From Marysville Raceway Park
Marysville CA –We’ll be slingin’ ‘em in sideways Saturday night as the MRP Winged Sprint Car Series returns to Paul and Kathy Hawes’ Marysville Raceway Park. The popular MRP Super Stocks, Mini Stocks and the Nor Cal Dwarf Cars are also scheduled. Plus, it’s the annual Dilly Bar Nite celebration! Long time MRP friend and supporter Mike Hall (and the gang at Dairy Queen of Yuba City) will be offering FREE, yep, FREE Dilly Bars to everyone who attends the event.
Hot championship point race battles are raging in each of the MRP divisions presented on Saturday. Jeremy Burt, Mike Monahan, Billy Wallace and Korey Lovell are all in the hunt for this year’s MRP Winged Sprint Car title. With 50 points available at each event all 4 drivers have a shot on Saturday to switch things around. Only 43 points separate Burt (1st) from Lovell (4th). Monahan has soldiered into the runner-up spot and Wallace is on a mission as he has jumped into 3rd place in points in a quest for his 3rd consecutive title. All 4 drivers have put on breath-taking performances in recent weeks and all are former champions in the series.
3 time champ Brent Dothage is expected to return after a disastrous motor failure a couple of weeks ago. With little hope of being in the title chase for his 4th championship, Dothage will be standing on the pedal for the rest of the year. That may be bad news for the others as Dothage is bad-fast at MRP, the only track that this talented driver competes on. Dothage, Cort and Brandon Dozier along with Jimmy Steward, Heath Hall, Peter Paulson and a host of others will keep the pressure on the front runners.
The MRP Winged Sprint Cars will be vying for a 1st place prize of some $2100 in cash and Contingency Connection bonuses. Rod Engberson of Legal Shield will again offer an additional $100 for the fast time qualifier in Legal Shield’s “Fast Time Shootout” that opens the evenings festivities.
The MRP Super Stocks are even closer after point leader James Castleberry’s early race mechanical issue put him on the sidelines last time out. The top 5 in that division are separated by a mere 14 points going into Saturday’s big race. The multi-talented Cort Dozier has rocketed to the top of the standings with 2 consecutive outstanding showings (Dozier is also 5th in the winged sprint car points). Just 3 points out is young Ray Trimble and Castleberry is only 4 points out of the lead. Brad Magenheimer and Sean Hulsey are both hanging close in 4th and 5th respectively.
It’s strange not having the Hall brothers in the hunt for the MRP Super Stock title this year, but according to car owner Mike Hall, both will see limited action this season. But…with Dairy Queen of Yuba City’s Dilly Bar Nite on the horizon, Brent in his familiar D.Q. #22 will be at MRP Saturday and it looks as if Ryan McDaniel might just jump into D.Q. hot rod #56. Regardless, it will be a slugfest at MRP in the stock car ranks Saturday night. The MRP “Supers” have been a slam-bang, fender crunching free-for-all this season! Throw in a FREE Dilly Bar to boot and you know what they say, “If you have a Dilly Bar at MRP on Saturday, you don’t have to eat again until Wednesday!”
Shaun Merritt remains at the top of the charts in the MRP Mini Stock standings heading into Saturday’s event. Merritt, Howard Law, James Foster, Jason Clayton, Travis Carter and Miranda Hammons are all log jammed up top. Only 45 markers separate the top 6.
Look for Misty Castleberry to join in the fight Saturday as the 4 time champ is likely to give the others another run for the feature win. It will also be interesting to see if Kyle and Erik Davey can climb back into the hunt. Both have been quick with less than acceptable luck this season.
The Nor Cal Dwarf Cars will also return Saturday and they have been fantastic at MRP this season. The last 2 shows were nail-biters right up until the end. This competitive, traveling class has turned up the wick this year and it has been quite a show.
At this writing an exhibition of 1960’s-1970’s vintage Hard Tops, or as some may have referred to them, “Jalopies”, are planning to bring a few cars to MRP. A look at the way it used to be is always absorbing.
The pit gate opens at 3PM. Grandstands open at 5PM. Hot Laps are at 5:30 with qualifying scheduled for 6:15. Racing begins after qualifying.
The text is based on information we have at the time of its release.