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Silver Dollar Speedway date this Saturday marks start of 3 weekends to go for Golden State Challenge Series
By Gary Thomas
Chico, CA – July 9, 2008…The start of the final three weekends of racing will begin this Saturday night when the Golden State Challenge King of California 410 Series makes its way to the Silver Dollar Speedway for the second week in a row. Grass Valley native Brad Sweet became the 11th different winner of the GSC season last weekend and with him heading back to the USAC wars this week, it will open the door for other hopefuls on Saturday.
This Saturday will also feature some extra goodies up for grabs courtesy Larry Tinker and Fast Track Wings. The main event winner on Saturday will receive a new HRP top wing, second place will receive a HRP front axle and the third place finisher will get an HRP nose wing. In addition to that the fourth through eighth place finishers will receive $100 each so it has the makings of being a great night of competition as the Golden State Challenge 410 Winged Sprint Car Series season goes down to the wire.
Coming off a second place finish last Saturday night current GSC point leader Jonathan Allard has extended his advantage to 49 digits with just five races remaining in the season. Although he has just one series victory on the year, the Chico driver has been the mark of consistency as he’s raced the Williams Motorsports No. 0 to 14 top five finishes in 17 starts and has finished outside the top 10 just once. Allard will look to put his machine in victory lane on Saturday in front of his hometown crowd.
Los Angeles’ Tyler Walker continues to rank second in points and will look to rebound on Saturday after a main event last weekend that saw him lead laps early on, but fall to seventh by the finish. The driver of the NMI Industrial Contractors No. 24 has three victories with the Golden State Challenge Series this season, but is still looking for that first Silver Dollar Speedway win.
A driver that’s been heating up the last couple weeks is definitely 13-time and defending King of California Brent Kaeding. The Campbell driver won his first main event of the GSC season a couple weeks ago in Tulare and backed it up with a third place finish last Saturday at the Silver Dollar Speedway. “BK” got his elbows up last weekend and raced neck and neck with Sweet and Allard at the end of the race aboard his Al’s Roofing Supply No. 69.
Two-time and defending USAC Silver Crown champ Bud Kaeding also put on a show last weekend in his Alviso Rock No. 29 as he rode the tip-top of the quarter-mile clay oval to a fourth place finish during the main event. The 28 year-old ranks third in the GSC standings and is just 19 digits behind Walker for second going into this Saturday’s event.
Sacramento’s Mike Henry will look to improve upon his 11th place finish from last weekend when the Golden State Challenge Series convenes at the Silver Dollar bullring this Saturday. The two-time Civil War Series champion was stuck in the back for the feature after qualifying 20th quick aboard the C & H Veteran Enterprises No. 93. The first year GSC competitor has tallied one victory on the season and has scored nine top 10 finishes in 17 races.
Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs comes into the weekend rounding out the top five in the GSC standings and is coming off a nice sixth place finish in the main event last Saturday. The driver of the GLR Investments No. 33e qualified well last weekend and ran among the top 10 in the feature all race long.
San Jose’s Tim Kaeding has been tipped to be returning to action on Saturday night. The 29 year-old will be behind the wheel of the Roth Motorsports No. 83jr as the season goes on and will be a tough driver to beat aboard the potent sprinter. “TK” has three victories with the Golden State Challenge Series this season, which includes winning the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial held at the Silver Dollar Speedway in April.
Also making a return to Golden State Challenge Series competition will be Oroville’s Destiney Hays who will be piloting a second Dan Simpson Racing entry. The popular driver hasn’t raced a winged sprint car since 2006 and will be a welcomed entry this weekend, as well as at the all the remaining GSC events.
Other racers expected this Saturday will include 2004 King of California Jason Statler of Los Gatos; ’05 King of California Sean Becker of Oroville; Chico’s Brett Miller, Jason York & Brad Bumgarner; Princeton’s Mason Moore; Ripon’s Brandon Carey; Gilroy’s Ken Fredenburg; Fremont’s Brent Bjork; Fresno’s Mark Workentine; Rio Vista’s Dan Simpson and more.
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
Reminder- A reminder to all drivers and fans attending the races this weekend. The Silver Dollar Fairgrounds is still being used as a home base for the fire fighters. Once again we need everyone to come through the Costco side gate for grandstand and pit entrance. The road to turn on is Dr. Martin Luther King Parkway, then turn onto Silver Dollar Way.
Up next- The Golden State Challenge Series will make its final season stop to the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville next Friday night July 18. The previous visit to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds track provided some great racing and more of it is expected next week. Then on Saturday July 19 it will be off to the Antioch Speedway bullring for the final time in 2008. The last time GSC competed in Antioch it was Tyler Walker who picked up his very first series victory.
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