By Gary Thomas
Petaluma, CA – April 25, 2017…An action-packed early season of competition continues for the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards with the first of two season visits at the Petaluma Speedway this Saturday night April 29.
The evening of racing marks the fourth round of the year with the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards and puts an exciting close to a busy month of April. Following this Saturday the tour will then have three weekends off, before resuming things on Memorial Day weekend.
The Petaluma Speedway is always a welcomed stop for teams around Northern California. The tacky and hooked-up speedway routinely produces thrilling action, as lapped traffic can create some of the most hectic racing of any venue on tour. Please note that the facility features an earlier start time, with cars on track for wheel packing at 4pm.
Going into Saturday Paradise driver Kyle Hirst sits atop the standings while driving the potent Roth Motorsports No. 83 machine. The three-time King of the West-NARC titlist has earned back-to-back third place finishes and hopes to pop his way into victory lane at the sticky 3/8 mile adobe oval this weekend.
The driver that ranks second in points will certainly pose one of the biggest challenges for the field, with that being Roseville’s Sean Becker. The multi-time Nor-Cal champion has driven to numerous wins at the Petaluma Speedway over the years. After a runner up last week Becker looks to “park” the Menne Motorsports No. 75 on Saturday.
Hollister’s Ryan Bernal and Fremont’s Shane Golobic have put together solid starts to the campaign and are separated by just one point for third in the standings. Bernal captured a Pit Stop USA Winged Sprint Car victory last season at the Petaluma Speedway, while Golobic earned a KWS-NARC win at the track this past August.
Roseville’s Willie Croft is always one of the guys to beat at Petaluma and rounds out the top-five in points going into Saturday. The driver known as “Double Down” has two career KWS-NARC wins at the track and will be one of favorites this weekend. Completing the top-10 in the standings is round one winner Cory Eliason of Kingsburg, Mitchell Faccinto from Hanford, Justin Sanders of Watsonville, Mason Moore from Princeton and Colby Copeland of Roseville.
A stellar field of Winged 360 Sprint Cars are set to do battle on Saturday and will also include reigning Petaluma Speedway champion Bradley Terrell of Sebastopol, past track titlist Herman Klein of Sacramento, last week’s Pit Stop USA Shootout winner Geoff Ensign of Sebastopol, along with Auburn’s Andy Forsberg, Penngrove’s Buddy Kofoid and Chase Johnson, Hanford’s DJ Netto, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi, Visalia’s Steven Tiner, Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox, Placerville’s Andy Gregg, Brentwood’s Colton Slack, Rio Linda’s Cody Lamar, Citrus Height’s Kalib Henry, Hollister’s Tony Gualda and many more.
Adult tickets this Saturday April 29 cost $20, with juniors 6-11 and seniors $16, kids five and under will be free. The pit gate for competitors opens at noon, while the front gate opens at 4pm. The drivers meeting will be held at 3:45pm, with track packing at 4pm. Sean Becker, Geoff Ensign and Bradley Terrell will be signing autographs inside the front gate once it opens.
The Petaluma Speedway is located in the southern part of the wine country at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds just off Highway 101 in Petaluma, California. Fans are recommended to bring a jacket and warm clothes if you have never been to the Petaluma Speedway, as temperatures usually do chill off once the sun goes down. More info on the track can be found at http://www.petaluma-speedway.com
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is proudly sponsored by Elk Grove Ford, Abreu Vineyards, Hoosier Racing Tires, Bianchi Farms, Kyle Larson Racing, All Star Performance, ART Speed Equipment, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Auto Meter, ADCO Driveline & Exhaust, Bullard Construction, Chris Kenner Racing Specialties/ Security Race Products, CLT Logging, CRV Carbon Solutions, Driven2SaveLives, Dynachrome, Finley Farms, Flying Squirrel, Garth Moore Insurance and Financial Services, Jockos Sprint Parts, Keizer Wheels, Light Up the World Beverages, LRB Inc., Menne Hay Inc., Moto Wear, Metal Works, Naake Suspension, Pit Stop USA, PT Shocks, Pyrotect Racing Cells, RacePartsTrader.com, R&R Racewear, Saldana Racing Products, Sellers Race Wings, Shifty Illusions, Team Ford of Woodland and Walker Performance Filtration.
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is operated under the Russell Motorsports Inc. banner, which also manages the Placerville Speedway in Placerville, California. For sponsorship opportunities and inquiries, RMI can be reached at 530-344-7592 or office@sprintcarchallengetour.com
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 and follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/360SCCT for the latest breaking news regarding SCCT.