By Becky B. Wilde & David Prickett
After a long hiatus of competing in the opening night of the prestigious Gold Cup, the fabled Bay Cities Racing Association “Mighty Midgets” continues its 67th season of racing on Wednesday, September 8 when compete at the famous 1/4-mile Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA, opening the prestigious 57th Annual Gold Cup.
Expected entries in the $1,000-to-win, $175-to-start, feature event include an arsenal past champions and race winners including National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member and racing legend Jimmy Sills of Elverta, who won the last two Gold Cup Midget races at Silver Dollar Speedway in 1995 and 1996 who will be wheeling the #17 TNT Racesports Dave Thurston Spike/Esslinger, Chico’s “Rocket” Ryan Kaplan aboard his #20 Spike/Mopar, who claimed the recent BCRA Midget feature at Silver Dollar in August, 7-time BCRA Midget champion “Ageless Wonder” Floyd Alvis of San Carlos aboard his #83 Champion Automotive Stealth/Wesmar Gaerte, 2008 BCRA Midget champion and current BCRA points leader “Young Lion” Nick Foster, Jr. of San Jose aboard Jim Fowler’s Zero-Zero Motorsports’ #1 “Blue Bayoo” Windows Unlimited Beast/Esslinger, 2009 BCRA champion “Mr. Excitement” David Prickett of Fresno aboard the Neverlift Motorsports Manitowoc-Press Box #15 Spike/Van Dyne, 1999 BCRA Midget champion Matt Streeter of Galt aboard his #14jr T&T Trucking/Delta Demolition Spike/Fontana Rhino, three-time 2010 BCRA feature winner Greg Bragg of Visalia aboard Dave LaMott’s #0 HotHead Engine Heaters Stealth/Bob Wirth Honda and former BCRA car owner champion Bill Lindsey of San Carlos in Stu Donaldson’s #5b Farajian Farms-Rite Way Wheels Ellis/Pontiac.
Other expected entries include multiple time Sprint Car and Midget winner and past Chicli Biwl Midget nationals champion Corey “The Cruiser” Kruseman of Ventura aboard his #21k Spike/Mopar, Pleasanton’s Pete Davis aboard his #00 HotHead Engine Heaters Stealth/Esslinger, Chris Ennis in Calvin Martens’ #97 Spike/Fontana, Chico’s Dillon Silverman in the RAM Racing #12 Stealth/RRE Chevy EcoTec, Tom Doherty in the Chris Walker-Bay Muffler #10 Stealth/Esslinger, Stockton’s Jonathan Henry aboard the Graundstadt Enterprises #88 Ellis/Fontana, Ryan Shupe in the Chris Walker-Bay Muffler #40 Stealth/Esslinger, Cameron Park’s Lonny Alton in Lana Alton’s #5a Stealth/SCREAM SuperFocus, Danny Parker aboard Bob Roza’s #28 Stealth/Esslinger, Angwin’s Britton Bock aboard his #67 TCR/Esslinger, Shingle Springs’ Rick Young aboard the RAM Racing #14 “Pink Lady” Spike/RRE Chevy EcoTec, Carson City, Nevada’s J.R. Williams aboard his #74 Stealth/RRE Chevy EcoTec, Chico’s own Robbie Whitchurch in his #82 Stealth/Gaerte, Anderson’s Rick Faeth in his own #3 Beast/V4 and Travis Haugh of Butte Valley aboard grandfather Rich’s #5h Maxim/Gaerte.
Still unannounced is the driver in the Neverlift Motorsports #15x TCR/Van Dyne that has been driven by 2009 Champion David Prickett thus far this year – rumors abound that a World of Outlaws Sprint Car star will be chauffeuring that mount.
Silverman claimed the 2010 ASCS Midgets Silver Dollar Speedway championship, scoring three feature victories. Haugh was a two-time Silver Dollar Speedway ASCS Midget feature winner, claiming second in the SDS points. Bock and Young also scored ASCS feature wins at SDS in 2010.
The race will be the 17th of 21 total races and second of two BCRA Midget appearances at Silver Dollar Speedway in 2010. The race is the twelfth of 13 Dirt races on the 2010 BCRA Midget schedule.
Joining the Midgets on opening night of the 57th Annual Gold Cup will be the California Civil War series 360 Sprint Cars and the Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprint Car Shootout series. Wednesday’s racing program is general admission with no reserved seating.
On Thursday through Saturday the nation’s best drivers come together with the best of California as the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Tour concludes its annual Gold Rush Tour at Silver Dollar Speedway. Saturday’s Gold Cup finale pays a monstrous $50,000 to the WoO Saturday A-main winner. For Gold Cup ticket information, visit www.handyracingpromotions.com or call the Silver Dollar Speedway track business office at (916) 969-7484. Visit www.silverdollarspeedway.com for information on Silver Dollar Speedway and www.bcraracing.com for information on the BCRA Midgets.