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Chris & Brian Faria Memorial on deck for Thunderbowl Raceway this Saturday
By Gary Thomas
Tulare, CA - May 15, 2007... Campbell’s Brent Kaeding will lead the charge as the Golden State Challenge 410 winged sprint car series invades the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway this Saturday night. The 12-time Golden State Challenge King of California has been on fire over the last month and brings the GSC point lead into this year’s Chris & Brian Faria Memorial.
This event has been known as the Chris Faria Memorial in the past and has payed tribute to former driver Chris Faria who was killed during a freak farming accident in 1993. This year it has been decided to honor Chris’s brother Brian Faria as well to make it the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial. Brian was the oldest of five children of Danny Sr. and Arlete Faria, and was killed in January of 2006 when a tree hit his truck while he was driving on the highway coming home from a New Years holiday vacation. Chris was the youngest of the five siblings and was taken from us at the young age of 21. Most would agree he was destined to become a champion in the sport of auto racing.
Two competitors that want to win the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial more than any other, are drivers Mike and Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton. The Chris & Brian Faria Memorial is held in memory of their fallen brother’s and both drivers have yet to the event. They’ve been trying hard for years and desperately want to win the race in honor of Chris and Brian. Danny Jr. came very close in 2005 before getting taken out with just a handful of laps left in the race while running second. The run by Danny Jr. in ‘05 was one of the most memorable performances in recent memory at the Thunderbowl and he’ll look to notch a Chris & Brian Faria Memorial win for the first time this Saturday. Mike has been second quickest in qualifying at both Thunderbowl GSC shows this season and will look to transfer that over to the rest of the night as he also try’s to win one for the family.
The Chris & Brian Faria Memorial will be the 12th round of action for the Golden State Challenge Series and the third time they have visited Thunderbowl Raceway this season.
Last Saturday night at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Kaeding picked up his fourth victory in the last five GSC races and moved into the point lead for the first time this season. He has been dominant over the last month ½ and hasn’t finished out of the top five since March 17. The victory last Saturday was his fourth career win at the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial and 74th of his Golden State Challenge Series career. Kaeding has also won both GSC races at the Thunderbowl this season and dating back to last year he’s won the last four GSC races at the 1/3 mile clay oval aboard his Al’s Roofing Supply, Kaeding Performance No. 69. Kaeding last won the Chris Faria Memorial in 2004 when it was an unsanctioned $5,000 to win show and finished runner-up in the event last year.
After leading the GSC points from March 24 on, Oroville’s Sean Becker now finds himself in second place, but he sits just two points back of Kaeding. Last Saturday in Chico the 05' GSC King of California finished outside the top five for the first time since opening night, but his sixth place finish was still a solid run for the driver of the Fisher/Main Motorsports, Cherry St. Mini Storage No. 35m.
Following a disappointing night in Chico last Saturday, defending King of California Jonathan Allard comes into the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial third in points, but now 72 out of the lead. Allard got upside down in his heat race last Saturday and broke while leading the C-main to put himself in a very big hole that will be difficult to claw out of. The driver of the Williams Motorsports, GT Trends No. 0 won the Chris Faria in 2003 and finished ninth last year after getting spun around and going to the back while running second on the opening lap.
Sacramento’s Willie Croft has moved up to fourth place in the GSC point standings driving the Holey Smokes BBQ, Amerikote High Temp Coatings No. 29. Croft has been one of the pleasant surprises this season as he’s done very well in his first full season of competition with GSC. Last Saturday night he earned a $1,000 bonus for setting fast time, which was the third race this season he has been quick time at.
San Jose’s Jason Statler had a rough night last Saturday in Chico and comes into the Chris Faria Memorial fifth in points. The ‘04 King of California got upside down in his heat race at the Bradway Memorial and failed to transfer out of the C-main, which has dropped him to 117 points behind leader Brent Kaeding. Statler won the Chris Faria Memorial in 2005 and will look for better things this weekend in the Tom Rolfe Trucking, DF Rios Construction No. 10.
The rest of the top 10 in the Golden State Challenge Series point standings is made up of the Ridgeline Framing No. 1 of Ronnie Day from Salinas, the Care Free Pools No. 1x of Chico’s Brett Miller, the NOS Energy Drink No. 6m of Jon Maiwald from Gilroy, the Louis Galli Farms No. 29 of Tracy’s Jason Botsford and the GP Development No. 6 of Grass Valley’s Brad Sweet. Sweet finished second last weekend in Chico and also finished second when GSC visited the Thunderbowl on April 28.
Golden State Challenge Series rookie contender Evan Suggs of Scotts Valley is expected to miss the next couple GSC races to get ready for his finals at San Jose State. Suggs won his first career GSC heat race last Saturday in Chico.
The Chris & Brian Faria Memorial will see Medford, Oregon’s Roger Crockett make his first GSC start since March 31 at the Thunderbowl. Crockett has hooked up with Vallejo, CA car owner Roger Henderson this season and the pair have had much success so far in 2007. They’ve made three GSC starts this year and have scored finishes of 1st, 2nd and 5th and they’ve also earned one fast time award. The Crockett/Henderson combination has also competed at three events in Washington with the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series and remarkably have also tallied finishes of 1st, 2nd and 5th. They have also scored two quick times with the NSCS and will be one of the teams to be beat this Saturday at the Thunderbowl.
Other drivers expected at the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial include: Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Sydney, Australia’s Trevor Green, Fairmont, Indiana’s Brandon Wimmer, Fresno’s Craig Stidham & Tommy Tarlton, Visalia’s Ricci Faria, Discovery Bay’s Jim Skinner, Kingsburg’s Kody Swanson, Carruther’s Garrett Ishii and more.
Defending Chris Faria Memorial champion Stephen Allard will not be competing at the Thunderbowl this weekend so there will a new winner. Who will it be? Come on out to the Thunderbowl Raceway to see.
The front gate at the Thunderbowl Raceway will open at 5 pm this Saturday with Reserved Grandstand tickets costing $18 and General Admission bleacher tickets costing $15. To purchase tickets call 559-688-0909. First race is scheduled for approximately 7pm. For a seating chart, directions, a list of hotels and more, log onto http://www.tularethunderbowl.com
For the full Golden State Challenge Series point standings visit http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
The Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare.
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