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Golden State Challenge Series heads for Petaluma this Saturday April 19

By Gary Thomas

Petaluma, CA – April 15, 2008…For the third straight weekend the Golden State Challenge King of California 410 Sprint Car Series will compete at a Bay Area region facility with this Saturday’s event taking place at the 3/8 mile Petaluma Speedway. The night of competition will mark the eighth race of the season for the traveling 410 series.

The tacky & hooked up track has been a welcome stop for the Golden State Challenge Series over the last couple years with the racing being fantastic during the previous handful of visits. The series brought 410 winged sprint car racing back to the Petaluma Speedway 3/8 mile clay oval in 2005 and have run a total of five night’s since returning to the track.

The driver who has dominated the GSC action over the last couple seasons at the Petaluma Speedway is Chico’s Jonathan Allard, who also comes into the event as the current series point leader. Allard has won three of the last four Golden State Challenge main events at the track, which also includes finishes of second and fourth during the other two events held at the speedway since the return in ‘05. Allard comes into the event Saturday with a 50 point lead in the standings and will be looking for his first win of the season in the Williams Motorsports No. 0.

The dogfight for the runner-up position in the points has gotten even tighter after last weekend’s event at the Ocean Speedway as Los Angeles driver Tyler Walker and Sacramento’s Mike Henry are tied for second. Walker had an eventful main event last Saturday as he tried to work the high side of the racing surface, which didn’t work to his advantage and he fell back to seventh by the finish. He and the SC Motorsports No. 24 team will look for better things this weekend at the usual racy Petaluma 3/8 mile clay oval. The hard charger won his first career GSC main event just a couple weeks back.

Henry likewise had a rather difficult outing during the feature last weekend in Watsonville as slipped back to 11^th by the checkered flag. The former two-time Civil War champ has had success in the past at Petaluma however, as just a couple years back he set fast time and finished seventh in the main event during the Golden State Challenge Series season opener at the track. He’ll return to the speedway this weekend with the HMH Motorsports team and should be a strong threat as he guns for his second victory of the year.

Campbell’s Brent Kaeding continues to pick up the pace in his Al’s Roofing Supply No. 69 and sits fourth in points, just two digits behind the duo of Walker and Henry. The 13-time and defending King of California has tallied three consecutive podium finishes and has begun looking a bit like the driver that won eight main events with the series last year. “BK” also made a rare start outside of his No. 69 machine last Friday during a weekly point event at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway, as he sat behind the wheel of Dan Menne’s No. 75 sprint car. The veteran promptly went out and dominated his heat race before charging from 12^th to 3^rd in the main event.

Two-time and defending USAC Silver Crown champ Bud Kaeding currently rounds out the top five in the Golden State Challenge Series standings. The 28 year-old finished fifth last weekend and will look for his first season win in Petaluma on Saturday aboard his K & N Filters No. 29. So far during the season he has three top five finishes in GSC competition, which includes back to back fifth place runs. Last year saw Bud win the Oval Nationals for the third time in his career, as well as his second straight Silver Crown title.

Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs sits just four points behind the younger Kaeding and will go into Petaluma on the heels of back to back fourth place finishes. The driver of the Suggs Racing No. 33e has shown definite growth in his second season behind the wheel of a winged sprint car and appears to be on the cusp of breaking into GSC victory lane for the first time. Last season the 21 year-old won a prelim main event at the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup and also set fast time during the second prelim night at the Gold Cup Race of Champions.

Los Gatos driver Jason Statler is scheduled to be in competition Saturday in Petaluma but it is all dependent on when wife Stephanie has the couple’s first child. She is due this weekend so it’s a toss up whether or not the DF Rios Construction No. 00 will be in action. Statler is currently eighth in points and is coming off a sixth place finish last weekend in Watsonville.

Fremont’s Shane Golobic will be looking to make it back to back wins this weekend as he’s expected to be in competition once again aboard the Joe Von Schriltz No. 121. The 16 year-old has made two GSC starts this season and has been very impressive both times, which was highlighted by his dominating victory last weekend. The son of former sprint car driver John Golobic, also finished runner-up out of 30 plus cars during last season’s Petaluma Speedway winged 360 finale in October.

