This past weekend Bobby Hogge IV won the inaugural California IMCA Modified Speedweek. It’s one more title to the many he’s racked up since he first started racing dirt modifieds in 1994. However, this championship wouldn’t have been possible during normal times.
Hogge earns a living as an insurance adjuster for State Farm. The job typically prevents him from following a tour that races on consecutive nights.
“When they announced the Speedweek, I didn’t think we could compete in it every night,” Hogge, of Salinas, California, said. “Then, a light bulb went off in my head. Because of Covid-19, this might work. My boss said as long as I am productive it doesn’t matter where I am, because I work from home.”
Hogge packed his laptop for work, loaded his hauler with his tools and car, and hit the road with his father. Sponsor Joe Glade also fielded a car for Hogge, which Hogge ran at every event except for the one at Petaluma Speedway.
The inaugural California IMCA Modified Speedweek drew more than 50 cars each night, with the number topping out at 61 one event. Thirty drivers competed in the six events, held at Placerville Speedway, Petaluma, Antioch Speedway, Merced Speedway, Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, and Bakersfield Speedway.
“The competition was great,” Hogge said. “Each driver who won put on a stellar performance.”
With plenty of tires, two strong cars, and a plan, Bobby Hogge IV won the Speedweek championship. He scored one win, four seconds, and a third. With the exception of Hogge’s father, the rest of the family had to stay home. However, they followed his progress thanks to today’s technology.
“My wife and kids were able to watch every race on FloRacing,” said Hogge. “They were in constant communication with us. We made the best of things in an unprecedented time.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
