By Gary Thomas
Petaluma, CA – April 14, 2010…The Golden State Challenge King of California Series will kick-off a three-week trek to facilities featuring coastal climates beginning this Saturday night with many of the top 410 sprint car drivers in Northern California set to invade the always entertaining Petaluma Speedway.
The 3/8 mile clay oval located on the Sonoma-Marin County Fairgrounds has become a welcome stop for the traveling circuit and will be the fourth round of action in the 25-race fight for the King of California title. The tacky and hooked-up speedway has often produced exciting competition over the last few years, as lapped traffic seems to create some of the most hectic racing towards the front of the field of any track on tour.
This weekend’s event will be the 10th visit to Petaluma Speedway since the Golden State Challenge Series brought 410 racing back to the track in 2005 and will also be the first of three season stops, with the other appearances coming on Friday May 28 and Saturday July 31. Last year’s two events at the 3/8 mile clay oval were captured by defending King of California Tyler Walker, as he held off a late charge from Jonathan Allard in the April round and then made a mid-race pass of Brent Kaeding to claim the victory in August.
Despite having his two-race win streak snapped last Saturday night two-time King of California Jonathan Allard continues to sit on top of the Golden State Challenge Series standings going into the weekend. The Chico native leads all drivers with three victories at the 3/8 mile clay oval since 2005 and always seems to run strong at the track. Last week Allard was battling for the lead early in the main event at the Tulare Thunderbowl until contact sent him spinning and forced him to the rear of the field, where he would charge all the way back to finish fifth aboard the Williams Motorsports, Platinum Powder Coating No. 0 to maintain his point lead.
The only driver other than Allard to have finished among the top-five in each of the first three races this season is Campbell’s Brent Kaeding, who currently sits second in the standings and is just six-digits back of the lead. The 13-time King of California has surprisingly not won at the Petaluma Speedway since the return in ’05, but as noted did finish runner-up last August at the track after leading the first half of the main event. Last Saturday night “BK” drove his Al’s Roofing Supply, Williams Roofing No. 69 to a fourth place finish at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway and will be searching for his first win of the year on Saturday.
Moving up to third in the Golden State Challenge Sprint Car standings after Tulare is Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs, who last year won the dash and finished fourth in the main event during the August visit to Petaluma Speedway. Although not an official record the 23-year-old also turned the fastest lap recorded in the history of the track that same night, by ripping off an 11.902 during a heat race win, which was under the track record of 11.990 set by Tyler Walker in qualifying. Suggs is coming off a sixth place effort last Saturday and will be looking for his first career GSC win this weekend in the Suggs Racing, HoservilleCA No. 33e.
Former King of California Jason Statler of Grass Valley currently sits fourth in the Golden State Challenge Series standings and is just two-points behind Suggs for the third spot. The driver of the DF Rios Construction, Stephanie’s Custom Interiors No. 00 finished eighth in the main event last Saturday night after being involved in a lap one yellow and having to restart at the rear. The Petaluma Speedway was the site of Statler’s most recent GSC victory, which came in June of 2008 and was also the track he won his very first Northern Auto Racing Club feature at, with that triumph coming during Speedweek 1996.
Coming into Petaluma with momentum on his side is Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson, who has made his way to fifth in the Golden State Challenge points and is just five-markers back of third and 21 out of the lead. Last Saturday the 17-year-old scored his second career series victory and by winning his heat race also scored maximum points for the night, as he attempts to become the youngest King of California in GSC history behind the wheel of the Stadelhofer Construction, Peppermill Casino No. 99. Throughout his young career Larson has been very successful at Petaluma Speedway and last season picked-up finishes of third and fourth in the two GSC stops at the 3/8 mile clay oval.
After suffering a dnf last weekend Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan dropped three spots in the standings and now ranks sixth at the helm of his Racing for the Troops, World Environmental No. 26b. The defending Silver Dollar Speedway track champion qualified second quickest in the field last Saturday in Tulare and was running fifth in the feature when issues, reportedly following contact with the wall, forced him to the pits on lap three. Prior to this past weekend McMahan had finished in the top-five during the two previous races on the season with GSC and will look to rebound in Petaluma on Saturday.
Currently seventh in the standings and just 10-points out of the top-five is West Linn, Oregon racer Zach Zimmerly, who tallied a season-best seventh place finish this past Saturday night at the Tulare Thunderbowl aboard the Mcmillen Motorsports, Level One Concrete No. 94 sprinter. Last September the 15-year-old scored a big victory at the Petaluma Speedway with the California Sprint Car Civil War Series and by doing so also became the second youngest winner in the history of the traveling 360 tour.
Two-time and defending Petaluma Speedway track champion Alissa Geving of Penngrove ranks eighth in the Golden State Challenge Sprint Car Series standings going into her home track on Saturday. The 18-year-old two weeks ago tied her career best series finish by driving the Chicko Motorsports, Tillett Tool No. 3x to a sixth place finish in the main event. Last weekend Geving picked-up a dominating heat race victory in her first 410 appearance at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare.
Campbell’s Bud Kaeding comes into Petaluma following a runner-up finish last weekend in Tulare, while making a start in the Roth Motorsports, HR Cattle No. 83jr machine. The three-time and defending USAC K&N Silver Crown Series champion won the dash and led a number of laps in the feature at the Thunderbowl, until Larson was able to make his way past with just under 10-laps remaining to grab the win away. Kaeding last year had a strong season with the Golden State Challenge Series scoring two victories and nine top-five finishes in 15 starts. The 30-year-old was also a winner with the tour at the Petaluma Speedway in April of 2008.
Other possibilities this weekend will include Roseville’s Colby Copeland, American Canyon’s Matthew Davis, Chico’s Kenny Allen, Nevada City’s Pat Harvey, Rio Vista’s Dan and Danielle Simpson, Calistoga’s Mike Benson and more.
The front gate is scheduled to open at 4:30 pm on Saturday with all seating being general admission. Adult tickets will be $16, juniors $12, seniors 65 and older $10 and children 5 and under free. The Petaluma Speedway is located in the southern part of the wine country at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds just off Highway 101 in Petaluma, California. For more information visit http://www.petaluma-speedway.com
Get well Brandon Carey- We would like send our best wishes to Golden State Challenge Series driver Brandon Carey of Ripon, who suffered a knee injury while playing softball last week and is expected to miss the remainder of the GSC season. At the April Petaluma Speedway visit last year Carey led the first 15-laps in the main event, before finishing fifth at the checkered. The No. 55 sprinter will be missed at the track each week, but we want to wish him the best in his recovery and look forward to having him back in action as soon as possible.
Coming up- The Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series will make a visit next Saturday night April 24 to the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, which will be followed by a trip to the Santa Maria Speedway on Saturday May 1 for the second annual Doug Fort Memorial. After that the traveling circuit will then head for its cornerstone event on Saturday evening May 8 for the 20th running of the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway.
For the full point standings, results, a schedule of events and all your info on the Golden State Challenge Series please visit us on the web at http://www.goldenstatechallengeseries.com