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22^nd annual Mini Gold Cup kicks off Golden State Challenge Series season

By Gary Thomas

Chico, CA – March 3, 2008…The Golden State Challenge King of California 410 Sprint Car Series will begin its 23^rd season of competition during this weekend’s annual Mini Gold Cup at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway on March 7 & 8. The prestigious event, which started out under the sanction of the World of Outlaw Series, is in its 22^nd year of competition and looks to be packing one of deepest fields in recent Mini Gold Cup memory.

The Mini Gold Cup has opened the season for the Golden State Challenge Series every year since 2000, with the exception of 2006 when weather washed out the entire weekend. The first Mini Gold Cup was held in 1987 and it was captured by fan favorite Jac Haudenschild of Wooster, Ohio. Some of the other well known national names to taste victory at the event include Steve Kinser, Bobby Davis Jr., Tim Shaffer, Jimmy Sills, Paul Mcmahan, Jason Meyers and the two-time & defending champion of the race Tim Kaeding of San Jose.

Last season T. Kaeding drove the Taco Bravo No. 72 to victory lane at the Mini Gold Cup and he’ll be looking to make it a three-peat this year aboard the potent Tom Rolfe Racing No. 10. “TK” and the Rolfe Racing team look to be in for an action packed season with over 100 races scheduled, from coast to coast. They have assembled multiple cars and have acquired some hard hitting engines giving them the tools they need to compete on a national level. Last season saw the team capture Chico’s Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals and also record a sweep of the two night GSC finale in July.

As much as a favorite as anyone at the Mini Gold Cup however, will be defending GSC King of California Brent Kaeding of Campbell. Last season saw BK finish second to Tim at the Mini Gold Cup and use the momentum to spring board himself to a 13^th GSC title. The driver of the Al’s Roofing Supply No. 69 is the all-time winningest driver in Mini Gold Cup history having captured the race four times in his storied career. BK’s Mini Gold Cup wins have come in 1991, ‘93, ‘96 and 2001. The now 50 year-old is also coming off a year that saw him win his fourth Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial as well as the Ocean Speedway and Calistoga Speedway titles.

Former King of California Jonathan Allard of Chico won 11 main events last season in California, which included a victory during opening night of the Mini Gold Cup and a third place finish during the 40 lap finale. This season he’ll be looking to build off that success and capture his first Mini Gold Cup win aboard the Williams Motorsports No. 0. The 31 year-old driver also won a prelim during the World of Outlaws Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar last season, and finished 10^th in the Saturday finale after running amongst the top three for 39 of the 40 laps.

Los Gatos driver Jason Statler will also be looking to breakthrough for his first Mini Gold Cup win. The former King of California has twice won the prelim to the event, but has yet to crack victory lane on Saturday night. Statler came closest in 2004 when he finished in the runner up spot and he’ll look to one better that this year as he wheels the familiar DF Rios Construction No. 00. Last season also saw him win the Johnny Key Classic in Watsonville and the Salute to Walter T Ross at Calistoga.

A competitor certain to provide excitement is Los Angeles driver Tyler Walker who will be competing this season aboard the SC Motorsports No. 24. The former NASCAR Nationwide Series driver has won in the past with the World of Outlaws and has shown in his career to have no fear whatsoever. In 1996 Walker led the first 16 laps of the Mini Gold Cup finale, before a flat tire ended his shot at victory. He’ll be back 12 years later looking to put it all together and tally his first career GSC win. Walker is coming off a top 10 finish with the World of Outlaws last weekend at Manzanita Speedway in Arizona.

Fresno based car owner Dennis Roth has been tipped to be fielding a pair of cars during the event, one for Bixby, Oklahoma’s Shane Stewart and one for three-time WOO champ Sammy Swindell from Germantown, Tennessee. Stewart is coming into the Mini Gold Cup fresh off his best finish of the WOO season last weekend in Manzanita where he finished in the third position. Swindell is coming off a year that saw him run limited times, but he did pick up a fourth place finish last September at the 54^th annual Gold Cup Race of Champions. The Roth Motorsports team always provides the best of equipment so it should be a tough duo to contend with at the event.

Also with national experience during the last few years is Mount Vernon, Wash’s Jason Solwold who has hooked up with the Doyle’s Harley Davidson No. 1 team. In the year 2000 Solwold led the Mini Gold Cup until the 36^th lap before Eric Rossi passed him for the win, just four laps shy of the checkered. The Doyle’s team had much success last year with Oklahoman Shane Stewart and it should be no different with Solwold at the helm this season. Last year saw Solwold wheel the Carnahan Motorsports No. R19 to a top10 finish in the World of Outlaw point standings.

Two-time and defending USAC Silver Crown Series champion Bud Kaeding of Campbell brings more star power to the Mini Gold Cup. The 28 year-old has had his moments in the past during the event, probably most memorable however, for when he was involved in a scary front stretch accident in 1998 that left him unconscious at impact and with injuries that sidelined him for about a month. It was a frightening moment for all in attendance and actually saw father Brent and brother Tim retire from the race to accompany him to the hospital. Since that moment though he has gone on to have a fine career winning three Oval Nationals titles at Perris, a pair of victories at the Western World Championships at Manzanita and scoring a number of other highlights throughout the years.

