By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA – May 18, 2021…Grass roots championship auto racing continues at Placerville Speedway this Sunday night, with an exciting four-division program set to be presented with fans in the stands yet again.
Grandstand tickets for the rare Sunday event this weekend are on sale and can be purchased at https://www.universe.com/embed2/events/2021-placerville-speedway-championship-weekly-pts-race-8-sunday-tickets-placerville-RN8ZPJ – Pit passes will also be available at the pit booth or they can be bought ahead of time via the Pit Pay Mobile Pit Pass App.
Northern California has seen such an impressive youth movement as of late and that is certainly on full display at Placerville on any given week. Fresh off a third place finish last Saturday 15-year-old Joel Myers Jr. finds himself atop the Thompson’s Family of Dealerships Winged 360 Sprint Car standings. The Sebastopol driver holds a 22-point advantage over one of the all-time greats in track history, Andy Forsberg of Auburn.
Forsberg, who is also known as “Sprint Car Andy” will be gunning to win the special “Sunday Funday” event to try and close the gap between himself and the youngster Myers. Placerville veteran Andy Gregg has shown speed this season and goes into this weekend ranking third in points. Placerville’s Shane Hopkins and three-time feature winner this year Justin Sanders of Aromas complete the top-five. Landon Brooks, Justin Bradway, Michael Ing, Tanner Carrick and Isaiah Vasquez round out the top-10 heading into the sixth Winged Sprint Car point race of the season.
The Ltd. Late Models feature a logjam at the top of the standings heading into Sunday night. Auburn’s Ray Trimble has snagged a pair of victories already in the young season and holds a six-point advantage over Diamond Springs’ Dan Jinkerson. Placerville’s own Tyler Lightfoot captured a big win last Saturday and is now just eight-points out of the lead. Tom Tilford of Orangevale and Woodland’s Kiely Ricardo, who is coming off a podium last week, complete the top-five in points.
The Pure Stock division has also continued to provide close competition and entertaining racing all season long thus far. Oakley’s Nick Baldwin has been on the top of his game in 2021 and leads the standings on the strength of three wins and six top-five finishes. Diamond Springs racer Kevin Jinkerson has also been a consistent force at the front of the pack and sits 14-markers behind Baldwin for the point lead. Sacramento’s Jason Palmer, Placerville’s Jonny Walsh and Dan Jinkerson round out the top-five.
The Placerville bullring will also welcome in the Nor-Cal Dwarf Association on Saturday. The colorful coupes always provide excitement and bring healthy car counts everywhere they compete. The Dwarf Cars have contested one event so far at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds venue, a race won by Galt’s Ryan Winter. Colfax driver Ben Wiesz put on a thrilling charge to finish second during that event. Fairfield’s Mike Grenert, Camarillo’s Nick Velasquez and Placerville’s Corey Eaton also brought home solid finishes.
The pit gate will open at noon this Sunday, with the front grandstand gate opening at 3pm. Happy Hour is offered from 4-6pm in the grandstands featuring discounted Coors Light and Coors Original at the beer booth. The pit meeting will be held at 4:30pm with cars on track at 5. Hot laps, ADCO Driveline qualifying and racing will follow.
The Placerville Speedway is located on the beautiful El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, California. Take Hwy US-50 to Forni Road/Placerville Drive exit. Then go north on Placerville Drive to the Fairgrounds. The physical address is 100 Placerville Dr., Placerville, CA 95667. For more information on the Placerville Speedway log onto http://www.placervillespeedway.com
Join over 14,000 followers of Placerville Speedway on Facebook, where you can keep abreast of updates for the 2021 season. You can also find Placerville Speedway on Twitter by following us https://twitter.com/pvillespeedway – In addition, Placerville Speedway is also on Instagram. Please follow us @PvilleSpeedway.
The quarter-mile clay oval is operated by Russell Motorsports Incorporated, which can be reached at the track business office at 530-344-7592. Contact Kami Arnold or Scott Russell directly for sponsorship opportunities at the office.
Upcoming events at Placerville Speedway:
SUNDAY May 23: Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Ltd. Late Models, Pure Stocks and Nor-Cal Dwarf Car Association
Saturday June 5: Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks and BCRA Lightning Sprints | Dads and Grads Night
Saturday June 12: King of the West-NARC Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series and Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards | 30th Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial