By Gary Thomas
Rio Vista, CA – August 3, 2011…The fight for the Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series title will kick back into full gear this weekend with events at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway on Friday and Hanford’s Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway on Saturday.
Friday’s show at Ocean Speedway will be the fourth race of the year at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds bullring, which has provided some exciting thrills this season. In the three prior visits there have been three different winners including Tim Kaeding, Tommy Tarlton and most recently Evan Suggs.
On Saturday KWS then visits the Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway for the very first time this season. It will be the 15th overall event of the 2011 campaign. The three-eighths mile clay oval has long been one of the most famed dirt tracks in the west and the race on Saturday is much anticipated by teams and fans alike.
Tim Kaeding will bring his healthy Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series point lead into the weekend looking for a tour leading fifth victory of the season. “TK” maintains a staggering 73-point advantage in the standings aboard Dennis & Teresa Roth’s No. 83 mount and last season won both Golden State 410 races at the Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway.
Despite Kaeding having a large point lead, the remainder of the top-10 features a number of close battles and with the season winding down drivers are sure to give it their all, as this weekend’s double-header will be critical in the outcome.
Hoping to make it back to back at the Ocean Speedway and coming into Friday ranking second in the standings is Evan Suggs, who has been one of the most consistent performers all season long. Wheeling his family’s black No. 33e sprinter the Scotts Valley resident picked up a popular win on July 2 in Watsonville and will look to duplicate it Friday.
Already a two-time winner with the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series, Tommy Tarlton of Easton will be gunning for his third victory of the year this weekend. The defending Ocean Speedway champion runs well at both tracks and will for sure be a top contender this weekend in the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino No. 21 machine.
Entrenched in a battle for the third spot in the points are Campbell’s Brent Kaeding and Chico’s Jonathan Allard, who are separated by just eight-markers. “BK” is still searching for his first win of the year, while “JA” has claimed three so far this season. Rounding out the top-five in the standings going into the weekend is Sacramento’s Willie Croft, who has one victory on the year with the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series.
Continuing to move up the ladder each week has been Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan and the veteran is now only four-digits out of the top-five in points. The former NARC Speedweek champion has scored three consecutive podium finishes and appears to be on the cusp of getting his first win of the year.
The remainder of the top-10 going into the weekend is comprised of 2004 Golden State 410 champion Jason Statler of Grass Valley, Placerville’s Andy Gregg, Hoseheads/ Grant’s Fine Art Rookie contender Kenny Allen from Chico and Fremont’s Brent Bjork.
Other drivers expected to take part in the weekend’s action will include Stockton’s Brad Furr, St. Helena’s Rico Abreu, Visalia’s Cory Eliason, Clovis’ Peter Murphy, North Kingstown, Rhode Island’s Eli Deshaies, Fresno’s Craig Stidham, Prunedale’s Justin Sanders, Tipton’s Mike Faria, Rio Vista’s Dan and Danielle Simpson, Grass Valley’s Pat Harvey, Merced’s Mark Barroso, Oakhurst’s Doug Gandy and more.
The front gate of the Ocean Speedway opens at 4:30pm on Friday with qualifying around 5:30 and racing scheduled to start around 6. Adult tickets will cost $20, children 6-12 $15 and seniors 65 and older will be $18.
The Ocean Speedway is located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, two miles east of Watsonville, California on SR 152. The physical address is 2601 East Lake Ave, Watsonville, CA 95076. More information can be found at http://www.oceanspeedway.com or by calling 831-662-9466.
The front gate of the Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway opens at 5pm on Saturday with racing expected to begin just after 6:30. Reserved grandstand tickets will be $20 with general admission tickets $17.
The Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds in Hanford, California. The physical address is 801 S. 10th Ave. Hanford, Ca 93230. More information can be found at http://www.giantchevroletspeedway.com or by calling 559-584-7223.
More info on the Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series can be found at http://www.kwssprints.com or by contacting 707-374-2222. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for up to date news on KWS.