s program will be the largest of the young season with all five of the speedway’s divisions on the card. The IMCA Modified, IMCA SportMod, Valley Sportsman and Mini-Stock divisions will complement the Hobby Stock division.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for those 65 and older, $10 for students with a valid student-identification card, $5 for children 6-12 and $30 for a family four-pack of two adult and two child tickets. Children 5 and younger are admitted free.

The grandstand will open at 5 p.m., with racing beginning at 7 p.m. Merced Speedway is located within the Merced County Fairgrounds, 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, in Merced.

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Chowchilla’s Jeff Streeter ends drought at Merced Speedway."