By Troy Hennig
Chico, CA (May 2, 2017) …. Auburn’s Andy Forsberg has won the past two 410-winged sprint car main events at Silver Dollar Speedway. Yet, one race has always escaped him. Forsberg has never won the prestigious Bill Brownell Memorial. While he could be considered the favorite going into Friday night, there is stiff competition on the way led by Rutherford’s Rico Abreu, Roseville’s Sean Becker, Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Sacramento’s Willie Croft, Princeton’s Mason Moore and Paradise’s Kyle Hirst. All the before mentioned drivers are previous winners of the Bill Brownell Memorial.
Motorcycle pioneer and auto racing enthusiast Bill Brownell was a fixture at Silver Dollar Speedway. Brownell was one of the founding fathers of Cycleland Speedway and spent his entire life involved in either racing on two wheels or supporting drivers on four wheels. His love for motorcycles, outlaw karts and sprint cars was infectious. Even though he is no longer with us, this Friday night, along with Shane Scott, the Silver Dollar Speedway is proud to host the 10th Annual Bill Brownell Memorial.
Former Winners of the Bill Brownell Memorial; 2008 – Mason Moore, 2009 – Kyle Hirst, 2010 – Sean Becker, 2011 – Dan Menne, 2012 – Tyler Wolf, 2013 – Willie Croft, 2014 – Keith Bloom Jr., 2015 – Rico Abreu, 2016 – Jonathan Allard.
Other first time winner possibilities will include Hanford’s DJ Netto, Freson’s Dominic Scelzi and Penngrove’s Michael Kofoid.
Locally, the top contenders will be Redding’s Chase Majdic, Chico’s Michael Ing and Brad Bumgarner and Oroville’s Adam Brenton.
Contributing to this Friday nights race includes Shane Scott and Fry’s Metals. With their involvement, the Friday night sprint car main event will pay $2500 two win. Not a bad payday for a 25-lap main event.
A star studded wingless point race is anticipated on Friday night. Terry Schank Jr. holds a slim six-point edge over Casey McClain. Jeremy Wilson, Tony Richards and Don Emery are all within striking distance.
Chico’s Wyatt Brown will lead the charge in the economy winged division.
The IMCA Sport Mods are led by two of the best in the division. Brian Cooper and Phillip Shelby will continue their championship battle. Cooper leads Shelby by just one point. Both Keith Brown and Justin Foux are chomping at the bit to get into victory lane.
The pit gate will open at 4 PM while the front grandstands will open at 6 PM. Racing is scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM. The adult general admission ticket will cost $14.00. On this night seniors and juniors are $12.00 with children just $6.00. Kids five and under are FREE.
To avoid standing in long lines the Speedway now has an on-line purchase tickets option located at www.silverdollarspeedway.com.