By Gary Thomas
Petaluma, CA – April 23, 2019…The Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards will finish off the month of April with a visit to the always action packed and intense Petaluma Speedway this Saturday night.
The evening of family fun marks the fourth race of the year for the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards and is the first of two season appearances at Sonoma County’s longest running entertainment venue.
The Petaluma Speedway is always a welcomed stop for teams and race fans around Northern California. The tacky and hooked-up 3/8-mile clay oval routinely produces thrilling wheel-to-wheel racing, as lapped traffic can create some of the most hectic action of any venue on tour. Please note that the facility features an earlier start time, with cars on track for wheel packing at 4pm.
Going into the Petaluma Speedway there is currently a log-jam at the top of the Sprint Car Challenge Tour standings, as just 13-points separate the top-five drivers and teams. Fremont’s Shane Golobic and the Matt Wood Racing No. 17w team currently stand atop the mountain heading into the sticky adobe. Golobic has had success at the Petaluma speed-plant over the years and will need another solid night to fend off two-time SCCT champion Kyle Hirst, who is just two-markers back in second.
Hirst is fresh off a podium finish aboard the Tiner Hirst Enterprise House Car at the most recent tour event held in Stockton. The 31-year-old also captured the July Sprint Car Challenge Tour event in Petaluma last season. The always exciting Tim Kaeding is right there as well, sitting only seven-points back in third. The San Jose veteran piloted the Joshua Bates Motorsports No. 42x to a pair of runner-up finishes during the Petaluma Speedway Sprint Car Challenge Tour events last year.
Hollister’s Tony Gualda and Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto round out the top-five heading into round four. Gualda and his C&M Motorsports No. 7c team are 10-points out of the lead, while Faccinto and his Western Metal Company No. 37 bunch are 13-digits back. Completing the top-10 are Aromas, California’s Justin Sanders, multi-time Petaluma Speedway winner Sean Becker of Roseville, Hanford’s DJ Netto, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal and Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox. Bernal captured the July Sprint Car Challenge Tour event in 2017 at the speedway.
Whenever you head for Petaluma one of the drivers considered to be a favorite would certainly be Roseville’s Willie Croft, who has captured the April event at the track each of the last two seasons. Croft will be gunning for a three-peat this weekend. More drivers expected on Saturday include Auburn’s Andy Forsberg, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Tracy’s Kyle Offill, Sebastopol’s Geoff Ensign, Cottonwood’s Lucas Ashe, Mather’s Kalib Henry, Penngrove’s Colby and Chase Johnson, Lemoore’s Cole Macedo, Lincoln’s Blake Carrick and others.
Adult tickets this Saturday April 27th at Petaluma Speedway cost $20, with juniors 6-11 and seniors 65+ $16, kids five and under will be free. The pit gate for competitors opens at noon, while the front gate for spectators opens at 4pm. The drivers meeting will be held at 3:45pm, with track packing at 4pm.
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. More info on the track can be found at http://www.petaluma-speedway.com
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is proudly sponsored by Elk Grove Ford, Abreu Vineyards, Hoosier Racing Tires, Kyle Larson Racing, All Star Performance, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Pit Stop USA, Auto Meter, ADCO Driveline and Custom Exhaust, Bullard Construction, Bullet Impressions Inc., Chris Kenner Racing Specialties, CLT Logging, CRV Carbon Solutions, D&D Roofing, Garth Moore Insurance and Financial Services, High Sierra Industries, Keizer Wheels, Kevin Sharrah Designs, Moto Wear, Metal Works, PT Shocks, Quick Time Mortgage and Solar, SprintCarUnlimited.com, Ti 22 Performance and Walker Performance Filtration.
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 Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and 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. You can also find us on Instagram by searching scct360.
Upcoming Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards events
Saturday April 27: Petaluma Speedway
Friday May 17: Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway (Sixth annual Peter Murphy Classic)
Saturday May 18: Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway (Sixth annual Peter Murphy Classic w/ KWS-NARC)
Saturday June 15: Keller Auto Speedway at Kings County Fairgrounds in Hanford