RETURN TO ROSEVILLE WILL BE A ‘HOMECOMING’ FOR MANY PERSONNEL

The NASCAR Camping World Series West is set to kick off its 55th season on Saturday, March 29, at All American Speedway – a track that last featured the West’s oldest stock car racing circuit more than 25 years ago.

The historic track – located on the Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville, Calif. – hosted five NASCAR Camping World Series West events between 1977 and 1982. This race marks a return to familiar territory for many personnel who currently travel the circuit.

John Krebs, who serves as a team manager for Jack Sellers Racing and still lives in Roseville, competed in several of those NASCAR Camping World Series West races. He registered top-10 finishes in 1978 and 1982, along with a 17th-place finish in 1979. He went on to make 150 career starts in the NASCAR Camping World Series overall.

Krebs also competed at All American Speedway in the NASCAR Southwest Tour, during its inaugural year in 1986. He did double duty that entire season, finishing eighth in the NASCAR Camping World Series West championship standings and sixth in the final standings of the NASCAR Southwest Tour. Krebs also competed at Roseville in the Limited Sportsman class in the 1980s.

Car owner John Borneman also competed in a couple of the NASCAR Camping World Series West events at Roseville. Borneman, whose son Johnny now wheels the family entry, finished 12th in 1978 and 16th in 1977.

For veteran driver Jim Inglebright (No. 1 Jelly Belly Chevrolet) of Fairfield, Calif., this event marks the return to a track where he made the transition from racing motorcycles to stock cars. He captured back-to-back titles in the Pro Stock class, beginning with a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship in 1991.

“It feels good coming out here,” Inglebright said during a test day at the track earlier this month. “I’m anxious to get out on the track again. It’s a different race track from what I ran back in the day, but it’s still Roseville.”

Inglebright has fond memories of the fan support he developed at All American Speedway. “It’s like coming back home,” he said. “It’s like you become part of your fans’ family. They start rooting for you and you interact with them. It’s really special. I don’t know if any of the fans from the 90s will be out here. I hope to see some of them.”

Before relinquishing his role as a driver, Bill McAnally had won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship in the Pro Stock class at Roseville in 1990. His introduction to stock car racing had come while he was working at the fairgrounds track in 1986. McAnally, who still lives less than five miles from the track, heads up Bill McAnally Racing in nearby Antelope, Calif. – with three full-time teams in the NASCAR Camping World Series and four teams racing in the Late Model class of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at All American Speedway.

Another Roseville resident, Mike Naake made his initial mark in racing while competing there as a teenager. He was one of the top contenders in the Limited Sportsman class at Roseville in the early 1980s. He spent the 1986 season out of the driver’s seat, working as a technical inspector at the speedway. Naake now runs Naake Suspension Specialists in Roseville and heads up the Motorway Motorsports team in the NASCAR Camping World Series.

Various other personnel currently involved in the series also have ties to the Roseville track. Before becoming a driver and multi-team car owner on the NASCAR Camping World Series West circuit in 1985, Jack Sellers raced in the Street Stock class at All American Speedway in 1982. Steve Portenga, who has raced in 79 NASCAR Camping World Series events and now serves as crew chief for the Golden Gate Racing Team, captured headlines at Roseville when he won the “Rose Classic” race in 1992.

Car owner and crew chief Rob Dixon spent many Saturdays at All American Speedway, working on McAnally’s team. Chuck Carruthers, team manager and crew chief for Jim Warn with MJ2Racing, built cars and served as a crew chief for multi-time Roseville champion Ed Gibber in the late 1980s. Prior to becoming a crew chief for one of BMR’s teams, Duane Knorr was the crew chief for Street Stock champion Doug Wade in mid 1990s.

Tony Toranto – who now handles the show car duties for BMR – experienced success at All American Speedway in the Street Stock class, winning the rookie title and the championship in 1986. He later graduated to the Pro Stock class there. His brother, Andy, wrenched on his car at Roseville for many years and now works at the Motorway Motorsports team.

NASCAR Camping World Series West media coordinator Kevin Green fulfilled several roles at All American Speedway. He worked with several different race teams at the track in the early 1980s. He served as the track’s public relations coordinator in a part-time capacity on weekends for several years (1986-1988). Green returned to the track as a driver in 1992 to compete in the Street Stock class, where he won the rookie title and finished second in the championship standings. He graduated a year later to Pro Stocks, where he won the Rookie of the Year Award.

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