By Gary Thomas
Marysville, CA – April 27, 2011…The thundering sound of 410 sprint cars will invade Marysville Raceway Park this Saturday night when the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series hits the “Action Track of the West” for the fourth round of action in the 2011 season.
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 just 45 miles north of Sacramento and 50 miles south of Chico.
Last season the Golden State Series brought 410 winged sprint car racing back to the track for the first time since 1999 and it saw eventual champion Kyle Larson of Elk Grove bring home the victory. This year KWS will be looking to bring even more excitement to the track with numerous things planned throughout the evening, including giveaways and driver autographs in the grandstands.
As noted Saturday’s event will be round number four in the battle for the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series championship, which includes a $125,000 cash point fund that will be distributed at season’s end. The series is scheduled to visit 15 different tracks in 2011 and the show in Marysville will be a prelude of what is expected to come at next weekend’s annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial in Chico.
Sitting atop the KWS point standings going into the Marysville Raceway Park is San Jose’s Tim Kaeding, who has won two of the three main events for far this season aboard Dennis & Teresa Roth’s beautiful No. 83 sprint car. Always worth the price of admission wherever he races “TK” captured his 50th career Golden State 410 victory last week and will be searching for three in a row on Saturday night.
Two-time Golden State 410 champion Jonathan Allard has moved to second in the standings after a third place effort last week and will be trying to chip away at Kaeding’s 25-point advantage on Saturday. The driver of the Morrie & Katie Williams No. 0 mount claimed victory in the opening round at Antioch, before an accident on the final lap in Tulare left him with a 17th place finish in week two.
Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs has had a consistent start to the year and currently ranks third in the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series standings while driving his family’s No. 33e machine. A runner up finish on opening night for Suggs has been followed by a pair of top-10 finishes during the ensuing events and places him just six-digits back of Allard for second. Suggs last season finished third in the feature at MRP.
Fan-favorite Jason Statler of Grass Valley comes into Marysville sitting fourth in the Golden State KWS standings. Last season at MRP the “Big Guy” won the dash and led the first seven-laps in the main event, before finishing second to Larson aboard his familiar DF Rios Motorsports No. 00 mount. Statler is also coming off a fast-time effort last week and will be gunning to return to victory lane on Saturday.
Going into the Marysville Raceway Park there is currently a tie for fifth in the standings between Placerville’s Andy Gregg and Campbell’s Brent Kaeding.
Gregg is coming off his best night of the young season last week at Ocean Speedway, where he won a heat race and finished fifth in the main event at the helm of the Bret Ervin Racing No. 53 sprinter. The 7-Industries factory driver claimed his first ever California sprint car victory at MRP in 2007 and will be looking for his initial Golden State KWS win on Saturday.
Brent Kaeding is also fresh off his best outing of the year last weekend, which saw him win the dash and lead the first 11-laps of the main event, before finishing fourth at the conclusion. The driver of the famed Al’s Roofing Supply No. 69 sprinter will return to Marysville Raceway Park this Saturday hoping to break a winless drought with the Golden State 410 Series that dates back to July of 2009.
Completing the top-10 in KWS points coming into Saturday is Sacramento’s Willie Croft, Stockton’s Brad Furr, Fremont’s Brent Bjork and Elk Grove veteran Bobby McMahan. Other drivers expected will include Elk Grove’s Billy Strange Jr., Chico’s Kenny Allen and Brad Bumgarner, Princeton’s Mason Moore, Merced’s Mark Barroso, Gilroy’s Ken Fredenburg, Oakhurst’s Doug Gandy, Rio Vista’s Dan & Danielle Simpson, Grass Valley’s Pat Harvey and more.
The pit gate will open at 3pm on Saturday, the front gate opens at 5 and cars will be hitting the track for wheel packing around 5:30, with qualifying and racing to follow. A full program of qualifying Time-Trials, Heat Races, a Dash, Last Chance Qualifier and the 30-lap $3,000-to-win/ $500-to-start main event will be on tap in Marysville.
Adult tickets will cost $18 with juniors 10-17 being $15, seniors, disabled and active military also $15, kids 6-9 $10 and children 5 and under free.
The Marysville Raceway Park is located in Marysville, California. From the Junction of HWY 70 and HWY 20 (12th Street), go a quarter-mile east on HWY 20. Turn south onto Ramirez Road for 1.5 miles. The physical address is 1468 Simpson Ln, Marysville, CA 95901. Directions & hotels can be found at http://marysvilleracewaypark.com/maps.html
Upcoming events-
Next Saturday night May 7 the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series will head for the 21st annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway. Lap money and extra goodies will be up for grabs during the night and for anyone that would like to contribute to the prestigious event please contact Dave & Dianne Durica at Durica1414@sbcglobal.net or call 916-988-5958.
More info on the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial can be found during the coming week at http://www.kwssprints.com
You can also follow KWS on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/KWS410s#!/pages/Golden-State-King-of-the-West-Series/150145691703907 and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/KWS410s