By Troy Hennig
(Chico, CA 5/31/20) …Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, races at Silver Dollar Speedway continue to be put on hold. As of today, the entire month of June will be cancelled. With further restrictions on the horizon, the annual celebration of Fast Cars and Freedom on July 4th is also cancelled. “We continue and try to work within the guidelines given,” said business manager Dennis Gage. “Until we hear otherwise, we regret to inform all of our fans and racers that the month of June and first part of July needs to be cancelled.”
One of those events scheduled in June that needs to be postponed is the popular community driven event known as the David Tarter Memorial. The following statemen was written by his family and published on FACEBOOK earlier this month.
It is with a deep sense of regret and disappointment that Tarter Racing and the David Tarter “35” Foundation announce the postponement of the 8th annual David Tarter Memorial Race until next year, 2021.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and all that has resulted from it, it has become impossible for us to put on a spectator event at the Silver Dollar Speedway, a State of California-owned venue. Without our loyal and enthusiastic spectators and participants, there is no way that a fund-raising event like ours can generate a meaningful contribution to our charity. In addition, holding a racing event without a large crowd does a disservice to our generous sponsors.
As a result, we have decided to end the uncertainty, postpone this year’s event, and devote our energies to making the 8th annual David Tarter Memorial Race an even better event in 2021. Thank you to ALL our friends, family, fans, participants, volunteers, and sponsors for your continued support, and we will see you in 2021.
Stay safe and be well, The Tarter Family.
Up to this point, only one event has been held at the world-famous Silver Dollar Speedway. Back on March 13, Justyn Cox won the Friday night portion of the Silver Cup.
The staff is still hopeful that some form of auto racing will be allowed at the Silver Dollar Speedway in 2020. We are thankful to have constant dialogue with the Silver Dollar Fair and together we will let the public know when the sights and sounds of grassroots dirt track racing can resume.