From Gary Thomas
TULARE, Ca. (May 14, 2019) – With excitement filling the air the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards is set to head for Central California this Friday and Saturday to take part in the sixth annual Peter Murphy Classic at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway.
The Peter Murphy Classic has become one of the cornerstone weekends in California and a show that fans mark on their calendar from the get-go. For the first time ever the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards will be in action both nights at the event this weekend. Each night will be co-sanctioned with the Kings of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Car Series.
Friday nights event will be full Sprint Car Challenge Tour points, while Saturday is show-up points only. The top-four finishers in the main event on opening night will be locked into Saturday’s Pole Shuffle and the way you finish Friday is how you are seeded going into Saturday. There will be no qualifying for SCCT on Saturday night.
The standard tour muffler rule will also be utilized each night. Opening night will be a standard $2,500-to-win/ $400-to-start SCCT purse, with Saturday’s finale handing out $5,000-to-win and a stout $800-to-start.
Competing alongside the Sprint Car Challenge Tour on Friday May 17th will be the USAC West Coast Wingless 360 Sprinters, while the King of the West-NARC 410 Sprint Car Series blasts into the one-third mile clay oval on Saturday May 18th. The Peter Murphy Classic finale marks the first of four combo events that SCCT and KWS-NARC will take part in this season, which are guaranteed to be must see showcases!
This weekend’s event is organized by now retired racer Peter Murphy, who suffered injuries during a racing crash at the Antioch Speedway on July 20, 2013. The accident ultimately forced him to step out of the seat, having suffered a traumatic brain injury, ligament damage in his neck, shoulder and knees, along with a compressed T-3 vertebra. The following year he organized the inaugural Peter Murphy Classic and received rave reviews for it.
This season we celebrate the sixth anniversary of the event and it’s shaping up to be one of the best yet.
“I really want this weekend to be a memorable one for all the fans and teams once again,” said Murphy, who is originally from Australia and now resides in Clovis, CA. “I still can’t thank everyone enough for all they did after my accident. It was so humbling to have support from people all over the world. This is a way for me to continue giving back and show how much I appreciate the sport we all love.”
Defending Peter Murphy Classic champion Shane Golobic of Fremont leads the Sprint Car Challenge Tour standings into the sixth annual classic weekend. The former Trophy Cup titlist is the most recent winner in tour competition and holds an 18-point advantage over San Jose’s Tim Kaeding. Former Peter Murphy Classic winner Kyle Hirst of Paradise, Hollister’s Tony Gualda and recent Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial champion Justin Sanders round out the top-five in the standings. Sean Becker, Willie Croft, Andy Forsberg, Justyn Cox and Kyle Offill complete the top-10.
Commemorative Peter Murphy Classic shirts will be on sale at the event with proceeds going to the NARC Benevolent Fund, which aids injured drivers, crew members, officials and assisted Murphy immensely following his accident. There will again be a victory podium made up with champagne to help celebrate the winners in style. It will surely be a victory presentation that fans want to witness and gather around for.
Adult reserved grandstand seats for the Peter Murphy Classic cost $30 each night, while general admission bleacher tickets are $25 each night. Kids 6-12 will be $15 in the grandstands and $13 in the bleachers. Senior grandstand seats will be $28 and senior bleacher tickets are $23. The front gate will open at 3pm, with heat races scheduled to begin around 6pm. The drivers meeting will be held at 4pm both nights. To reserve your seats, contact 559-688-0909. Plenty of tickets will also be available at the gate on race day.
The Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California. From the junction of SR 99 and SR 137, go west on SR 137. At South K go south one-half mile to the Fairgrounds. Camping is available for fans off turns three and four.
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
Friday May 17: Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway (Sixth annual Peter Murphy Classic w/ USAC West Coast)
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
Image courtesy of Steve Lafond