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Photo by http://www.graphxdesigns.com
Jimmy Pettit wins second main event of year in Chico and looks for championship next Friday
By Gary Thomas
Chico, CA – August 23, 2009…After not winning a main event since early April Chico, CA's Jimmy Pettit was poised to change that with the season winding down and this past Friday he would do just that by driving to his second triumph of the year at the Silver Dollar Speedway to return to victory lane aboard the Kevin Sharrah Designs, Pep Boys No. 24p wingless sprinter.
The win also allowed Pettit to lengthen his point lead in the Hunt Magnetos wingless standings with just one event remaining in the season and it also came during his 40th birthday. "It's nice to get back up here on the front stretch because we've been trying hard all season," said Pettit, who won four main events last year. "I want to thank my whole team and all our sponsors for continuing to support us and we only have one race left in the championship fight so we're looking forward to next Friday."
This past Friday's event marked the 20th race in the Feather Falls Casino Championship season and Pettit opened up the night by running second in his heat race, which set him up for a second row starting spot in the 20 lap feature. The track surface remained lightning fast all evening long, as has been the case for the majority of the season and the "Love-shack" settled into the third position early on in the feature.
After a few laps the top three cars on the speedway began to close up and on lap five Pettit would make a hair-raising move to charge to the top of the quarter-mile bullring in turns three and four to claim second and then carve his way into the top spot around Joshua Tucker heading down the back stretch. After this the Chico driver had his way with things and easily drove off for his second win of the season. "I saw those two kinda get bunched up and I figured I'd just throw the thing to the high-side and hope it stuck, so thankfully it did and we're standing here," said the driver of the Skyway Tool Center, Pro Machine Racing Engines, Esplanade Taco Bell No. 24p machine.
This coming Friday will mark the annual Coca-Cola/Napa Auto Parts Championship Night at the Silver Dollar Speedway and will see all four divisions crown champions on the front straightaway. Originally the wingless class was to finish off the season during the Wednesday night Gold Cup Invitational event on September 9, but the decision was made to change that and end the year with the other four track regulars on Friday. The Wednesday event will still be an invitational, but will be a non-point show with a purse of $5,250.
Going into Coke Championship Night Pettit will hold onto a 21-point advantage over Jay Youngman as he searches to put a cap on his first career Silver Dollar Speedway wingless sprint car track title. "We wish there would have been more cars this year running with us, but I think last season when we had large fields we still showed that we could run with anyone so winning the championship will be pretty nice," Pettit commented. "We'll definitley be trying hard to get another win and finish off the title in style on Friday."
The event on Friday will also mark fan appreciation night at the Silver Dollar Speedway and tickets will be just $5 for adults with kids 11 and under being free. The pits will open at 3pm and the front grandstand gate will open at 5, an hour earlier than normal. For more info on the event this coming Friday visit http://www.silverdollarspeedway.com in the coming week.
Gold Cup Seating: For fans planning to attend the 56th running of the Gold Cup Race of Champions on September 9-12 Handy Racing Promotions has announced that an extra 1000 seats are being added in addition to the normal seating that is brought into the pits for the event. The additional seating is going to be located near the turn two area and is being added for fan comfort due to the usual large crowd that goes into the pit area during the Gold Cup Race of Champions.
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"The Love-shack" Jimmy Pettit raced to his second wingless sprint car win of the year during his 40th birthday this past Friday night at the Silver Dollar Speedway. The Chico driver will bring a 21-point lead into Coca Cola/Napa Auto Parts Championship Night this coming weekend as he looks for his first track title. Photo by http://www.stevesracingphotos.com
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