From Gary Thomas
STOCKTON, CA (June 28, 2017) – Fresh off a successful outing last week the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards returns to action with two more big nights of racing on deck in Stockton and Petaluma over Independence Day weekend.
Everything kicks-off this Sunday July 2 with the Jimmy Sills Classic at the Stockton Dirt Track, followed by the final appearance of the season at the always sticky Petaluma Speedway on Monday July 3. Each night will also see the B-main purse beefed up and pay a minimum of $200-to-start.
Thanks to Noceti Group Inc. and the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival Sunday’s feature in Stockton will also award $4,500-to-win, plus the Kyle Larson Racing Bonus Money. If a full-time SCCT team wins the Jimmy Sills Classic, they’ll go home with $5,000. The RacePartsTrader.com Dash will be $500-to-win and $1000 worth of Silver Dollars have also been added to the Kids Dash for Cash on Sunday. A giant fireworks show will also be held during the night.
In his storied career Jimmy Sills tallied a number of major accomplishments including six wins at the Skagit Speedway Dirt Cup in Washington, which ranks number one all time at the prestigious event. One of his more revered wins at the race came in 1980 when he ran the alphabet soup from the D-main to beat out the late great Gary Patterson for the victory.
In addition to that and his three USAC Silver Crown titles, the “Professor” has also scored wins at the Mini Gold Cup, the Oval Nationals, the Grand Annual Sprint Car Classic, the Jayhawk Nationals, Ohio Speedweek, the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial, Tribute to Gary Patterson and countless other major events. In 1983 he captured a preliminary night at the prestigious Knoxville Nationals and went on to finish fifth in the Saturday finale.
Paradise, CA racer Kyle Hirst sits atop the standings going into rounds eight and nine this weekend. The pilot of the Roth Motorsports No. 83 is still searching for his first Sprint Car Challenge Tour win of the season and would love nothing more than to get it done as we open the month of July. Hirst has been a mark of consistency thus far in 2017, having tallied five podium finishes in the seven races held.
Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi goes into this weekend with momentum on his side after winning $11,000 in Calistoga last Saturday aboard the McCollogh’s RV Repair and Storage No. 17 machine. The 20-year-old is a two-time winner at the Stockton Dirt Track and has gotten around the Petaluma Speedway well in his limited starts there.
More drivers expected to take part in the Independence Day weekend double header include Stockton Dirt Track winner on May 27 Mitchell Faccinto of Hanford and SCCT victor at the Petaluma Speedway in April, Willie Croft of Roseville, along with Princeton’s Mason Moore, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal and Tony Gualda, Visalia’s Steven Tiner, Hanford’s DJ Netto, Kingsburg’s Cory Eliason, Placerville’s Andy Gregg, Watsonville’s Justin Sanders, Penngrove’s Buddy Kofoid, Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Sebastopol’s Geoff Ensign, Brentwood’s Colton Slack, Fremont’s Dustin Golobic, Rio Linda’s Cody Lamar, Tracy’s Kyle Offill, Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares and many more.
The front gate of the Stockton Dirt Track will open at 4pm on Sunday July 2, with racing at 7pm. All seating is general admission during the night with adult tickets $25, kids 5 to 10 will be $10 and four and under are free. The Stockton Dirt Track is a lightning fast 4/10 mile clay oval located on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, California. The physical address is 1658 S Airport Way, Stockton, CA 95206. For information on the speedway visit www.stocktondirttrack.com
Adult tickets this coming Monday July 3 at Petaluma Speedway 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. Cars will hit the speedway at 4pm for wheel packing. Drivers meeting at 3:45.
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 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, A.R.T. 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, Walker Performance Filtration, Weld Racing and Winters Performance.
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.