This message was edited on
May 06, 2009 at
10:48:14 AM by Gary Thomas
*PRESS RELEASE – Silver Dollar Speedway, CHICO, CA. *
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 5, 2009*
MEDIA CONTACT: Troy Hennig, [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Website: www.silverdollarspeedway.com
It’s 1986 All Over Again!
By Troy Hennig, Silver Dollar Speedway Media Relations
*CHICO, CA* – This Saturday night at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico at least one sprint car will look like it has come back from the past. For one-night only and the first of it’s kind, Rod Tiner Racing will unveil the same vintage look of the sprint car Dave Bradway Jr. drove in the 1986 season. The Tri-C Machine #3c will hit the track for the annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial event on May 9. This idea has floated around with Tiner for the last three years. After getting consent from the family’s involved Tiner said, “It was the right time, place and driver to make this vintage replica work for the Bradway race.” Brad Sweet has been summoned to drive the car. He will race Friday night at Bloomington Speedway in Indiana then take the red-eye out to California for the Saturday night show.
There has always been a lot of sentiment involved with the annual Dave Bradway Jr. memorial race at Chico. Junior, as friends and family referred him to as, was tragically killed in 1987 while doing what he loved, driving a sprint car. Junior’s loss was felt all through the local racing community. The event started in 1991 as a way to keep the memory of Dave Bradway Jr. and his passion for the sport alive. Junior lived in Roseville but seemed to have a strong connection with the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Junior won 16 main events at Silver Dollar Speedway. It puts him in a tie for 12^th on the all-time list according to www.hammerdownusa.com <http://www.hammerdownusa.com/>. . Dave Bradway Jr. epitomized what it meant to be a sprint car driver. His life revolved around racing and in such a short time, Junior, through hard work and dedication, was becoming one of the best sprint car drivers in the Country.
The 1986 season was a very special year for Junior and the Tri-C Machine #3c. The following information was taken from www.fnfracing.com/JrMemorialPage.htm
“In 1986 Junior scored 4 more NARC feature wins, 3 of which were on the ½ mile Calistoga Speedway. Junior was a top finisher by winning the Jayhawk Nationals in Kansas City, Kansas where he defeated former winners Doug Wolfgang and Jimmy Sills. Driving the TRI-C Machine #3 owned by Clyde Lamar in April 1987 David won the preliminary World of Outlaws Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California. Junior drove respectably and was respected by all. He would tune a competitor’s engine or help set-up a fellow racer’s chassis. He was a practical joker but a serious motor builder and racer.”
Two people helped make this replica sprint car as close to the original was Randy Frank and Matt Fontaine. Frank, now living in Indiana, is a skilled artist and helped draw up the concept for the car. Frank was also called upon to create the new 2009 Dave Bradway Jr, Memorial t-shirts for this year’s race. Fontaine, who owns Crown Designs and is one of the leading forces in the vinyl industry for both commercial and racing jobs, hand crafted the look of the vintage Tri-C Machine sprint car. “It’s been more of a labor of love than anything else,” said Fontaine. He lives near the Bradway family and was very supportive of this deal from the start.
“I hope this will bring some old fans back for the race and give the new fans a brief glimpse of what his car looked like in 1986,” said Brad Sweet. “I am also honored to be given the chance to race this car on Saturday night not only for Rod but also the Bradway family.”
“It gave me goose bumps just thinking about the idea but when I finally saw the finished product it took me back to that year and all the fond memories I have of watching and rooting for my all-time sprint car hero Dave Bradway Jr.,” said Silver Dollar Speedway announcer Troy Hennig. “I hope people don’t miss out on the chance to see this car in person at the race track this Saturday night.”
Front grandstand gates open at 5pm. Sprint car qualifying is slated for 6:30 pm while Racing is scheduled for 7 pm. Adult general admission is $17.00 while juniors are $12.00 and kids are $5.00. There will be stickers available for the fans and a new Dave Bradway Jr. shirt for sale during this weekend.
Former Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Winners:
91-Jason McMillen
92-Greg DeCaires
93-Eric Rossi
94-Randy Tiner
95-Brent Kaeding
96-Paul McMahan
97-Jimmy Sills
98-Randy Tiner (2)
99-Brent Kaeding
00-Brent Kaeding
01-Jonathan Allard
02-Tim Kaeding
03-Jonathan Allard
04-Jason Statler
05-Jonathan Allard (3)
06-Sean Becker
07-Brent Kaeding (4)
08-Tim Kaeding (2)
09 - ???????????????
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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