By Gary Thomas
Stockton, CA – September 14, 2016…With the big show creeping closer and the season starting to wind down tickets are currently on sale for the 33rd annual Tribute to Gary Patterson weekend at the Stockton Dirt Track on November 4 & 5.
The November showcase will also be the first chance for teams & fans to see the new improvements that are taking place at the Stockton Dirt Track. The lightning fast clay oval has had the front stretch brought closer to the grandstands, something many fans have asked for since the track debuted in 2013. New light poles are also going up to help illuminate the track to a much better degree. Finally a new flag stand is also being built on the grandstand side of the facility.
All of this is taking place thanks to the hard work of track promoter Tony Noceti and the staff of Noceti Group Inc.
“We want to continue making modifications to the facility so we can give the fans and teams the best track possible,” said Noceti. “I always like to talk with the race fans and the racers to get ideas on how we can improve things here at the Stockton Dirt Track. Luckily we had the opportunity to move the track closer, so we have been working hard on that to get it ready for the Tribute to Gary Patterson. The November show has been a really fun event the last few years and we hope everyone will come out to see the new track and everything else we are doing. In moving the track closer we are able to keep the victory lane area intact, so we’ll still continue to bring the cars over into the grandstand side.”
The weekend is highlighted once again by championship night for both the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series & the Civil War 360 Sprint Car Series presented by Flowmaster on Saturday November 5. Winged 410’s & 360’s on one card will surely cap the Northern California season in style as usual. It’s also the only event all season long that both of California’s premier Winged Sprint Car tours compete on the same night at the same track. Friday November 4 also features the Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprint Car Series, Dwarf Cars, Dirt Modifieds & Vintage Cars.
We invite everyone to come make a weekend out of it, at what is the final dirt Sprint Car event of the 2016 campaign in Northern California.
To order tickets for Friday’s opener visit https://noceti-group.ticketleap.com/joe-hunt-magneto-wingless-sprint-car-series-championship-finale/dates/Nov-04-2016_at_0500PM & to order tickets for Saturday’s finale visit https://noceti-group.ticketleap.com/33rd-annual-tribute-to-gary-patterson—king-of-the-west–civil/dates/Nov-05-2016_at_1200PM
Camping will also be available on the fairgrounds during the weekend with reservations made by calling 916-370-9417. Pricing & other info for the weekend can be found at http://stocktondirttrack.com/eventschedule.html
Known as the “Dancing Phantom from Stockton,” the “Preacher,” the “Hostile Hippie” or just simply “GP,” Gary Patterson was one of the most colorful characters of his time and captured a number of major wins in his career, including the Gold Cup Race of Champions, the Super Dirt Cup in Washington and the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ascot Park among others.
Patterson lost his life in a Sprint Car crash at Calistoga Speedway on Memorial Day weekend 1983 and an event in his memory has been held every year since. “GP” moved to Stockton, California in 1957 and began his career at the Stockton 99 Speedway. November 4 & 5 will be the fourth season in a row that we’ve paid honor to Gary Patterson at the Stockton Dirt Track. The best California has to offer in Winged Sprint Car racing will be on hand to finish off the 2016 season in Northern California.
The Stockton Dirt Track is a 3/8 mile clay oval located on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, California. It is built inside a one-mile horse track and boasts one of the nicest dirt track facilities in the state. The physical address is 1658 S Airport Way, Stockton, CA 95206. For information on the speedway visit http://www.stocktondirttrack.com/