By Gary Thomas
Stockton, CA…What started in April will come to a grand conclusion this Saturday when the Sprint Car Challenge Tour tackles the Stockton Dirt Track for the 41st annual “Tribute to Gary Patterson.”
The November 2nd showdown will be a can’t miss affair with both the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour and the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series crowning champions in the unique Stockton victory corral.
The Tribute to Gary Patterson has also morphed back into a double header weekend with Winged 360 Sprint Cars, the Hunt Wingless Tour and Dwarf Cars launching things on Friday night. Plenty of camping is available on the fairgrounds for those who want to make a weekend out of it.
“We look forward to GP weekend this Friday and Saturday,” said Stockton Dirt Track Promoter Tony Noceti. “We continue doing work on this track to try and give teams the best possible surface. Alan Handy has been here massaging it and I feel like we should have two great nights of racing.”
Andy Forsberg heads into Saturday hoping to wrap up his second Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour title. If he can do so, it would mark championship 28 for the Auburn driver. Forsberg claimed a SCCT victory at the Adobe Cup in Petaluma and looks to finish off the season in that same fashion.
El Cajon resident Braden Chiaramonte goes into Stockton gunning to lock up second in the standings, as well as the Garth Moore Insurance Rookie of the Year Award. The 17-year-old has been impressive this year while gaining laps with the Tiner-Hirst Ent. team.
Oakley’s Dylan Bloomfield, Placerville’s Shane Hopkins and Livermore’s Travis Labat rank third, fourth and fifth respectively in the points. Completing the top-10 heading into the season finale are Yuba City’s Seth Standley, Aromas’ Justin Sanders, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Hanford’s Michael Faccinto and Roseville’s Sean Becker.
Sanders recorded a clean sweep during the only other SCCT appearance in Stockton this season and has captured the last two Tribute to Gary Patterson main events with the tour. He climbs back aboard the Dale Miller Septic No. 4sa mount looking to claim his seventh SCCT win of the year.
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 12th season in a row that we’ve paid honor to Patterson in Stockton.
Tickets and Details:
Adult tickets for the 41st annual Tribute to Gary Patterson on Saturday cost $30 while juniors 12-17, seniors 65+ and military with ID cost $25. Kids ages 5-11 are $10, with those four and under free.
Tickets can be purchased online via https://www.eventbrite.com/e/narc-king-of-the-west-410-scct-360-sprint-car-championship-finales-tickets-1043049137047 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 3:30pm with cars on track shortly after. Hot laps, Sierra Foothills Wine Services qualifying, and racing will follow.
There is no muffler rule either night.
The Stockton Dirt Track is a quarter 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 Sprint Car Challenge Tour event. The service also covers every championship point race at Placerville Speedway. Fans can purchase through a cost savings monthly membership or on a per race basis via https://calidirt.tv/
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour would like to thank Elk Grove Ford, 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, Pacific Highway Rentals and High Sierra Industries for their support this season.
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is operated under the Russell Motorsports Inc. banner, which also manages the Placerville Speedway in Placerville, California. For sponsorship opportunities and inquiries, RMI can be reached at 530-344-7592 or office@sprintcarchallengetour.com
More information on the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour 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 X/Twitter https://twitter.com/360SCCT for the latest breaking news regarding SCCT. You can also find us on Instagram by searching scct360.