By Troy Hennig
The main grandstand at Silver Dollar Speedway has sat dormant for the last 413 days. Well, all that is about to change. Starting with next weekend’s Spring Nationals, we are excited to welcome back fans to the main grandstands and bleachers of the historic Silver Dollar Speedway.
The Silver Dollar Speedway has been a mainstay of local entertainment since the 1960’s. Heroes and legends have raced the high-banked, quarter-mile clay oval thrilling fans for the past six decades. These modern-day gladiators, enter a coliseum filled with fans. These drivers thrive off the interaction. Racing in front of an empty grandstands is something they do not like to experience.
Following the State guidelines and regulations, the Speedway has only hosted four events since September of 2019. Only one of those had a limited number of spectators. With Butte County moving into the Orange tier recently, we were given the opportunity to open back up. We will be prudent in following the current CDC recommended guidelines going forward.
Future releases will give more details about next weekends two-day show. Listed below are some key points.
All fans will be directed to purchase your tickets on-line. Please visit www.silverdollarspeedway.com and clink on ticket or next event. All prices are listed on our website for next weekends event. We strongly recommend buying these tickets soon.
Camping will be allowed for both nights of racing. Please stop by the fair office to pay.
Friday night, April 30th, is the Bill Brownell Memorial. It will feature winged 360 sprint cars, Street Stocks and Dwarf Cars. Pit gate opens at 3 PM. All teams need to come through the Costco side entrance of Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy. Grandstands are set to open at 5 PM.
Saturday night is the 8th Running of the David Tarter Memorial. The race will also mark the first appearance by the popular traveling Sprint Car Challenge Tour (SCCT). The Dwarf Cars will also be on hand. Pit gate opens at 3 PM. All teams need to come through the Costco side entrance of Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy. Grandstands are set to open at 5 PM.
“This is as big of a re-opening as we could offer,” said track manager Dennis Gage. “Getting the facility back to some normalcy and allowing these great people of Butte County the chance to see some live entertainment. To host the Bill Brownell race on Friday night and then the next night the David Tarter Memorial is a special thing for us to do, not only for the families but our community.”
“It is an odd feeling to announce racing to an empty grandstand,” said long time track announcer Troy Hennig referring to the last few races held at the fairgrounds. “We were able to live stream those events to people in their homes, but it is not the same energy I thrive off. I am absolutely thrilled for the chance to see some familiar faces again in out stands. We have a loyal and passionate fan base. All I can say is, ‘Welcome Back,’.”
Further updates will be available at www.silverdollarspeedway.com or at https://www.sprintcarchallengetour.com/. We will also have information posted on our Facebook and twitter pages.