By Bob Burbach
Marysville Raceway Park’s annual gathering on New Year’s Day is ready to roll. The event is always in the weatherman’s hands, but at this writing New Year’s Day is forecast to be clear and 59!! “Refreshingly Cool” was added into the forecast. It can always change, but once again it looks as if promoter Paul Hawes will get in this annual meeting of motor heads in.
Past New Year’s Day events have been great fun, very well attended and will allow all of us to catch up on what’s going on. Car and driver are $25.00. A pit pass (alone) is $10.00. All minors admitted to the pits must have a minor’s release signed that day by a parent or guardian. Touchy stuff with the insurance companies these days…so do it right or you can’t get a minor into the pits… period. Grandstands are free.
It’s a casual day and the track will be open at 10 am to 4pm for hot laps in every division. The concession stand will be open with a limited menu and plenty of hot coffee.
Promoter Hawes is putting the finishing touches on the 2014 schedule with an emphasis on the MRP local classes. Of course the wildly popular Winged 360 Pacific Sprint Cars will be the premiere division and present another full season of wicked-fast sprint car racing. Marysville Raceway Park’s car counts in 2013 season were the highest in that division. Promoter Hawes is working feverishly on the MRP surface once again with new clay on the horizon.
The Sherm Toller Classic will kick off the season in March 3rd. The season’s first race and the only race scheduled for that date will bring a fine field of Winged and Wingless sprinters to open the 46th MRP season.
Promoter Hawes has welcomed back the California Sprint Car Civil War Series for 2014; California’s premiere winged 360 sprint car series. MRP will host round 1 of the series in March 17th. The great Mel Hall Memorial Race will also be a Civil War event again this year. Hall was one of the originators of the Civil War Series when he first presented it in Grass Valley in 1992.
The roaring Wingless Sprint Cars, Super Stocks, Hobby Stocks and MRP Mini Stocks will again present full seasons of competition as well. The Pro 4 Sprinters will also be at MRP in 2014.
A special show in June featuring the King of the West 410 sprint cars is on tap. The 19th edition of the West Coast Dwarf Car Nationals will be offered again in September.
Promoter Hawes has once again fit his schedule where it will do the most good for the fan and racers alike. Good things happen when that happens: promoter Hawes will save the track surface and MRP will conclude its program in a time frame that allows everyone to experience the featured attractions with plenty of evening to spare. With more and more families involved, MRP will be a very fan-friendly place to be. Many of the drivers and car owners have said that getting back home at a reasonable hour after a night of racing is a real plus!
More on all of this later. Bring your hot rods and turn some wheels in anger. We’ll see you on New Year’s Day at MRP! Remember, grandstands are FREE!!!!