Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series kicks off 24 race schedule this Saturday night at Placerville Speedway
By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA – March 24, 2009…The Golden State Challenge King of California 410 Series will begin its 24th season of competition this Saturday night with many of the top winged sprint car drivers in Northern California invading the always action-packed Placerville Speedway.
This weekend's event at Placerville will mark the first time this decade that the season opener for the traveling series has been scheduled at a track other than Chico's Silver Dollar Speedway. It will be the second time however, that the actual season opener has taken place at a track other than Silver Dollar since 2000, due to a rainy early season in '06 that forced the opener to be held at the Petaluma Speedway, more than a month after the previously scheduled opener.
The Placerville Speedway is also the closest that the Golden State Challenge Series gets each year to the capital city of Sacramento, which is located just 40 minutes from the town of Placerville. The ¼ mile famous for its trademark red clay is a home to 360 sprint car racing for much of the year, but whenever the 410's make their way to Placerville, the fans from Sacramento and the surrounding areas seem to flock to the track in large numbers.
In addition to hosting the season opener this year, Placerville will also be the site of the finale, this season to be held on August 22. The series will also compete at the track on May 30 in conjunction with the always exciting BCRA Midgets. This Saturday's support division will feature the Capital City Midgets.
Two-time and defending King of California Jonathan Allard will look to kick off the Golden State Challenge Series season on the right foot this weekend at a track he's been very consistent at during the last four seasons. In eight starts at the Placerville Speedway since joining his Morrie & Katie Williams owned team, Allard has scored six finishes of second or better, including a victory in 2006 and a runner-up finish last May. By winning the King of California title last year the 32 year-old became just the third driver in GSC history to win multiple championships. It also marked the third owner's title in the last four seasons for car owner Morrie Williams.
The always exciting Tyler Walker will surely be one to watch on the red clay as he guns for a strong opening night to kick off his championship bid after finishing runner-up in points last year, during what was his first full season behind the wheel of the NMI Industrial Contractors No. 24 sprinter. Walker picked up five wins with the Golden State Challenge Series last year and led the club with eight fast qualifier efforts & nine heat race wins, but missed out on the title by just 18 points at seasons end. 'T-Dub' will certainly be looking to put the 24 machine into victory lane at what is the closest track to his Sacramento based SC Motorsports team.
Thirteen-time King of California Brent Kaeding is always one of the drivers to beat at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds track. 'BK' comes into the year just one victory shy of becoming the first driver to reach 80 career wins with the Golden State Challenge Series and he'll look to get that win out of the way at the season opener. Last season the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame member captured the GSC sanctioned Pombo-Sargent Classic for the third straight year and the 10th time overall in his storied career. In 2008 Kaeding also raced the Al's Roofing Supply No. 69 to his second consecutive Ocean Speedway 360 track title.
Auburn's Andy Forsberg has won four Golden State Challenge Series main events in his career, but none have come at the track he calls home, although he has come oh so close on a number of different occasions. "Mr. Excitement" last season set fast-time during both GSC events at the Placerville Speedway and is always guaranteed to put on a show when the 410's convene at the tight-bullring. Last year also saw Forsberg pick up his second career Silver Dollar Speedway track title aboard the A&A Motorsports No. 92.
Loomis' Kyle Hirst is routinely tough to beat at the Placerville Speedway and it should be no different on Saturday when he takes to the track in his GP Development No. 6 machine. The now 21 year-old driver captured a Civil War Series victory at Placerville last year and has also had some of his finest career moments competing on the red clay having also won the Mark Forni Classic and the Tribute to Al Hinds in the past. Hirst last year was also victorious at the Pacific Sprint Cup Invitational, which is held on Wednesday night of Gold Cup week at Silver Dollar Speedway and annually kicks off the prestigious four day event.
