Two-time Chili Bowl champ Rico Abreu races to King of the West victory at the 31st Penny Newman Grain Cotton Classic in Hanford on Saturday

 

By Gary Thomas

 

Hanford, CA – October 15, 2016…Returning to the Golden State this past weekend, Rutherford’s Rico Abreu was able to complete a two-night sweep at the Penny Newman Grain Cotton Classic, scoring his first King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series win of the season on Saturday night. 

 

Abreu had made his first ever Sprint Car start at the Keller Auto Speedway in 2011 and on Friday night captured his first career victory at the track, before coming back on Saturday to put together another impressive performance aboard the Abreu Vineyards No. 24 mount. It marked his 10th career King of the West triumph, moving the 24-year-old into a tie with Tommy Tarlton & Sean Becker on the all-time series win list. 

 

“It feels great to come back home and sweep the Cotton Classic here in Hanford,” Abreu commented after the race. “It was a lot of fun early in the main event racing with the guys up front. I really want to thank Paul Silva, Trevor Canales and the entire 24 team for giving me such a great car every time we hit the track. Thanks also to everyone with the King of the West Series and Keller Auto Speedway for putting on the event. We’ll be back on November 5 in Stockton running the 410 & 360 so hopefully all the fans will come out and see us.”

 

The 30-lap Cotton Classic feature started out with San Jose’s Tim Kaeding grabbing the lead after winning the night’s dash. The two-time King of the West champion held command until Hanford’s DJ Netto scooped up the top-spot on lap six. The 20-year-old wheel-man was in search of his first series victory of the season and looked very strong, until making one minor miscue in turn two, which allowed Abreu the opportunity to get by with 14-laps complete. Netto tried to keep Abreu in his sights, but would settle for a runner up finish at the checkered. 

 

The second place effort continued the strong string of constancy that Netto has put together since taking over driving duties of the Tri-C Manufacturing No. 3c machine. Dating back to August 27 he has now earned five consecutive top-five finishes with the King of the West Sprint Car Series. 

 

“I definitely wanted to win this race in front of my hometown crowd, but it was still another great night for us to end up on the podium again,” Netto said. “I can’t thank Lee Lindgren, Shane Hopkins & the whole Tri-C team enough. Big thanks to my owners Clyde & Marion Lamar for the chance to drive this car. We have a lot of momentum going into the Trophy Cup next week in Tulare so I can’t wait forThursday to roll around.”

 

Fresno’s Cory Eliason won out in a late-race battle with Tim Kaeding for the third spot, getting by on the final lap to round out the podium in the Reitz Almond Harvesting 00jr Sprint Car. It marked his second straight podium finish in King of the West Sprint Car Series competition. 

 

“I’m happy to bring home a third place finish after starting from the fifth row tonight,” Eliason said. “We had a good battle with TK later on in the feature and luckily I was able to make the pass on the last lap. It’s been a really strong year overall and I want to thank everyone that supports us. We’ll now go on to the Trophy Cup and hopefully have a solid weekend. There’s lots of money on the line and we’ll give it our best shot.” 

 

Tim Kaeding ended up fourth in the Roth Motorsports No. 83, with Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox rounding out the top-five at the helm of the Berco Redwood No. 31c Sprinter. The first year King of the West regular was fresh off a career best third place finish the week before and came back to put together another strong performance at the Cotton Classic. Completing the top-10 were Penngrove’s Buddy Kofoid, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal, Altoona, Iowa’s Terry McCarl, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto and Campbell’s Bud Kaeding. 

 

The night’s 12-lap B-main went to Mitchell Faccinto, with Tim Kaeding as noted winning the six-lap Dash. The four 10-lap Heat Races were won by Rico Abreu, Campbell’s Brent Kaeding, Penngrove’s Chase Johnson and DJ Netto. Abreu kicked-off the evening by setting fast time in the 31-car field with a clocking of 14.031 around the 3/8 mile oval. Full results will be available at www.racepmg.com

 

A-main finish: 1. #24 Rico Abreu, 2. #3C DJ Netto, 3. #00JR Cory Eliason, 4. #83 Tim Kaeding, 5. #31C Justyn Cox, 6. #4S Buddy Kofoid, 7. #56 Ryan Bernal, 8. #88 Terry Mccarl, 9. #37 Mitchell Facinto, 10. #0 Bud Kaeding, 11. #69 Brent Kaeding, 12. #88V Jace Vanderweerd, 13. #21X Kyle Hirst, 14. #25 Bobby McMahan, 15. #20 Colby Copeland, 16. #98 Sean Watts, 17. #72W Kurt Nelson, 18.#9S Landon Hurst, 19. #3 Craig Stidham, 20. #68 Chase Johnson, 21. #12P Scott Parker, 22. #41 Dominic Scelzi

 

The King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will now close the season with the 33rd annual Tribute to Gary Patterson at the Stockton Dirt Track on Saturday November 5. The night of racing also features the championship finale for the Civil War 360 Sprint Car Series presented by Flowmaster for the third consecutive year. Friday November 4 showcases the season-finale for the Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprints. Camping can be reserved by calling 916-370-9417.

