By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA…The Placerville Speedway is amped up to begin another Hoosier Tires championship season with an eclectic show that is sure to offer something for everyone this Saturday night.
Weather permitting, the El Dorado County Fairgrounds based quarter mile will present a detailed program of grass roots dirt track racing, including the Thompson’s Family of Dealerships Winged 360 Sprint Cars, the Anrak Ltd. Late Models, Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks and Wingless Spec Sprints.
For those who can’t make it to the track, CaliDirt.TV will provide live flag-to-flag coverage of each and every Placerville Speedway point race this season. The live streaming service also includes every event with the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards in 2023. Fans can purchase through a monthly membership or on a per race basis via https://calidirt.tv/
Last year saw Andy Forsberg earn an unprecedented ninth Thompson’s Family of Dealerships Winged 360 Sprint Car championship on the red clay. The Auburn veteran, however, is not scheduled to contest a full point season, opening the door for several to have a shot at bringing home their initial title.
Placerville’s own Shane Hopkins showed strength in 2022, earning four podium finishes, en route to a third-place finish in the standings. Hanford’s Michael Faccinto will be another favorite wheeling the F&F Racing X1 entry, which he drove to his first career Winged Sprint Car victory last July. A host of other teams will be vying for victory on opening night this Saturday, as we kick-off the first of 14 point races for the Winged Warriors.
Diamond Springs competitor Dan Jinkerson locked down his second consecutive Anrak Corp. Ltd. Late Model title last season. On the strength of six wins in eight starts, he was able to top Dan Brown Jr. by 34-points at seasons end. The ground pounders are set to contest a total of nine point races this year.
Last season saw Oakley’s Nick Baldwin put together another robust campaign with the Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks. The talented driver accumulated five wins and finished among the top-five all but once, on way to his fourth career track championship over Kevin Jinkerson. The Pure Stocks will see 13 total nights of racing in 2022.
Wingless Sprint Cars will grace the red clay on six occasions this season, first of which is Saturday’s championship opener. The unsanctioned event will follow Hunt Magnetos Wingless Tour rules.
Adult tickets for the championship opener this Saturday March 18th cost $18, while seniors 62+, military and juniors 12-17 will be $16. Kids 6-11 cost $7 and those five and under are free. Purchase tickets online at www.placervillespeedway.com starting this Thursday or at the gate on race day.
Something new this season is the fact that all tickets in the grandstands are reserved to give fans better access to individual seats. Pit passes can be purchased at the pit gate or on Pit Pay to take advantage of the expanded seating area on the hill.
The pit gate will open at noon, with the front gate opening at 3pm. Happy Hour is offered when the gates open until 6pm in the grandstands featuring live music along with discounted Coors Light and Coors Original at the beer booth.
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 16,500 followers of Placerville Speedway on Facebook, where you can keep abreast of updates for the 2023 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.
Upcoming events at Placerville Speedway:
Saturday March 18: Thompson’s Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Anrak Ltd. Late Models, Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks and Wingless Spec Sprints | Championship Opener
Saturday March 25: Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards and BCRA Lightning Sprints | Spring Fever Frenzy
Saturday April 8: Thompson’s Dealerships Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks and Nor-Cal Dwarf Cars | Easter Eggstravaganza