By Gary Thomas
Stockton, CA…What started in March will officially conclude this Saturday as the Sprint Car Challenge Tour caps its season by taking part in the 40th “Tribute to Gary Patterson” at the Stockton Dirt Track.
The can’t miss event showcases the second “Nor*Cal Triple Crown” where three traveling series champions will be crowned in the unique Stockton Dirt Track victory corral. Please note the event on November 4th does feature an earlier start time, with the pit meeting at 3pm and cars on track shortly after.
Along with the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards, the NARC 410 Sprint Cars and Hunt Magnetos Wingless Tour will also wrap up titles at the Tribute to Gary Patterson.
Going into the final round of the SCCT campaign Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox sits atop the standings by 25-markers over Dylan Bloomfield. The most recent event in Petaluma saw Cox put together an impressive night and come close to victory. He’ll look to carry that same speed into the Stockton finale on Saturday at the helm of the Bates-Hamilton Racing No. 42x.
Bloomfield also had a shot at cracking off a SCCT win last time out, only to encounter issues in lapped traffic. The 17-year-old driver of the Vertullo Racing No. 83v will be gunning for a strong night at the Tribute to Gary Patterson to try and close the gap between himself and Cox.
Templeton’s Kaleb Montgomery heads into the night looking to rebound after a DNF in Petaluma relegated him to third in points, now 32 behind Cox.
Rounding out the top-10 heading into Saturday’s program are Suisun City’s Chance Grasty, Clovis’ Dominic Gorden, Dunnigan’s Luke Hayes, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Roseville’s Sean Becker and reigning SCCT champ Andy Forsberg.
Aromas wheel-man Justin Sanders will climb back aboard the Dale Miller Septic No. 4sa on Saturday as the team looks to lock up the SCCT owners’ championship. Sanders is also the defending winner of the Tribute to Gary Patterson.
Known as the “Dancing Phantom from Stockton,” the “Preacher,” the “Hostile Hippie” or just simply “GP,” Gary Patterson was one of the most colorful characters of his time and captured several major wins in his career, including the Gold Cup Race of Champions, the Super Dirt Cup in Washington and the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ascot Park among others.
Patterson lost his life in a Sprint Car crash at Calistoga Speedway on Memorial Day weekend 1983 and an event in his memory has been held every year since. “GP” moved to Stockton, California in 1957 and began his career at the Stockton 99 Speedway. This year marks the 11th season in a row that we’ve paid honor to Patterson in Stockton.
Tickets and Details:
Tickets for the 40th annual Tribute to Gary Patterson on Saturday cost $30. Children four and under will be admitted free.
Tickets can be purchased online via https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nov-4th-triple-crown-championship-finales-at-the-stockton-dirt-track-tickets-733680186187?aff=g or at the gate on race day. Seating is general admission.
The pit gate will open at 1pm, with the front grandstand gate opening at 3pm. The pit meeting will be held at 3pm with cars on track shortly after. Hot laps, Sierra Foothills Wine Services qualifying, and racing will follow.
There is also no sound rule at the event.
The Stockton Dirt Track is a 4/10-mile clay oval located on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, California. The physical address is 1658 S Airport Way, Stockton, CA 95206. For information on the speedway visit www.stocktondirttrack.com
For those who can’t make it to the track CaliDirt.TV provides live coverage of every Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards race. Fans can purchase through a monthly membership or on a per race basis via https://calidirt.tv/
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour would like to thank Elk Grove Ford, Abreu Vineyards, Hoosier Racing Tires, CaliDirt.TV, Shop Kyle Larson, Pit Stop USA, Tiner-Hirst Enterprise, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, D&D Roofing, Sierra Foothills Wine Services, Garth Moore Insurance and Financial Services and High Sierra Industries for their support this season.
More information on the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards can be found at our official website www.sprintcarchallengetour.com – Be sure to also like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sprintcarchallengetour and follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/360SCCT for the latest breaking news regarding SCCT. You can also find us on Instagram by searching scct360.