By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA – May 8, 2017…For the only time in 2017 the El Dorado County Fairgrounds based Placerville Speedway is locked and loaded to host the high-powered King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series this Saturday night May 13.
The tight confines of Placerville Speedway always create non-stop action when the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu 410 Winged Sprint Cars are on hand and Saturday will be another can’t miss helping of that. The special Mother’s Day weekend showcase will also feature a non-point race for the Pure Stocks and Mini Trucks during the night.
“We are definitely excited to have the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series at Placerville Speedway on Saturday,” said RMI President and speedway promoter Scott Russell. “With only one KWS-NARC appearance here this season we hope all the fans will come out and take in a great night of racing. Winged 410 Sprint Cars at this place always put on an outstanding show and we look forward to a fun event this weekend to help celebrate the Mother’s Day holiday.”
With three rounds complete Campbell’s Bud Kaeding currently sits atop the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series standings going into Saturday. The three-time USAC Silver Crown champ earned the first two Placerville Speedway wins of his career last season and hopes to continue that trend this weekend aboard the familiar Williams Motorsports Zero machine. Kaeding recently took home a stout $11,000 by winning the April 22 Peter Murphy Classic in Tulare.
Opening round KWS-NARC winner Cory Eliason from Kingsburg goes into Saturday sitting second in the standings, but is just one-point ahead of third place DJ Netto of Hanford. Both Central Valley racers are coming off successful outings at last week’s Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial and will be looking to “park it” at Placerville Speedway.
After finishing second in his Placerville debut on April 15 with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Fresno’s Gio Scelzi will be gunning to improve one more spot this Saturday. The talented 15-year-old is just 10-points behind leader Kaeding as he continues his rookie campaign with the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series.
Fremont’s Shane Golobic is always a driver to contend with at Placerville Speedway and last season earned his first King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series win at the track. The reigning Trophy Cup champion will look to add another on Saturday.
Coming oh-so-close to a King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series win at Placerville last season, Roseville’s Willie Croft will be gunning to add one to his resume on Saturday. If there was ever a driver that could be considered to have one “owed to him” at the track it would certainly be Croft.
A star studded field is expected to tackle the quarter-mile on Saturday and will also include three-time KWS-NARC champion Kyle Hirst of Paradise, 2005 series titlist Sean Becker of Roseville, five-time Placerville track champ Andy Forsberg of Auburn, last year’s track titlist Mason Moore of Princeton, Thompson’s Auto Group 360 round one winner Justyn Cox of Clarksburg, along with Penngrove’s Buddy Kofoid, Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan, Grass Valley’s Jason Statler, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Atwater’s Sean Watts, Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares and others.
So far this season in Pure Stock action it has been Dan Jinkersen who has earned a pair of victories, with Ray Trimble scooping up the other. The new Mini Truck division is fresh off its debut last weekend that saw Ted Ahart score the inaugural triumph.
Adult tickets this Saturday May 13 will cost $22, while seniors 62 plus and juniors 12-15 will be $15, children 6-11 are $6 and those under 6 will be free. The pit gate will open at 2pm with the front grandstand gate opening at 3pm.
A happy hour will be offered from 4pm-6pm in the grandstands featuring discounted Coors Light and Coors Original at the beer stand. Drivers meeting will be held at 4:30pm, with cars on track for wheel packing at 5pm, qualifying scheduled to begin around 5:30pm and heat races expected to fire-off at 6pm.
The Placerville Speedway is located on the beautiful El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, California. Take Hwy US-50 to Forni Road/Placerville Drive exit. Then go north on Placerville Drive to the Fairgrounds. The physical address is 100 Placerville Dr., Placerville, CA 95667. For more information on the Placerville Speedway log onto http://www.placervillespeedway.com
Since opening in 1965 the Placerville Speedway has been a favorite among fans throughout Northern California. Well known for its steep banks, distinctive red clay, loyal fan base and extremely close action, the track is located just 40-minutes up the hill from the capital city of Sacramento.
Join over 8800 followers of Placerville Speedway on Facebook, where you can keep abreast of updates for the 2017 season. You can also find Placerville Speedway on Twitter by following us https://twitter.com/pvillespeedway – In addition, Placerville Speedway is also on Instagram. Please follow us @PvilleSpeedway.
The Placerville Speedway is operated by Russell Motorsports Incorporated, which can be reached at the track business office at 530-344-7592. Contact Kami Arnold or Scott Russell directly for 2017 sponsorship opportunities at the office.