From Gary Thomas
Stockton, CA (November 1, 2016) – What started in late-April will come to a conclusion this Saturday when the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series puts a cap on the 2016 campaign with the 33rd annual Tribute to Gary Patterson at the Stockton Dirt Track.
The Tribute to GP has traditionally been one of the prestigious showcases on the King of the West schedule over the years and this weekend marks the fourth consecutive season it will be held in Stockton. Names such as Kaeding, Gurney, Sills, Kent, Green, Tiner, Swindell, McMahan, Abreu, Allard and numerous others are scattered among the former winners list of the event, which is held in memory of National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Gary Patterson, who lost his life in a racing crash during the 1983 season.
During the day on Saturday from 1pm to 4pm a car show, driver autograph session & live band will entertain the crowd behind the grandstands. Make plans to arrive early and enjoy the day, as we finish off the season in grand style. Friday evening also has an event with the Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprint Cars, Dwarf Cars, Dirt Modifeds and Vintage Cars taking to the track. Camping is available on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds for a price of $33 per night.
Paradise, CA’s Kyle Hirst goes into Saturday night with a 28-point cushion over Campbell’s Bud Kaeding. The 28-year-old won the King of the West championship in 2013 & ’14 and looks to become just the third driver in series history to reach at least three career titles. Hirst has driven the Roth Motorsports/ Tarlton & Son No. 21x to a career high six victories so far this year and will be gunning for his ever Stockton Dirt Track triumph on Saturday. He claimed the Tribute to GP in 2009 at Silver Dollar Speedway.
Kaeding has finished runner up in the standings each of the last two seasons and will be hoping for a strong run, plus a little luck to avoid doing so again. No matter what happens the three-time USAC Silver Crown champ has had a strong campaign with a career high four wins, including the Jimmy Sills Classic on June 18 in Stockton. The wheel-man of the Williams Motorsports/ Alviso Rock 0 has also earned a number of podium finishes throughout the season.
Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox will wrap up his inaugural King of the West season at the Tribute to Gary Patterson. The driver of the Berco Redwood/ Trex Outdoor Living No. 31c has been impressive in recent weeks and has put together back-to-back top-five efforts with the series.
Hanford’s DJ Netto has been the most consistent competitor over recent weeks. The 20-year-old has driven to the Tri-C Manufacturing/ Shell Rotella No. 3c to five straight top-five finishes. Netto will look to cap the season with a victory in Stockton, which is what the Clyde & Marion Lamar team did last season.
Rounding out the top-five going into the season-finale is former King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series champion Jason Statler. The Grass Valley driver came extremely close to winning the Tribute to Gary Patterson a couple years ago and will look to seal the deal on Saturday aboard the DF Motorsports/ YAK Graphics 00 machine.
Past Tribute to Gary Patterson winners Rico Abreu from Rutherford, Tim Kaeding of San Jose and Fremont’s Shane Golobic will all look to add another GP trophy to their possession on Saturday.
Abreu has won the event twice before and captured the most recent King of the West show held in Hanford on October 15 aboard his familiar Abreu Vineyards No. 24. The two-time Chili Bowl champion has captured four career Stockton Dirt Track wins, including a triumph with the World of Outlaws in 2015. Kaeding earned his Tribute to GP win at the Silver Dollar Speedway in 2008 and will be back aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83 on Saturday. The two-time King of the West titlist has one career Stockton victory.
Golobic is just over a week removed from his big $20,000 victory at the Trophy Cup and will be gunning for his fourth King of the West win of the season at the helm of the Keith Day Trucking No. 22 mount on Saturday. The former World of Outlaws winner claimed his Tribute to GP gold in 2014 and has also raced to big victories this year with the USAC National Midget Tour & the National Sprint League.
More drivers expected on Saturday will include Stockton Salute to LeRoy Van Conett winner Cory Eliason of Fresno, former series champion Sean Becker of Roseville, track record holder Mitchell Faccinto from Hanford, recent Trophy Cup main event winners Willie Croft of Sacramento & Buddy Kofoid of Penngrove, along with Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan, Mount Vernon, Washington’s Jason Solwold, Penngrove’s Chase Johnson, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi, Atwater’s Sean Watts, Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares, Coarsegold’s Scott Parker, Murrieta’s Cori Andrews and others.
Also in action alongside KWS this Saturday will be the Civil War 360 Sprint Car Series presented by Flowmaster. It marks just the third time ever that both series compete on the same night at the same track. Auburn’s Andy Forsberg is in search of an unprecedented ninth series title and goes into the night with a 16-point lead in the standings over Princeton’s Mason Moore. Forsberg won last year’s Civil War portion of the Tribute to GP and swept the 360 weekend alongside the World of Outlaws in March at the track.
Tickets continue to be on sale for the Tribute to Gary Patterson, with reserved upper deck seats $30 & general admission bleacher tickets $20. Kids 10 & under are free in the lower bleachers. Box seating is also available in increments of six & eight seats. The front gate is scheduled to open at 4pm, with will call & at track ticket sales beginning at 2pm. To pre-order tickets visit https://noceti-group.ticketleap.com/33rd-annual-tribute-to-gary-patterson—king-of-the-west–civil/dates/Nov-05-2016_at_1200PM
This weekend is also your last chance to purchase tickets for a chance to win the special Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Quilt. All money raised goes to the Northern Auto Racing Club Benevolent Fund. The winning ticket will be drawn in victory circle this Saturday.
A reminder to teams the Flowmaster Muffler rule is in effect this Saturday.
The Stockton Dirt Track is a lightning fast 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/
Info on the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series can be found at http://www.racepmg.com