 

Tickets are on sale for the King of the West & Civil War championship finale, with reserved upper deck seats $30 & general admission bleachers $20. Kids 10 & under are FREE in the lower bleachers. Box seating is also available in increments of six & eight seats. To order tickets online visit https://noceti-group.ticketleap.com/…/dates/Nov-05-2016_at_… - During the day on Saturday November 5 a car show & live band will entertain the crowd behind the grandstands from noon-4pm. 

 

Photos courtesy Paul Trevino

Justin Sanders scores first career King of the West win on Friday in Watsonville while Kyle Hirst races to sixth series victory of the season on Saturday in Tulare at the KRC Safety Fall Shootout

 

By Gary Thomas 

 

Tulare, CA – October 8, 2016…Watsonville’s Justin Sanders & Paradise, California’s Kyle Hirst brought home victories respectively during the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series double header outing this past weekend at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville & the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare. 

 

Sanders victory on Friday night marked his career first with the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series and came aboard the Joe VonSchriltz Racing No. 121 Sprinter. His previous best result had also come at the Ocean Speedway back in 2011 when he ran second to San Jose’s Tim Kaeding. Sanders ended up winning the final five Winged Sprint Car events at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds venue this season. 

 

“I can’t thank Joe VonSchriltz enough for giving me the opportunity to drive such a fast car and all my guys for working so hard all week to make it happen,” said an excited Sanders in victory lane. “I’m pretty pumped to finally get my first King of the West win and for it come at my home track makes it even sweeter. It’s been a great last couple months at this place. It was definitely a wild main event and I had a lot of fun racing with those guys up front. Once I got into the lead I focused on hitting my marks and luckily we’re standing up here in victory lane.” 

 

The first 22-laps in the feature clicked off non-stop and featured some fantastic racing on the quarter-mile, which had widened out considerably once the main event got underway. The first half of the race saw Campbell’s Bud Kaeding lead the way with Penngrove’s Buddy Kofoid following along closely as they weaved in & out of lapped traffic. The lead pack tightened up around the midway point and Fremont’s Shane Golobic began to show his muscle, making his way past Kofoid on lap 17. He then charged around Kaeding off turn four to take the lead as they clicked off lap 18. 

 

After that Golobic rocketed away from the field and looked to be untouchable, until getting into a spin on lap 22, which saw the yellow flag wave. He was able to keep going, but was forced to start from the rear of the field. A thrilling restart was then seen in which Justin Sanders went from third to the lead by the time the field exited turn two. Things then began to slow down immensely, as various yellows & reds occurred during the final laps. 

 

Golobic had battled his way forward from the rear, but got upside down on lap 28, putting an end to his race. A big melee was also seen on the restart when Tim Kaeding & Colby Copeland both flipped in turn one. Kofoid also had a piece of the action and put an end to what was a very impressive run for the youngster. 

 

Despite the stoppages nothing fazed Sanders up front as he took the checkered flag by just over one-second back to Hanford’s DJ Netto, who earned his best finish of the KWS season by claiming the runner up spot. Fresno’s Cory Eliason crossed the stripe in third, with Paradise, CA’s Kyle Hirst & Bud Kaeding rounding out the top-five. Hirst started 16th on the grid and was able to maneuver his way forward to maintain the series point lead. 

 

Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox, Grass Valley’s Jason Statler, Campbell’s Brent Kaeding, Benicia’s Billy Aton and Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares completed the top-10. Aton started 21st in the feature and drove forward to earn a solid finish during his Winged 410 Sprint Car debut. 

 

Penngrove’s Chase Johnson captured the night’s B-main, while Bud Kaeding scored victory in the Dash. The three 10-lap heat races were picked off by Buddy Kofoid, Justyn Cox and Tim Kaeding. Justin Sanders opened the night by earning his second fast time of the King of the West season by touring the Ocean Speedway in 11.399 seconds. 

