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United States Auto Club August 19, 2009
Sacramento, Ca.
Contacts: Tommy Hunt, (916) 864-8722
Bill Sessa, (916) 804-3663
WINNER’S PAYOFF DOUBLES FOR LOUIE VERMIEL CLASSIC AT CALISTOGA
Hockett, Kevin Swindell, Gardner are early entries
Sacramento……..The sprint car winners for this year’s Louie Vermeil
Classic at Calistoga Speedway will pocket a cool $5,000 each night of
the Labor Day weekend event, double the payoff for last year’s
inaugural race, the United States Auto Club announced today.
Winners of the companion 30 lap midget features on Saturday and
Sunday, September 5 and 6, will earn $2,500, a significant increase
over last year, according to Tommy Hunt, USAC Western States
vice-president.
The increased purse has already drawn entries from some of the
country’s top open wheel drivers, who will go up against top teams in
the Southern California-based USAC/CRA sprint car series, which has at
least four drivers in close combat for the championship honors.
Among the entries is Kevin Swindell, a third generation driver from
Bartlett, Tenn., who will be looking to repeat last year’s victory on
the Calistoga Speedway half-mile, where he lapped cars deep into the
field during the 30 lap event.
Other confirmed entries include one of the top-ranking drivers in
the American Sprint Car Series, Jesse Hockett, of Warsaw, Mo., who is
fresh off his dramatic win at the Ultimate Challenge and a former
winner at the Napa County Fairgrounds track.
Damion “The Demon” Gardner, a Northern California native and former
winner at Calistoga in the Golden State Challenge Series is also
entered. The former winner of one of the country’s most prestigious
mid-winter midget races, the Chili Bowl, was a resident of the San
Francisco Bay area before relocating to Indianapolis to race full time
with the USAC National Sprint Car Series.
The Louie Vermeil Classic was created last year to honor the late
Calistoga resident who was instrumental in bringing racing to the
speedway in 1937 and managing racing there until his retirement from
the sport in 1985. Vermeil, a staunch advocate of traditional
“non-wing” racing, was also a founder of the Northern Auto Racing Club,
the forerunner of today’s Golden State Challenge Series, and served as
the club’s president for 20 years.
Tickets for the event are available from the Sacramento offices of
the United States Auto Club by calling (916) 863-7223. Information at
www.louievermeilclassic.com.
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Two BIG thumbs up! 