From Bill Sullivan, Handy Racing Promotions Inc.
PLACERVILLE, CA – The much anticipated schedule has been released for the 2010 racing season at Placerville Speedway has been released by the office of Handy Racing Promotions Incorporated, management group for the quarter-mile clay oval located on the El Dorado County Fairgrounds.
As Placerville Speedway enters its landmark 45th year of continuous operation in the Sierra Foothills, the new schedule assembled by promoter Alan Handy features a wide variety of racing divisions throughout the year during the Red Hawk Casino – Hoosier Tires – Coors Light – Pepsi Cola championship season.
A new addition to the season schedule at Placerville Speedway will kick off the season to come on Saturday night, March 6th with the first ever “Play Night” will take place. This event will allow drivers to test and tune their cars for the year to come on a prepared track surface. Admission will be free to spectators that want to get a sneak peak at the freshly built race cars to be in competition starting later in the month.
On Saturday night, March 20th the season opens with the competition Hoosier Racing Tires California Sprint Car Civil War Series. This 15 race series will make four appearances at Placerville throughout the year, including the championship finale that will crown the champion and close the season on September 25th.
On March 27th, the Golden State Challenge King of California Sprint Car Series will come to town to begin its competitive traveling campaign that spans California and the Pacific Northwest in 2010. The fire breathing 410 sprint cars will return for a total of three races during the year, including the series final on August 21st.
On Saturday, April 3 the weekly Red Hawk Casino Championship Series will begin for Placerville’s three weekly divisions including winged 360 cubic inch sprint cars, limited late models and pure stocks. A total of 26 events will complete the season schedule at Placerville Speedway in 2010, 17 of those events will be point racing events under the sponsorship of Red Hawk Casino. The three weekly divisions will compete for additional point funds in the year to come with some $20,000 allocated for the year end payouts for the weekly championship titles.
High caliber events during the season will include the annual Mark Forni Classic. This annual event pays $5,000 to win in honor of the late long time car owner, sponsor and fair board member. After much debate and numerous requests by race teams throughout the year the fifth rendition of this special night will operate under an eligibility program for the first time.
For a driver to be eligible to win the big bonus money on this night they must compete in six previous point races or Civil War races at Placerville Speedway prior to the Forni Classic. For each point race drivers compete in they will be awards one point towards their the Mark Forni Classic eligibility. Every driver with six eligibility points prior to the event will be eligible for the high pay off, should he or she claim the victory on July 17th.
The eligibility requirement for the Mark Forni Classic is designed to reward those drivers that show their support for Placerville Speedway and the business community. Additionally, the point program will create much “hype” and anticipation leading up to the event as drivers who become eligible during the early part of the season.
The second high paying event of the year will be the Annual “Family Auto Center Tribute to Al Hinds” on Saturday, July 31. This event will be a Civil War Series race, paying $3000 to the winner courtesy of the local auto dealership that has paid tribute to the late race promoter that was known for building a relationship between the speedway and the business community shortly after the track opened in 1965. The day includes a huge car show and free fan bbq at the dealership.
Kids night returns to the speedway on Saturday, August 14. This night will feature children’s bicycle races and free admission for youngsters. The event will take place in conjunction with the annual Placerville Police Officers Association Destruction Derby that takes place the next day at the fairgrounds. In addition to free admission to the speedway that night, they will also receive complimentary tickets to the annual derby courtesy of the local law enforcement charity.
Throughout the season a variety of guest divisions will join the weekly divisions at Placerville Speedway. Topping the list of visiting divisions will be the Joe Hunt Magneto Wingless Sprint Car Series. This year the wingless warriors will compete in four different events at Placerville Speedway in a special point series that includes an equal number of events at both Marysville Raceway Park and Silver Dollar Speedway. Both Handy and MRP Promoter Paul Hawes have put this series together to promote one of California’s most popular divisions.
The Nor Cal Dwarf Cars will return to Placerville Speedway during 2010 for several events. The Bay Cities Racing Association will bring both their Midget and Midget Lites to the facility throughout the year as well. On many of the nights the BCRA will be on hand they will be joined by the growing Capital City Midget tour to make an outstanding car count for each event.
