By Gary Thomas
Tulare, CA – October 1, 2019…The biggest event of the season at Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is fast approaching with the much-anticipated Abreu Vineyards 26th annual Trophy Cup presented by Rudeen Racing ready to invade Tulare on October 17th, 18th and 19th.
The Trophy Cup continues to be one of the premier Winged Sprint Car showcases in the country and the 2019 version is sure to be another must attend weekend. The 26th edition of the Abreu Vineyards Trophy Cup presented by Rudeen Racing once again boasts a $200,000 overall purse for the three nights.
The event originally started out at San Jose Speedway in 1994 and was held at the track until its closing in ’99. It then moved to Ocean Speedway for one year, before heading to the Kings Speedway in Hanford from 2001-2004. In ’05 the Trophy Cup was moved to Thunderbowl Raceway, where it has been held ever since.
With its unique format the Trophy Cup regularly produces some of the best Winged Sprint Car racing that fans will witness all season. Each time a driver hits the raceway for competitive racing there are points on the line. It’s all a lead-up to the 50-lap feature on Saturday night, which features the top-20 in overall points inverted, plus the four transfers out of the B-main making up the final four spots.
All cars that start the Saturday A-main are guaranteed at least $5,000 in weekend winnings and the overall champion is guaranteed a record $26,000 in winnings. The Trophy Cup is always an all-star showcase in California, with champions and winners from all over the state and beyond in action.
Tickets continue to be on sale for the Abreu Vineyards 26th annual Trophy Cup presented by Rudeen Racing with all seating in the house reserved during the weekend. Adult grandstand tickets cost $50 on Thursday and Friday and $55 on Saturday. Bleacher tickets are $45 on Thursday and Friday and $50 on Saturday. Kids pricing and senior pricing is also available.
A seating chart is online at www.thunderbowlraceway.com and tickets can be acquired by calling 559-688-0909. The pit gate opens at 10am on Thursday October 17, with the drivers meeting at 3:30pm sharp. Qualifying is scheduled for 4:45pm, with first race at 6:15pm.
All the special events that have become so popular are returning once again, with a slight change up this year. Thursday night will now showcase the Spaghetti Feed sponsored by La Villa Delicatessen featuring spaghetti, meat balls, salad, bread and desert. Friday post-race will be the annual Taco Bravo Fiesta Night featuring tacos and burritos. Driver and fan razor bike racing also returns this year on both Thursday and Friday with tickets to compete available at the T-shirt booth or pit sign in booth.
The post-race parties start 20 minutes after the checkered flag with beer, water and soft drinks also available for purchase inside.
The annual Breakfast/ Brunch sponsored by the Tulare County Fairgrounds and KRC Safety Company will now move to Saturday from 11am-1:30pm.
The Bean Bag/ Cornhole Tournament will begin at approximately 10am on Saturday with sign ups taking place at the T-shirt booth or by seeing Kim Offill in the pit area. Sponsors of this year’s tournament include HRP, Maxwell Industries, Tarlton Motorsports, Tiner-Hirst Enterprises, Offill Family Farms, Fire Protection Management, Hoosier Tire Midwest, Ancona Motorsports, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Maxim Chassis, Capital Renegade, Scelzi Enterprises Inc., Smith Precision Products and Soares Racing.
A donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the door during all these events is appreciated. Over the last 25-years Dave Pusateri and the Trophy Cup team have raised over $1,770,000 in donations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Fans and teams are all encouraged to attend the special eating events. More info on the Trophy Cup, as well as an entry list can be found at www.trophycup.org
Special thanks to all our partners for making things happen at Thunderbowl Raceway including Merle Stone Chevrolet, Budweiser, Roth Motorsports, KRC Safety, Western Metal Company, Southwest Contractors, Double “D” Towing and JD Heiskel & Company.
For more info on Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway visit www.thunderbowlraceway.com and like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Tulare-Thunderbowl-Raceway-392991907541396/?fref=ts
The Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets at 620 South K Street Tulare, California 93274. 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.