By Bob Burbach
Marysville CA –The nation’s most competitive dirt track show is headed to Marysville Raceway Park this Saturday night. The Hoosier Racing Tires California Sprint Car Civil War Series heads back into action this weekend. The premiere western traveling series for 360 winged sprint cars returns to Paul and Kathy Hawes’ Marysville Raceway Park for the prestigious Mel Hall Memorial Race. The Hall Memorial is Marysville Raceway Park ’s cornerstone annual event. Winged sprint cars approaching 800 horsepower will test the west’s finest short track and it’s now famous “hooked up” surface. With some $17,000 + in purse and another $4,000 in contingencies it is one of the biggest paydays offered at MRP each year.
There is a surprise leader at the top of the Civil War standings this season. Young Justin Sanders leads the series after two rounds. Sanders, aboard Clayton Snow’s sleek #7, is currently nine points ahead of former series champions Sean Becker of Roseville in Dan Manhoff’s #35 and Greg Decaires of Elk Grove in Rudy Warrington’s white #18. Becker is nine points out of the lead. Decaires is 11-points out of the point lead.
Former series Rookie of the Year Mason Moore in the Coors Light #22 is fourth overall and tied for position with Benicia ’s Billy Aton and Sacramento ‘s Billy Butler in the point standings. Brett Rollag of Rohnert Park is in the seventh slot in the standings over local favorite, Colfax driver, Colby Wiesz. Wiesz, piloting the Wiesz Motorsports house car is a 3 time champion at Marysville and has 51 total feature event wins at the quick MRP oval. Wiesz has also won a record 6 Mel Hall Memorial races in his 20 year career in professional sprint car racing.
Defending Civil War Champion Andy Forsberg of Auburn is ninth in points over Sacramento ‘s Herman Klein who rounds out the top ten, just one position ahead of Marysville’s 2007 Champion, and current point leader Jeremy Burt of Grass Valley . Burt will be loaded for bear with his GEICO/Econo Lube ‘n Tune team. He has been nearly unstoppable at MRP this season. 2004 Marysville Raceway Park champion “The Madman” Mike Monahan of Sparks Nevada will also be in the field with his potent Superior Hydraulics Special. A fan favorite, Monahan is also a 3 time Montana State Champion. Burt and Monahan are former Civil War Series feature event winners so they know the way to victory lane against the top guns in the sport.
Once again the Marysville Performance Auto Supply team will enter two cars for Cort and Brandon Dozier to add some additional local color to the prestigious event. A superb field of cars and stars from California , Nevada , Oregon , Washington and other western states is expected.
At this writing there are 16 companies offering Civil War contingency awards for this race including Legal Shield representative Rod Engberson and his weekly C-Note for the quick time qualifier. Stay tuned as additional contingency and cash awards are forthcoming.
It was Hall who, in 1991 teamed with several California racing promoters and brought several California tracks together to form a traveling series for the winged 360 sprint car division. The tour was originally called the North vs. South Civil War Series and was designed to allow drivers to compete in a traveling campaign while still being able to compete at their local weekly tracks.
The event is expected to have a full grandstand as fans and drivers alike gather to remember Hall, who not only was involved with the birth of the Civil War Sprint Car Series but was known best for his successful promotion of Marysville Raceway Park . It was Hall who took over the Marysville facility in late 1994. Hall is credited with bringing professional sprint car racing to the Yuba-Sutter facility. Hall passed away in 1999 and left behind a legacy we celebrate Saturday night.
MRP’s finest drivers will have some stiff competition as the best winged 360 traveling show in the country stops at MRP Saturday night. A beautiful evening is forecast; perfect for elbows up sprint car racing in MRP’s fan friendly environment that includes the “greatest racetrack food on the planet”.
Bad-fast open wheel thrills makes “MRP…the place to be” Saturday.
California Sprint Car Civil War Series Rules will be in force for this event.
The pit gate opens at 3PM. Grandstands open at 5PM. Hot Laps are at 5:30 with qualifying scheduled for 6:30. Racing begins after qualifying.