By Bob Burbach
Marysville, CA – Next Saturday night July 14th the 5th Annual Performance Auto Supply Rich Dozier Classic will be run at Paul and Kathy Hawes’ Marysville Raceway Park. This year it will be a signature event on the MRP Winged Sprint Car schedule. The feature event will pay $1500 to win and $150 to start in that class. Rich Dozier’s Performance Auto Supply will celebrate 45 years of support of Marysville Raceway Park.
The 25 lap MRP Winged Sprint Car feature event This Saturday will also be a Contingency Connection event offering some $1500 in additional C.C. bonuses to the winner. We are aware that there are other venues running with winged sprint cars Saturday. We think our house may be the right choice for many drivers and car owners who want an excellent opportunity for an excellent payday. This annual celebration will also include a full program of MRP Super Stock racing. The Pro 4 Sprinters and another run by the MRP Hobby Stocks will also be on the card.
The red hot 5-way point race for the MRP Winged Sprint Car crown will continue. Only 27 points separate the top 5 championship contenders. Grass Valley residents Jeremy Burt in his GEICO Sprinter and Billy Wallace in Mark Moore’s Bully Dog Sprinter will be separated by only 3 markers when the alcohol guzzling sprint cars start to turn their wheels in anger for the Dozier Classic. Wallace holds the 3 point edge. In 3rd position is the Performance Auto Supply Special driven by Cort Dozier. Dozier destroyed an engine last time out, but practiced well and was fast Saturday night in a shakedown run with a new motor. Dozier’s DNF in the last race cost him in the points, but the veteran campaigner is still one of the favorites in the run for the title. In 4th position is Kelseyville’s Brent Dothage. Dothage, in the family 7B has been on a tear lately and has fought off some bad luck in the process. Dozier is only 19 points off the pace with Dothage only 24 behind. MRP’s own “5-time” Korey Lovell in the Korey Lovell Racing, Yuba City Scrap and Steel Special is in 5th after a rare DNF in the most recent event. He is 27 markers off the pace. But, with a 50-point availability at each event, none of these drivers is even remotely out of the hunt.
Also in the field will be comeback sensation of the decade and easily the most popular driver at MRP, fan favorite Mike Monahan out of Sparks, Nevada. The former champion of the division is having a great season at MRP after enduring debilitating injuries in an industrial accident. Monahan lost the 4 fingers of his right hand, at the palm on April 3rd. The fingers were reattached and Monahan has devised a special glove that he puts over the injured hand, then Velcros it to the steering wheel. He has not only come back, but he has come back to win. In his last 4 appearances the crowd rises to its feet when Monahan takes his qualifying laps. That has never happened in the 22 year history of sprint car point racing at MRP.
A bit of a wild card for Saturday might be veteran racer Peter Paulson from Woodland. He is more than due. A feature event winner in the wingless series, Paulson was the quick time qualifier a couple of weeks ago in his winged hot rod. He’s knocking on the door and getting faster all the time. Keep an eye on the yellow #9
With the increased purse Saturday it is expected that out of town stars from other areas of California, Oregon and Washington will choose MRP for their Saturday night venue. Stay tuned. It will be a wild 100 MPH war.
The winged sprint cars have been putting on, in the words of race director Craig Hall, “one helluva good show” lately. The fact is-it has been just exactly that. Last lap passes, multi groove surfaces, come from behind victories and rocket speeds have all made MRP among the most talked about facilities in west coast short track racing.
Go to Marysville Raceway Park’s facebook for all the latest updates or our website at marysvilleracewaypark.com.
Last Saturday night veteran Billy Aton came from 10th starting position to win the Joe Hunt Magneto Wingless Sprint Car Shootout feature event. Jeremy Hawes and Scott Hall emerged unhurt from a violent flip on the back stretch on lap 17 of the 25 scheduled. A late race charge by Terry Schank fell short at the checkers. Behind Aton and Schank were Rowdy McClenon, early race leader Brett Youngman and Cody Smith.
Misty Castleberry easily outdistanced the MRP Mini Stock field and the defending champ arrived in victory lane once again, winded, but happy.
Tim Maclaughlin dodged a big bullet on the last lap in the Pro 4 feature as P. J. Petersen made a mad dash for the lead coming to the checkers. Petersen lost control and flipped to a stop just short of the finish line. Early race challenger Johnny Burns was 2nd. Randy McDaniel posted an easy victory in the Limited Late Model finale. Leroy Perry came across the line a distant 2nd.