Campbell's Bud Kaeding will look to put his BK Motorsports No. 29 machine near the front of the field on Saturday. Kaeding last year finished seventh in both events at the high-banked bullring and at the end of the year tallied a third place result in the final Golden State Challenge Series point standings. The two-time USAC Silver Crown champion picked up one victory with GSC last year, with that win coming at the Petaluma Speedway. Kaeding earlier this year captured the season opener for the USAC Silver Crown Series held during the Copper on Dirt at the Manzanita Speedway in Arizona.
Former King of California Jason Statler has also performed well throughout his career at the Placerville Speedway and will look to build some momentum with a strong run at the season opener this Saturday. Last season saw the "Big Guy" capture a win at the Petaluma Speedway to pick up his eighth career Golden State Challenge victory, which puts him in a tie for eighth on the all-time series win list. The now Grass Valley resident also picked up a GSC main event win at Placerville in 2004 when he held off the relentless challenges of Brad Furr & Andy Forsberg over the final laps aboard his familiar DF Rios Construction No. 00.
Scotts Valley's Evan Suggs will begin his third season of competition with the Golden State Challenge Series on Saturday, in what will be just his fifth career start at the Placerville Speedway. The 22 year-old has a best finish of ninth in four starts at the track, but last June showed that he had found speed at the bullring as he timed in second fastest in qualifying, behind only Andy Forsberg. At the conclusion of the season Suggs finished fifth in the final GSC point standings and at the year end banquet his Suggs Racing 33e team was presented with the inaugural HoservilleCA Most Dedicated Team Award.
Golden State Challenge Series Rookie of the Year contender Kyle Larson of Elk Grove will be one to watch this weekend. The talented 16 year-old is set to embark upon his first full season of 410 sprint car racing aboard the Vertullo Racing No. 83v machine and will kick it off at the track he won his very first main event at in 2007. Last year Larson finished runner-up in the Civil War 360 Series standings with a pair of victories coming at Silver Dollar Speedway. "I know this is going to be tough, but I am really looking forward to it. The only way to get better as a driver is to race against the best competition you can and I know that is what the Golden State series will offer," Larson said in a previous press release.
Hometown driver Andy Gregg of Placerville will look to hold up local honors on Saturday night aboard his Guts Racing No. 16x sprinter. Gregg last season scored finishes of eighth and 10th during the two events at Placerville and also picked up his first career 410 win at the Silver Dollar Speedway during weekly competition in June. Other drivers expected this Saturday in Placerville include Elk Grove's Greg Decaires, 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 5pm on Saturday night with qualifying set to get underway around 6:30 and racing at 7. All seating will be general admission during the night with adult tickets costing $16, juniors $11 and children $5.
An early arrival to the track will be recommended as the crowd is expected to be very large with this also marking the season opener for the Placerville Speedway. The high banked quarter-mile is located at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville. For more information on the track visit http://www.placervillespeedway.com
Food 4 Less Appearance- Prior to Saturday’s races sprint car driver Andy Gregg of Placerville and Matt Land from Elk Grove, a top driver with the Capital City Midgets, will be on hand at the Cameron Park Food 4 Less with their race cars signing autographs from 10am to 1pm. Please stop by to say hi and meet two of the drivers who will be in action later that night.
Next up- The Golden State Challenge Series will head next for the newly re-configured Antioch Speedway on Saturday night April 4. In the off-season the track was re-shaped and lengthened, which should make for an interesting first event on the new configuration.
More news and info on the Golden State Challenge King of California Sprint Car Series can be found at http://www.goldenstatechallengeseries.com
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Chico's Jonathan Allard and Los Angeles' Tyler Walker finished 1-2 in the standings last season and are expected to be two of the top competitors when the Golden State Challenge King of California Series season kicks off this Saturday night in Placerville.
The front gate will open at 5pm on Saturday night with qualifying set to get underway around 6:30 and racing at 7. All seating will be general admission during the night with adult tickets costing $16, juniors $11 and children $5.
Photos by http://www.stevesracingphotos.com
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