By Gary Thomas
Merced, CA…Over the last handful of years Merced Speedway has established itself as one of the more popular dirt tracks in California. This Saturday night, the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour will compete at the bullring for the second round of the season.
The Merced Speedway happens to be one of the more centrally located tracks in California, which should make for a solid field from throughout the Northern and Central part of our state. The always action-packed quarter mile lies one hour and 45 minutes from Sacramento and just under an hour from Fresno.
“We are excited to host the Sprint Car Challenge Tour at Merced Speedway this Saturday,” commented track GM Doug Lockwood. “We don’t have that many Sprint Car shows in Merced, but when we do, it’s always a special time. It should be an outstanding field of competitors this weekend and it’s your only chance to catch a Winged Sprint Car event here until November, so hopefully everyone can come out and fill these grandstands.”
The www.shopkylelarson.com A-main will hand out $3,000-to-win/ $400-to-start on Saturday. The track will also host an Easter Egg/ Candy Hunt during intermission on the front stretch to celebrate Easter Weekend. Teams are asked to please bring some candy for the kids during it.
Opening night with the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour last month saw Shane Golobic race to his 17th career series win. This Saturday the Fremont veteran hopes to become the sixth different winner in as many SCCT races held at Merced Speedway.
Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi grabbed a Sprint Car Challenge Tour triumph at Merced in 2023 and recorded a runner-up finish during the SCCT opener in March. The two-time NARC champion is always a favorite in the Golden State and should be certain contender at the “Clash on the High Banks.”
Aromas driver Justin Sanders is fresh off a $10,000 score at the Mini Gold Cup and looks to back that up with a Merced Speedway victory on Saturday. Sanders was victorious during the SCCT stop at the track last season and brought home a top five at the opener in March.
The Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour made its Merced debut in 2019, an event claimed by Roseville’s Jodie Robinson, who has shown immense speed so far this year driving for Weiher Racing once again.
More drivers looking to take home the top prize at the Clash on the High Banks will include 2021 Merced SCCT winner Colby Copeland from Roseville, Sacramento’s Austin Wood, Suisun City’s Chance Grasty, Lincoln’s Tanner Carrick, Clovis’ Dominic Gorden, Templeton’s Kaleb Montgomery, Hanford’s DJ Netto, recent Ocean Speedway winner Seth Standley of Yuba City, Placerville’s Shane Hopkins, Marysville brothers Carson and Dawson Hammes, Livermore’s Travis Labat, Arizona driver Corbin Rueschenberg, Brentwood’s Adriana Demartini, Fresno’s Mariah Ede and others.
Tickets and Details:
Adult tickets for the Clash on the High Banks this Saturday April 19th cost $25, juniors will be $10, while kids 10 and under are free.
The pit gate will open at 3pm, with the front gate opening at 5pm. Racing is slated to begin around 7pm.
The muffler rule will be as follows: Flowmaster, SpinTech, Schoenfeld 14272735-78 or Extreme mufflers only.
The Merced Speedway is located at 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Merced, California 95431. It is approximately one hour and 45 minutes south of Sacramento and one hour north of Fresno. For information on the speedway visit http://www.mercedspeedway.net/
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, 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 managed by Russell Motorsports Inc., which also runs 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.