From Gary Thomas
PLACERVILLE, Ca. (July 18, 2017) – An exciting and action-packed month will come to a close at Placerville Speedway this Saturday night when the 11th Red Hawk Casino point race of the season is presented at the quarter-mile.
This Saturday July 22 marks the fifth overall event in what has been a busy month of racing. Divisions set to tackle the El Dorado County Fairgrounds bullring include the Thompson’s Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Ltd. Late Models, Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints and Vintage Hard Tops.
The Placerville Speedway on Saturday also hosts the only Winged 360 Sprint Car event in Northern California, which means some special invaders will be on hand for the night.
Among those expected is this year’s USAC Indiana Midget Week champion Shane Golobic of Fremont, who earned his first Placerville 410 Sprint Car victory one season ago. The former World of Outlaws winner and reigning Trophy Cup champion is always one of the favorites on the red clay.
Last season’s Rookie of the Year Buddy Kofoid is also scheduled to be in action and is fresh off his big King of the West-NARC win last weekend. The 15-year-old brought home a runner up finish in Placerville on July 8 and has tallied a pair of ADCO Driveline and Custom Exhaust Fast Time Awards in 2017.
This past Saturday it was Visalia’s Steven Tiner that made a late move around Roseville’s Sean Becker to claim his second Thompson’s Auto Group Winged Sprint Car win of the season. Tiner ranks second in the standings and continues to chip away at the advantage that current point leader Greg Decaires has. The four-time champion Decaires is looking to add one for the thumb in what has been said to be his farewell tour.
Decaires, Tiner and Becker are the lone repeat winners so far this season, having each claimed two victories apiece. Including this weekend there are just five Red Hawk Casino point races left before a champion is crowned in September. The upcoming month of August is chalked full of special events, making this weekend the final tune-up prior to that.
More drivers expected on Saturday will include Placerville’s own Jimmy Trulli, Fair Oaks’ Jake Morgan, Citrus Heights’ DJ Freitas and Kalib Henry, Hollister’s Tony Gualda, Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox, Calistoga’s Mike Benson, Camino’s Justin Johnson, Placerville’s Cody Fendley, CJ Humphreys and Mike Cook, Napa’s Kirt Organ, Lincoln’s Tanner Carrick and others.
Live Oak’s Matt Michelli continues to be a dominant force with the Ltd. Late Models and is coming off his division leading fifth win of the year last Saturday. Michelli will be back this weekend looking to add number six, as he continues to lead the standings over Ray Trimble, Mike and Tyler Lightfoot and last year’s champion Eddie Gardner. Marysville racer Ryan McDaniel has four triumphs to his credit this year and looks to get back on the winning track Saturday.
Last week in the Pure Stock class it was a first-time winner in the form of Orville Owens, who held off a hard charging Jason Palmer to claim the victory. Palmer, a three-time winner this season, continues to give chase after Dan Jinkerson in the standings. Jinkerson has also captured three triumphs this season as he searches for the crown. Nick Baldwin and Ray Trimble also have single wins to their credit.
Wingless Spec Sprints will be on hand for the second time this year as a non-sanctioned showcase that will pay a C&H Hunt Wingless Tour purse of $1,200-to-win and $175-to-start. It will also be the final wingless tune-up prior to the C&H Veteran Ent. presents Hunt Magnetos Wingless Tour event on Friday August 25. The tour will also help open the Nor-Cal Posse Shootout on Thursday September 21.
Adult tickets this Saturday will cost $15, while seniors 62 plus and juniors 12-15 will be $13, children 6-11 are $6, five and under are 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, ADCO Driveline and Custom Exhaust qualifying scheduled to begin around 5:30pm and heat races expected to fire-off around 6:30pm.
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 9200 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.