As the 2010 racing season nears, sponsorship opportunities are available at various levels. Among the opportunities will be nightly event sponsorships in which a business owner can sponsor a night at the races. These events offer a great deal of local advertising at a reasonable rate and include ticket packages for the sponsoring business as well.
At this early time in the season, community business nights already on the calendar include special nights recognizing Doug Veerkamp General Engineering, Carl’s Jr. Restaurant, Food 4Less-Nugget Markets, Arnolds for Awards and Vicini Engineering.
For the complete 2010 racing schedule at Placerville Speedway, visit the track’s official website at www.placervillespeedway.com. For additional information on sponsorship opportunities contact Bill Sullivan, Communications Director for Handy Racing Promotions at bsullivan@handyracingpromotions.com. The track office can be reached at (916) 969-7484 to answer any of your questions regarding the upcoming season or sponsorship opportunities as well.
DATE DAY EVENT DIVISIONS
MAR 6 SAT PLAY NIGHT – Tentative ALL DIVISIONS – Evening Play Night
MAR 20 SAT CALIFORNIA SPRINT CAR CIVIL WAR SERIES 360 SPRINTS, DWARF CARS
MAR 27 SAT GOLDEN STATE CHALLENGE – KING OF CALIFORNIA SPRINT CAR SERIES 410 SPRINTS
APR 3 SAT POINT RACE #1 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS
APR 10 SAT TOTALLY WINGLESSS & POINT RACE #2 BCRA MIDGETS, MIDGET LITES, WINGLESS SPRINTS*, PURE STOCKS
APR 17 SAT POINT RACE #3 “Doug Veerkamp Engineering Night” 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODLES, PURE STOCKS
APR 24 SAT POINT RACE #4 “Carls Jr. Night” 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS, DWARF CARS
MAY 1 SAT CALIFORNIA SPRINT CAR CIVIL WAR SERIES 360 SPRINTS
MAY 8 SAT POINT RACE #5 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS, MIDGET LITES
MAY 15 SAT POINT RACE #6 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS, DWARF CARS
MAY 22 SAT POINT RACE #7 “Arnolds for Awards Night” 360 SPRINTS, LTD LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS
MAY 29 SAT NO RACES
JUN 5 SAT GOLDEN STATE CHALLENGE – KING OF CALIFORNIA SPRINT CAR SERIES 410 SPRINTS, BCRA MIDGETS
JUN 12 SAT POINT RACE #8 “Food 4 Less-Nugget Markets Night” 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS, WINGLESS SPRINTS*
JUN 19 SAT NO RACES – ELDORADO COUNTY FAIR
JUN 26 SAT POINT RACE #9 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS, DWARF CARS
JUN 30 WED WILD WINGED WEDNESDAY TBA
JUL 4 SUN POINT RACE #10″Fireworks” 360 SPRINTS,LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS
JUL 10 SAT POINT RACE #11 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS, DWARF CARS
JUL 17 SAT POINT RACE #12 “Mark Forni Classic”** 360 SPRINTS ($5,000 to Win), LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS
JUNL 24 SAT POINT RACE #13 LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS, WINGLESS SPRINTS*, DIRT MODIFIEDS
JUL 31 SAT CALIFORNIA SPRINT CAR CIVIL WAR SERIES “Family Auto Tribute to Al Hinds” 360 SPRINTS ($3,000 to Win)
AUG 7 SAT TOTALLY WINGLESS & POINT RACE #14 BCRA MIDGETS, MIDGET LITES, WINGLESS SPRINTS*, DWARF CARS
AUG 14 SAT POINT RACE #15 “Kid’s Night at the Races” 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS
AUG 15 SUN DESTRUCTION DERBY PLACERVILLE POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
AUG 21 SAT GOLDEN STATE CHALLENGE – KING OF CALIFORNIA SPRINT CAR SERIES 410 SPRINTS, MIDGET LITES
AUG 28 SAT POINT RACE #16 “Vicini Engineering Night” 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS
SEP 4 SAT POINT RACE #17 360 SPRINTS, LTD. LATE MODELS, PURE STOCKS, DWARF CARS
SEP 25 SAT CALIFORNIA SPRINT CAR CIVIL WAR SERIES 360 SPRINTS, MIDGET LITES