This Saturday will see Penngrove’s Alissa Geving make her first GSC start since the season opening Mini Gold Cup. The talented 16 year-old has gained experience this season by hauling up to Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway a handful of times and it has paid off as she has been very impressive thus far in her sophomore year of sprint car racing. The driver of the Chick-O-Motorsports No. 3x will have a 360 under the hood this weekend however, as the event will also award bonus money and points to its regular weekly competitors.

Other possible drivers for Saturday will include Loomis’ Kyle Hirst, Fremont’s Brent Bjork, Gilroy’s Jon Maiwald & Ken Fredenburg, Fresno’s Mark Workentine, Tracy’s Jason Botsford, Rio Vista’s Dan Simpson, Petaluma’s Mike Mossi and more. Mossi is coming off his first career top 10 finish with GSC and will look for more good things at his home track as he competes aboard his own No. 87 machine.

The front gate will open at 4:30 pm on Saturday with all seating being general admission. Adult tickets will be $16, kids 6-11 $12, seniors 65 and older $10 and children 5 and under free. The Petaluma Speedway is located at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds just off Highway 101 in Petaluma. For more information visit http://www.petaluma-speedway.com

Up next- The Golden State Challenge Series will make its second stop of the season to the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway next Saturday April 26. Reserved tickets are on sale and can be acquired by calling (559) 688-0909. For the current GSC point standings and results from past races visit http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com

www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
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www.thunderbowlraceway.com

I've heard the 121 will not be in action this weekend.

Additionally, Shane Golobic has tentative plans to run Altamont.

Ok I was wondering since his website lists Altamont on his schedule. Before we left Saturday night he said he'd be running Petaluma, but he might have been so excited he forgot about Altamont.

www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com

Petaluma was the plan for Shane to run, but other commitments for the 121 team will prevent them from making this race.

what other drivers might b their saturday i know the civil war races dont run and hope the car count is high just sucks hearing only 20 showed up n watsonville last saturday and to i heard its suppose to b cold

Cool thanks for the info Dhowe.

Another possibility on Saturday is Willie Croft. Hopefully they will make it because we've missed having "Double Down" running regularly.

www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com

Thats good to hear about Willie Croft being a hopeful in the pits this weekend in Petaluma. Im a fan of Willie Crofts driving, he has always been a good qualifier it would be cool to see him start 3rd or 4th row and drive to the front!

would their ba chance would greg decaires race sat and to jim skinner hope to see garret ishii i know sean becker is with the civil war but would their b a chance he might show up ?

Pretty sure Greg is committed to running the weekly show in p-ville this weekend...

I have always been a fan of Greg D's driving. This guy has no luck. I can remember back when he drove for Bumgardner (not sure of the spelling) but it was during a speedweek race it was at Chico, and he wrecked the car on the front straight, he climbed out and said I hope we will be in Calistoga tomorrow but we dont have the funds. That year he had NARC win stickers all over the tail tank, and that year was cut short on him. Now the NMI deal, man this driver really deserves better!

Shane Golobic will be there in his families #57.

wasnt shane scheduled to race at altamont what changed his mine but anyway glad to here he will b racing at petaluma this saturday

The team that Shane is driving for is not ready for this weekend. They will be at the next Altamont Pavement Sprint Car Race on May 17th. Shane will be at Petaluma this weekend in his family #57 car.

Tami Golobic

Gary, if Willie races then thats all that matters! He will set fast time and break the sound meters! :-)

Are you gonna be doing any announcing this weekend?

If everything seems under control, you're just not
going fast enough

haha. Yeah the sound meter guy is never Willie's friend.

Don't know if I'll be doing any announcing on Sat or not. Maybe if it gets too cold. lol

I will certainly have the beanie packed for Sat.

www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com

Good lookin out. I forgot how cold it gets there. I has 2 pair of pants on last time I went to a race there to stay warm threw the mains. haha

If everything seems under control, you're just not
going fast enough

Better dress warm! Forcast for tomorrow is high of 58 @ 2 PM and 40 degrees at 11 PM with 16 mph winds out of the WNW and a 10% chance of precip after 8 PM.

Are we having fun yet?