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Golden State Challenge Series invades Silver Dollar Speedway this Saturday
By Gary Thomas
Chico, CA – July 2, 2008…The final month of the season for the Golden State Challenge 410 Winged Sprint Car Series will get underway this Saturday night July 5 with a trip to the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Including this weekend’s event there are just six races left until the King of California is crowned at the end of the month.
The month of July at the Silver Dollar Speedway will be a busy time for Northern California 410 teams and drivers as the Golden State Challenge Series will return to the track next Saturday night July 12 for another event. Then two weeks following that, the series will make its way back to the high-banked quarter-mile for the final weekend of competition on July 25 and 26.
The final night of racing on July 26 will pay tribute to fallen sprint car racer Gary Patterson for the first time ever at Silver Dollar, as the event has moved to Chico after a number of years being held in Calistoga. It should be a great month at the Silver Dollar Speedway as we finish off the Golden State Challenge Series in style with a total of four races in July at the home track for the traveling tour.
Leading the King of California points coming into this weekend is a driver who cut his teeth racing at the Silver Dollar Speedway, with that being Chico native Jonathan Allard. The 31 year-old driver of the Williams Motorsports No. 0 finished third last weekend in Tulare to give him a 44 point lead heading into the final month of racing.
Just a couple years ago Allard stood on the front stretch in Chico as the King of California and this month he’ll be aiming to join Brent Kaeding and Steve Kent as the only drivers to have won multiple championships with the Golden State Challenge Series. In addition to the driving title car owner Morrie Williams is looking for his third GSC owner’s title in the last four years.
The always exciting Tyler Walker has been giving it his all this season trying to take the championship during his first season back in California following a number of years on the road. Walker has raced the NMI Industrial Contractors No. 24 to three victories on the season and will look to chop away at Allard’s lead this Saturday at a track he’s still looking for his first win at. Last weekend in Tulare he finished runner-up in the main event and took seven points off Allard’s lead in the series standings.
Thirteen-time and defending King of California Brent Kaeding won his first Golden State Challenge Series main event of the season last weekend and will look to make it back-to-back this Saturday in Chico. The Campbell veteran dominated all 30 laps of the feature last week aboard his Al’s Roofing Supply Maxim, en route to his 79th career GSC victory and first in over a year. The Hall of Fame driver will look to become the first driver to reach 80 wins in GSC competition this weekend at a track he’s been very successful at throughout his storied career.
Two-time USAC Silver Crown champ Bud Kaeding goes into this weekend ranking third in the Golden State Challenge Series point standings. The 28 year-old Campbell driver sits 22 points behind Walker for the runner-up spot and goes into Chico after a fourth place finish last Saturday in his Alviso Rock No. 29. Kaeding finished sixth at the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial in May and will look to improve upon that result on Saturday.
Currently fourth in the GSC standings heading into the final month of racing is first year full-timer Mike Henry of Sacramento. The former two-time Civil War Series champion has gained a wealth of experience during his first season at the helm of the Royal Lagoon Pools No. 93 and will look to pick up another win before the series concludes at the end of the month. Last weekend Henry drove to his best career Thunderbowl Raceway finish with a fifth place effort at the 1/3 mile clay oval.
Rounding out the top five in the Golden State Challenge Series points is second-year winged sprint car driver Evan Suggs. The Scotts Valley driver has had a tough time during the last month, but did bring home a seventh place finish at the Thunderbowl Raceway last Saturday, which is a track that he always seems to be snake-bitten at. Suggs has always been fast at the Silver Dollar Speedway however, shown by a pair of quick time efforts at the track last season, with one of them coming at the Gold Cup Race of Champions.
2004 King of California Jason Statler ranks sixth in the standings and will look to move closer to the top five on Saturday. “The Big Guy” has one victory on the Golden State Challenge Series season in what has been a year filled with tough luck for the Los Gatos veteran. Statler has always done well at Silver Dollar Speedway though and will be a certain threat this weekend aboard his familiar DF Rios Construction No. 00.
Former Grass Valley driver and current Indiana resident Brad Sweet will make his California return this weekend to wheel the always potent Rod Tiner No. 83 sprinter. The 22 year-old full-time USAC National Sprint Car & Midget racer recently swept the two-night Knoxville Raceway Midget Nationals and has gained much knowledge in his first year racing for Kasey Kahne Racing. Sweet currently ranks fifth in the National Midget standings and has also scored runner-up finishes at Silver Dollar Speedway during opening night of the Mini Gold Cup, as well as the final night of the Silver Cup.
Other entrants expected for this weekend will include Loomis’ Kyle Hirst, Princeton’s Mason Moore, Sacramento’s Willie Croft, Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson, Fremont’s Shane Golobic & Brent Bjork, Chico’s Stephen Allard, Jason York, Brett Miller and Johnny Gray, Rio Vista’s Dan Simpson and many more.
Merchandise: Also don't forget to head into the pits following the races to meet the drivers and teams, as well as check out their merchandise that is available for purchase. A number of drivers have very cool looking T-shirts this year so be sure and pick one up to help support their effort.
The front gate will open at 5 pm on Saturday with adult tickets costing only $16, juniors $11 and kids $5. Racing is expected to kick off sometime around 6:30 pm. The Silver Dollar Speedway is located at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico. For the full Golden State Challenge Series points, information about Silver Dollar Speedway and more log onto the award winning John Padjen Motorsports website located at http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
Coming up- The Golden State Challenge Series will return to the Silver Dollar Speedway next Saturday night July 12 for the 18th race of the season. Following that the series will head for a double-header weekend beginning on Friday July 18 with an event at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville. The next night will find GSC making its way to always interesting Antioch Speedway on Saturday July 19 before ending the season at Silver Dollar Speedway on July 25 and 26.
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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And of course already posted by TH:
With the fires still being the focal point around the surrounding area's, the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds is still being used as a home to the fire fighters. As with last Friday, the only entrance into the grandstands and pit area will be through the back gate located on Silver Dollar Way. The road is to the side of Costco and off of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. Both fans and drivers need to enter through that side of the fairgrounds. There is parking available at both the back parking lot or in the Coscto area. John Padjen Motorsports is sorry for some of the inconvenience to our fans but has arranged a free shuttle to pick up fans and bring them to the main grandstand entrance. We know all of us understand the importance of the great work the fire fighters are doing and we are both working together to allow the races to take place. There will also be no camping allowed anywhere on the fairgrounds for race fans during the July 4th weekend. Finally, no street vehicles will be allowed into the pit area on July 4th.
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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