By Troy Hennig
Chico, CA (April 15, 2019) …. This Friday night, April 19th, the lights, action and sounds of auto racing will finally be on display at the Silver Dollar Speedway. The previous three Friday nights have been washed away because of bad weather. Technically, this should be points race No. 4; however, it will serve as opening night. Three divisions will be on hand led by the popular winged 360 sprint cars, IMCA Sport Mods and Hobby Stocks.
Friday night will also serve as a fun-filled-family night of entertainment as we host our Annual Easter Egg hunt for kids 11 and under. We are also anticipating an appearance by the Easter Bunny.
Our long-time friends and supporters of the Silver Dollar Speedway Mike and Carol McCann, owners of Cherry St. Mini Storage, are adding an extra $500 to the winner of the 25-lap winged 360 sprint car main event. The race will now pay $2,000 to win.
Pit gate opens at 4 PM. Front grandstand gate opens at 6 PM. Adult general admission is $15.00. Seniors (62+) and juniors (12-15) and military with proper i.d. are $13.00. Children (6-11) are $6.00. Kids five and under are FREE. Parking for fans is FREE. Racing is slated to start at 7 PM.
To avoid standing in long lines on race night to purchase tickets, there is an on-line ticket option located at www.silverdollarspeedway.com so fans can buy tickets in advance.
Competitors are encouraged to turn on Martin Luther King Blvd and then turn onto Silver Dollar Way by Costco to enter the back side of the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds.
St. Helena’s Rico Abreu will lead a long list of talented winged 360 sprint car drivers. Auburn’s Andy Forsberg, the now 4-time champ, and Roseville’s Sean Becker, 6-time champ, are set to renew their friendly rivalry for the track championship. The hottest driver in Northern California is Chico’s Michael Ing. This season, Ing has won three in a row sprint car main events at Marysville Raceway. Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox and Hollister’s Tony Gualda are scheduled to compete also. Nearly 30 sprint cars are predicted for opening night racing.
Yuba City’s Brian Cooper is set to lead the charge of the IMCA Sport Mods into this Friday night. Grass Valley’s Andrew Peckham and Yuba City’s Jimmy Ford will be there to challenge Cooper for the win. Locally, Tyler Rodgers and Mike Ficklin are also scheduled to appear.
The Hobby Stock division continues to be a mainstay at the Speedway. Last year’s champion, Jeremy Langenderfer will look to repeat in 2019. James West, Colin Ferguson and Mel Byers are all championship contenders.