By Gary Thomas
Marysville, CA – July 19, 2010…The extremely tight battle for the 2010 King of California crown between Campbell’s Brent Kaeding and Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson will invade the Marysville Raceway Park this Saturday night with the Golden State Challenge Series bringing 410 sprint cars back to the quarter-mile track for the first time in 11-years.
Since taking over the Marysville Raceway Park promoters Paul and Kathy Hawes have made a number of improvements to the track and facility, which is located about 45 miles north of Sacramento and 50 miles south of Chico. The most recent 410 sprint car event at the bullring came during Northern Auto Racing Club Speedweek 1999, which was won by the now retired Steve Kent of Fresno.
This Saturday’s event will be Round 22 for the Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series and will be the start of the final three-race swing for the circuit that travels throughout Northern & Central California and into Oregon. What started back in March at the Placerville Speedway is nearing its end and for the second straight year the fight for the championship has come down to the wire.
The Marysville Raceway Park is set to be the 12th different facility that the Golden State Challenge Series will compete at this year and coming into it just four-markers separate the top-two in the standings.
Thirteen-time King of California Brent Kaeding continues to sit on top of the point standings and goes into the Marysville bullring still in search of his first victory of the 2010 season at the helm of his famed Al’s Roofing Supply, High Five Pizza No. 69 sprinter. The National Sprint Hall of Fame Member is coming off a runner up finish last Saturday at the Antioch Speedway and will to take the momentum into this weekend, as he looks to stay atop the series standings with one of the west coast’s brightest young stars nipping at his heels.
Fresh off his fourth Golden State Challenge Series victory of the year Kyle Larson will be trying to close the gap even further, after cutting five-points off the margin following his win at Antioch Speedway aboard the Stadelhofer Construction, Peppermill Casino-Reno No. 99 machine. The 17-year-old is currently tied with Jonathan Allard for the most top-five finishes this year with the series and has been one of the hottest drivers in the west this season, having claimed a total of seven victories thus far in 2010.
Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs has moved to third in the standings and will be looking to build off a solid run last weekend in Antioch, where he was able to pass cars on a tricky surface at the helm of his Suggs Racing, Lucas Oil Products No. 33e sprinter. The 23-year-old driver will make his first ever Marysville Raceway Park appearance this Saturday looking to score his first ever Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series victory.
Other possibilities for this Saturday will include Grass Valley’s Jason Statler, Elk Grove’s Sean and Bobby McMahan, Penngrove’s Alissa Geving, Placerville’s Andy Gregg, American Canyon’s Matthew Davis, Yuba City’s Korey Lovell, Colfax’s Colby Wiesz, Rio Vista’s Dan and Danielle Simpson, Spark’s Nevada’s Mike Monahan and more.
The front gate will open at 5pm on Saturday night with hot laps scheduled for 6 and qualifying and racing to follow. Adult tickets will be $18; juniors, seniors & active military with id $15; kids six to 12 will be $10 and children five and under free. The Marysville Raceway Park is a quarter-mile clay oval and is located in Marysville, California. From the junction of Hwy 70 and Hwy 20 (12th Street), go 1/4 mile east on Hwy 20. Turn south onto Ramirez Road for 1.5 miles.
More information on the Marysville Raceway Park can be found at http://www.marysvilleracewaypark.com/index.html
Up next- After competing in Marysville this Saturday the Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series will then get a weekend off next week, before returning to action on Saturday night August 7 at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, CA. Following that another week off will be seen the following weekend, prior to heading to Placerville for championship night on Saturday August 21.
For the full point standings and more on the Golden State Challenge Series visit http://www.goldenstatechallengeseries.com