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Statler to kick off ’08 campaign at Mini Gold Cup

By Gary Thomas

Los Gatos, CA – March 5, 2008…Veteran sprint car driver Jason Statler is set to begin his ’08 season with this weekend’s 22^nd annual Mini Gold Cup at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway. The Los Gatos racer has been competing at the Mini Gold Cup for many years and will be looking for his first victory at the event this season.

Statler comes into the ’08 year off a season that saw him score a fourth place finish in the final Golden State Challenge Series point standings on the strength of 18 top tens in 25 starts. He also picked up his first career 410 victory at Calistoga Speedway during the annual Salute to Walter T Ross in May at the ½ mile dirt track.

In his career at the Mini Gold Cup, an event held at Silver Dollar Speedway since 1987, Statler has twice finished in the runner-up position during the Saturday night 40 lap finale. Those second place finishes came in 1997 and 2004. The former GSC Champ has also won the prelim night at the event on a pair of occasions, with those victories coming in ’97 and 2005.

The always hard charging driver was up on the wheel last season at the Mini Gold Cup and recorded a pair of impressive runs at the ¼ mile clay oval located at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds. Starting from the 19^th position on opening night Statler carved his way forward to finish fifth on a surface that was rather difficult to pass on. Coming back for Saturday’s finale he once again started from 19^th and charged through the pack to earn a seventh place result.

Statler has a new fire lit underneath him for ’08 and will look to get the season started off on the right foot at the Mini Gold Cup aboard the Mark Bristow tuned DF Rios Construction No. 00. Being able to start the season out with the same team that he ended last year with will pay dividends as the season goes on.

The Mini Gold Cup gets underway Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway and it also marks the opening round of racing for the Golden State Challenge King of California 410 Sprint Car Series. The event will conclude on Saturday March 8 with a 40 lap main event, which pays $6,000 to win. Gates will open at 5pm each night with racing to begin sometime around 6:30.

For more information on former King of California Jason Statler log onto http://www.statlerracing.com

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Photo by Davy Thomas

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