By Gary Thomas
Merced, CA…Over the last several years Merced Speedway has positioned itself as one of the more popular dirt tracks in California among fans and drivers.
This Saturday night the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour is primed to compete at the bullring for the lone time in 2026 during the “Clash on the High Banks.”
The always action-packed quarter mile happens to be one of the more centrally located tracks in California, which should make for a solid field from throughout our state. The Merced Speedway is 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 last chance to catch a Winged 360 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 this Saturday April 25th.
Opening night for the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour earlier this month saw Yuba City’s Landon Brooks flash to his initial SCCT triumph over Castro Valley’s Jake Andreotti and young Landon Henry from Sacramento.
Brooks and the Hamilton Racing with Tiner-Hirst Ent. team look to make it back-to-back at the Clash on the High Banks.
Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi claimed the SCCT event at Merced Speedway last season and was also victorious during the 2023 stop at the track. Scelzi ran second to Corey Day last November during the Winged Sprint Car portion of the “Chase Johnson Classic.”
The Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour made its Merced debut in 2019, an event claimed by Roseville’s Jodie Robinson, who brought home a fourth-place finish at the SCCT opener.
Clovis driver Dominic Gorden went from 12th to fifth on opening night and was the runner up last season with SCCT in Merced.
More former SCCT winners on the high banks of Merced include Justin Sanders, who secured the Pit Stop USA Hard Charger Award on opening night, Roseville’s Colby Copeland and Hollister’s Ryan Bernal. This Saturday is the seventh all-time appearance for the tour at Merced Speedway.
Tickets and Details:
Adult tickets for the Clash on the High Banks this Saturday April 25th cost $25, juniors ages 10-16 will be $10, while kids 6-9 will be $5. Ages 5 and under are free. Tickets will be available at the gate on race day.
The pit gate will open at 3pm with the front gate opening at 5pm. The pit meeting will take place at 5:45pm with engine heat at 6pm. 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 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 https://x.com/360SCCT for the latest breaking news regarding SCCT. You can also find us on Instagram by searching scct360.
……
Upcoming Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour events
Saturday April 25: Merced Speedway (Clash on the High Banks)
Sunday May 24: Marysville Raceway (26th annual Mel and Marlyn Hall Memorial)
Saturday May 30: Placerville Speedway (2nd annual Davy Thomas Memorial)
Saturday June 13: Petaluma Speedway (Wings Over Wine Country)