Defending Silver Dollar Speedway track champion Stephen Allard of Chico will look to hold up the local honors at the 22^nd Mini Gold Cup. S. Allard scored three victories and had a number of strong runs last season in the Feather Falls Casino championship series en route to his first solo driving title aboard the 1m Racing sprinter. Oroville’s Sean Becker finished runner-up in both the Golden State Challenge Series and Silver Dollar Speedway points last year. The driver known as the “Shark” will be chasing his first career Civil War Series title this season aboard the Scott Miller owned No. 2sb and will be running the Rod Fauver owned No. 64 at all Chico 410 shows.

Grass Valley native Brad Sweet will be another driver to watch for at the Mini Gold Cup. The 22 year-old, who is competing full time in the USAC National Sprint Car & Midget Series this season for Kasey Kahne Racing, is flying out to compete for a high profile car owner and wrench at the event in what will be one of the few times Northern California fans will get to see him. Last year Sweet finished an impressive third at the Gold Cup Race of Champions in Chico.

A driver finding stability this year is Loomis youngster Kyle Hirst who will piloting the Gary Perkins owned No. 6 this season. The 20 year-old spent last season driving multiple cars and along the way had a very fine year. He won twice at Silver Dollar Speedway in the GP Development machine; he captured the Civil War Series finale in the Los Gatos Construction No. 20 and also won the Tribute to Al Hinds in the Harley Van Dyke owned No. 5h. With a solid foundation under him in ’08, Hirst is almost certain to have a breakout season.

Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs is expected to travel on a regular basis with GSC and will begin his sophomore season of winged sprint car racing at the Mini Gold Cup aboard the Suggs Racing No. 33e. Going into the event last year the 21 year-old had only two nights of winged sprint car action under his belt, but as the season went on he quickly adapted and began to show some serious speed during the summer months. His season was highlighted by a victory during opening night of the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup in Washington, as well as a fast time effort at the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in September.

A driver making his maiden voyage with a new team at the Mini Gold Cup is Sacramento gasser Mike Henry. The former two-time Civil War champion is running full time with GSC this year aboard the HMH Motorsports No. 93, which is co-owned by Joe Mafara & Steve Harris. Henry is an exciting driver and is a welcome addition to the traveling roster. Former Mini Gold Cup champion Willie Croft, also of Sacramento, will be making his first Silver Dollar Speedway start since signing crew chief Brian Cannon in the off-season. Cannon wrenched Andy Forsberg to the ’06 track title and he should be very strong this season with Croft, who finished third in last years GSC point standings.

Other competitors expected at the 22^nd Mini Gold Cup will include Auburn’s Andy Forsberg, Chico’s Brett Miller & Shain Matthews, Elk Grove’s Greg Decaires & Kyle Larson, Princeton’s Mason Moore, Placerville’s Andy Gregg, Discovery Bay’s Jim Skinner, Penngrove’s Alissa Geving and many more. The Mini Gold Cup routinely attracts more than 40 cars each season and this year will be no different.

All seating during the weekend will be general admission with gates opening at 5 pm each night. Adult tickets will cost $25 on Friday and $30 on Saturday. Complete programs are on tap both nights with everything leading up to the $6,000 to win 40 lap main event on Saturday night that will crown this years Mini Gold Cup champion. Camping is available on the fairgrounds and there are clean restrooms and showers available.

Those of you unable to make the Mini Gold Cup can tentatively keep up with the all the action during the weekend via live updates at http://www.pushinthecushin.com

For more info and results from the weekend log onto http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com

Up Next: Following the Mini Gold Cup, the Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series will venture to the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville next Friday for the first of four season stops to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds track. The series will be dark on Saturday night March 15, which will allow everyone to attend the season opener for the California Civil War 360 Series at the high banked Placerville Speedway.

The next event at Silver Dollar Speedway will be the annual Silver Cup on March 21 and 22, featuring 360 winged sprint cars, wingless sprints and dirt modifieds. The first of 21 Feather Falls Casino Friday night point races will occur on March 28 and will begin the traditional long season of regular weekly action at the ¼ clay oval located at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico.

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

this race was cool when it was a outlaw event! too bad it couldnt be still. it is even an off weekend for them guys the past few years.

Which means that the event might even attract a few! Even if it doesn't, guys like Sammy, Timmy, Bud, Bradley, JA, Walker, and a host of others, make it a pretty stout field !!! WOO HOO! can't wait.........

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

Looks like Chico will be racing before Williams Grove again this year.

Save your butt, get a colon screening TODAY

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According to the weather service, it looks like it will be PERFECT! Upper 60's in the day, upper 40's at nite, and NO chance of rain until Sunday - Monday................

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

Lets keep the fingers crossed, we dont need any weather rolling in early!

IT AIN'T GONNA RAIN!!!!!

As of Thursday nite, the weather forecast is even better than it was a couple of days ago! Highs in the low 70's, lows in the mid 40's and not a raindrop in sight! Yee Haa, let's go racin' !!!

SUPPORT WILDLIFE, go to a sprint car race! 

Works for me...the methanol level in my blood is getting dangerously low...