From Gary Thomas
TULARE, Cal. (January 18, 2017) — The Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards is happy to announce that opening night of the Peter Murphy Classic on Friday April 21 at Thunderbowl Raceway has been added to the inaugural schedule of events.
The two-night weekend at the popular Tulare based facility has grown to be one of the most prestigious races in California over the last couple years. Organized by retired racer & fan-favorite Peter Murphy, the Friday portion this year will showcase the third round of action for the Sprint Car Challenge Tour, while the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series headline the program during Saturday’s finale.
It will mark the third annual installment of the event, but the first in the month of April, after being held in July the last two seasons. Thunderbowl Raceway becomes the seventh track that will be a part of the initial season for the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards and brings the schedule to 13 events.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the Peter Murphy Classic in April at Thunderbowl Raceway,” said Scott Russell of the Sprint Car Challenge Tour. “Adding the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway is a big thing for the tour and for it to be an event such as the Murphy is a special opportunity. Peter has worked extremely hard on his show and we think the fans will be treated to a great night of racing on April 21. It’s going to be an exciting month of April to help kick-off the season for SCCT.”
Steve Faria, promoter of Thunderbowl Raceway also spoke about adding the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards to the April 21 date.
“The Sprint Car Challenge Tour has good people in place and some great things going for it, so we think this will be a solid boost for opening night of the Peter Murphy Classic. Having the event in April is going to be big and giving fans the chance to see the SCCT Winged 360’s on Friday, followed by the King of the West 410’s on Saturday is a perfect match. Peter always hustles hard for this event so we hope everyone can come out to support the weekend.”
In addition to that, the Sprint Car Challenge Tour will also be the lone series sanctioning the Winged 360 portion of the Tribute to Gary Patterson at the Stockton Dirt Track on November 4. That night will also see the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series in competition; however, the Civil War 360 Series will not be sanctioning the Winged 360 portion. The champion for both SCCT & KWS will be crowned in the unique winners circle at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds facility.
Thanks to generous support from Matt Wood of Elk Grove Ford and David Abreu of Abreu Vineyards the initial champion of the Sprint Car Challenge Tour will be awarded $10,000 of an over $60,000 point fund. The top 15 teams following the series will also participate in the substantial year-end point fund.
Basic purse payouts will see $2,500-to-win the A-main, and thanks to John Bianchi of Bianchi Farms, $400-to-start the feature event. No matter the car count, every team entered will be taking home a share of the monetary awards. NASCAR star and open wheel enthusiast Kyle Larson has also offered a $500 bonus to any full-time team who wins a feature event, allowing the winner’s share to potentially grow to $3,000.
The tour will debut with a substantial contingency package that will provide over $20,000 in certificates and cash to racers that display the sponsor decals over the course of the 13 race season. Garth Moore Insurance and Financial Services will also provide a $1,000 prize to the series Rookie of the Year.
The rulebook for the new series will be available on the SCCT website in the next couple of weeks. In addition to that the format will also be finalized in the weeks ahead.
The Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards will kick-off its inaugural season on Saturday April 1 at the Antioch Speedway in Antioch, CA. It will mark the first California-based traveling Winged Sprint Car series event at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds facility since 2013. More info on the event will be out in the coming weeks.
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is proudly sponsored by Elk Grove Ford, Abreu Vineyards, Bianchi Farms, All Star Performance, ART, BR Motorsports, Bullard Construction, Garth Moore Insurance and Financial Services, Jocko’s Sprint Parts, King Racing Products, LRB Inc, MW Metal Works, Pit Stop USA, RacePartsTrader.com, CRV Carbon Solutions, Chris Kenner Racing Specialties/ Security Race Products & Auto Meter.
More information on the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards can be found at our official website www.sprintcarchallengetour.com – Be sure to also like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sprintcarchallengetour & follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/360SCCT for the latest breaking news regarding SCCT.
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Revised 2017 Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour Presented by Abreu Vineyards Schedule
Saturday April 1: Antioch Speedway
Saturday April 15: Placerville Speedway
Friday April 21: Thunderbowl Raceway (Peter Murphy Classic)
Saturday April 29: Petaluma Speedway
Saturday May 27: Stockton Dirt Track
Saturday June 17: Antioch Speedway
Saturday June 24: Calistoga Speedway (Wine Country Classic)
Sunday July 2: Stockton Dirt Track (Jimmy Sills Classic)
Monday July 3: Petaluma Speedway
Saturday July 29: Fernley 95A Speedway
Friday August 25: Placerville Speedway
Saturday August 26: Stockton Dirt Track (Salute to LeRoy Van Conett)
Saturday November 4: Stockton Dirt Track (34th annual Tribute to Gary Patterson)