By Gary Thomas
Marysville, CA…The Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour is primed to embark upon a busy stretch that all gets underway this Sunday May 25th at Marysville Raceway’s annual “Mel & Marlyn Hall Memorial.”
This Sunday’s event on Memorial Day weekend marks the third race of the season for SCCT and its only appearance at Marysville Raceway this year.
Racing was certainly a passion of the Hall family. They epitomized the great strengths of being at the forefront of the sport when it came to on-track racing and off-track promotions. Mel Hall believed in a united Sprint Car traveling organization and in the early 1990’s was one of the founding fathers of the Civil War Series, which is fundamentally what the Sprint Car Challenge Tour continues in the Golden State.
With their unmeasurable work ethic, the Halls were heavily involved in the now defunct Ernie Purcell Speedway in Grass Valley, before taking over operation of Twin Cities Speedway (now Marysville Raceway) in late 1994. Hall is credited with bringing professional Sprint Car racing to the Yuba-Sutter facility, which persists in this very day under the current management of Gage Promotions.
The Hall’s left their ego at the door and did the things needed for a successful series and management of Marysville Raceway. They never did this for fame and glory or pats on the back. They were simple people who had a vision and did the best they could to make it a reality. Mel passed away on May 22, 1999, and we lost Marlyn in August of 2020.
Following Marysville, the SCCT 360s will contest the “Davy Thomas Memorial” just five days later in Placerville on Friday May 30th. “Wings Over Wine Country” then awaits the tour at Petaluma Speedway on Saturday June 14th, creating a stretch of three events in four weeks.
The opening two rounds of the Sprint Car Challenge Tour campaign have been captured by Fremont’s Shane Golobic and Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi respectively.
By way of a win and a runner up effort at the opener, Scelzi finds himself atop the standings going into Marysville Raceway on Sunday. The two-time NARC champion is coming off his 10th career SCCT triumph on April 19th in Merced and will be gunning for number 11 at the Hall Memorial.
2022 Mel & Marlyn Hall Memorial winner Tanner Carrick of Lincoln, Roseville’s Jodie Robinson, Suisun City’s Chance Grasty and Modesto’s Tony Gomes fill out the top five in points heading into Sunday.
Justin Sanders is the reigning winner of the Hall Memorial and hopes to rebound following a tough ending to the most recent SCCT event. The Aromas driver had charged from deep in the field, only to have contact send him upside down prior to the finish.
Six-time Mel & Marlyn Hall Memorial victor Andy Forsberg will be another favorite come Sunday. The two-time Sprint Car Challenge Tour champion hopes to break a two-way tie with Colby Wiesz for the most wins in event history.
Tickets and Details:
Adult tickets at Marysville Raceway this Sunday May 25th cost $24; while juniors 12-15, seniors 62+ and military are $20; kids 6-11 cost $10 and those five and under will be free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via https://www.eventsprout.com/event/marysville-raceway-2025
The pit gate will open at 3pm, with the front grandstand gate opening at 5pm.
The Marysville Raceway is in Marysville, California. From the Junction of HWY 70 and HWY 20 (12th Street), go a quarter mile east on HWY 20. Turn south onto Ramirez Road for 1.5 miles. The physical address is 1468 Simpson Ln, Marysville, CA 95901.
The event will follow the standard SCCT muffler rule, which is either the Large Flowmaster or Large Spintech Muffler as described in the rulebook.
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.
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Upcoming Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour events
Sunday May 25: Marysville Raceway (25th annual Mel and Marlyn Hall Memorial)
Friday May 30: Placerville Speedway (Davy Thomas Memorial- Prelude to the Bradway)
Saturday June 14: Petaluma Speedway (Wings Over Wine Country)