 

A-main finish Friday at Ocean Speedway: 1. 121 Justin Sanders, 2. 3c DJ Netto, 3. 5h Cory Eliason, 4. 21x Kyle Hirst, 5. 0 Bud Kaeding, 6. 31c Justyn Cox, 7. 00 Jason Statler, 8. 69 Brent Kaeding, 9. 26 Billy Aton, 10. 12 Jarrett Soares, 11. 19 Adam McCarthy, 12. 37 Mitchell Faccinto, 13. 98 Sean Watts, 14. 9j Dustin Golobic, 15. 99 Skyler Gee, 16. 4s Buddy Kofoid, 17. 68 Chase Johnson, 18. 83jr Tim Kaeding, 19. 20 Colby Copeland, 20. 22 Shane Golobic, 21. 41 Dominic Scelzi, 22. 72w Kurt Nelson

 

On Saturday in Tulare Kyle Hirst scooped up the lead on a lap 12 restart and was never seriously challenged the rest of the way, en route to his sixth King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series win of the season. By doing so the 28-year-old set a new personal high for victories in a single year with the series. It was also his third straight triumph at the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway aboard the Roth Motorsports/ Tarlton & Son Inc. No. 21x machine. 

 

“The track turned out to be really fun in the main event, right up on the wall like I prefer,” said Hirst after the feature. “To get our sixth win of the season and set a new high for me personally is pretty cool. I really want to thank Dennis & Teresa Roth, the entire Tarlton Racing team and everyone that makes it possible to drive this car. I’m really looking forward to the Trophy Cup now and hope all the fans are too. We’ll be back next week in Hanford at the Cotton Classic with KWS looking to get another win. We have two races left in the season and hopefully they go smooth so we can bring home this championship.” 

 

Positions changed regularly over the course of the 30-lap contest, as drivers moved back & forth throughout the field. The night of racing was also the first since work had gone on to help widen the track surface, which seemed to work out well in the feature. The best battle over the final 10 or so laps was the fight for second between Bud Kaeding & Justyn Cox. The drivers that rank second & third respectively in the King of the West standings traded the position numerous times in an exhilarating slide fest. 

 

At the checkered flag Kaeding was able to claim the runner up spot. It marked the third consecutive race in Tulare he has finished second to Hirst. 

 

Cox crossed the stripe in third to record his best career King of the West finish after leading a number of laps early on. Cox looked very impressive in the main event and continues to gain speed with the season wearing on. Roseville’s Colby Copeland had a nice rebound from the previous night to score a solid fourth place finish, while DJ Netto rounded out the top-five despite a broken shock after making contact with the wall. Netto has raced to four consecutive top-five finishes since joining the Tri-C Motorsports team. 

 

Completing the top-10 in the main event were Campbell’s Brent Kaeding, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Grass Valley’s Jason Statler, Leduc, Alberta’s Skyler Gee and Fresno’s Steven Kent. Kyle Hirst won the night’s dash, while heat race wins went to Hirst, Justyn Cox and Tim Kaeding. The night started out with young Buddy Kofoid earning his first career King of the West fast time award by clocking a 13.218 around the Thunderbowl Raceway. 

 

A-main finish Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway: 1. 21x Kyle Hirst, 2. 0 Bud Kaeding, 3. 31c Justyn Cox, 4. 20 Colby Copeland, 5. 3c DJ Netto, 6. 69 Brent Kaeding, 7. 37 Mitchell Faccinto, 8. 00 Jason Statler, 9. 99 Skylar Gee, 10. 7 Steven Kent, 11. 88 Jace Vanderweerd, 12. 12p Scott Parker, 13. 72 Kalib Montgomery, 14. 98 Sean Watts, 15. 12 Jarrett Soares, 16. 96 Luca Romanazzi, 17. 22 Cori Andrews, 18. 3 Craig Stidham, 19. 83jr Tim Kaeding, 20. 4s Buddy Kofoid

 

Next up for the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will be the 31st annual Penny Newman Grain Cotton Classic this coming Saturday October 15 at the Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford. On Friday night the track will also hold a Winged 360 Sprint Car event, making for a double header weekend. 

 

Tickets for the Cotton Classic on Saturday will cost $20 for adults, with students 6-18 and seniors 55 & over $17, kids 5 & under are free.On Friday night for the King of Kings Winged 360 Sprint Car event adult tickets will be $18, with students/seniors $15. A two night adult weekend pass at the gate on Friday will be available for $30 and a student/senior weekend pass will be $25. All seating is general admission during the weekend. 

 

The pit booth will open at 2pm, with the front gate opening at 4:30pm each day. Cars will be on track for wheel packing around 5:30pm, with qualifying & heat races to follow. The Keller Auto Speedway is a 3/8 mile clay oval located on the Kings County Fairgrounds in Hanford, California. The physical address is 801 S. 10th Ave. Hanford, Ca 93230. 

 

Photos courtesy Chucko's Photos & Paul Trevino Racing Photos

 

By Gary Thomas

 

Watsonville, CA – October 4, 2016…The march towards championship night continues for the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series with a double header weekend of competition, kicking-off this Friday at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, followed by Thunderbowl Raceway’s KRC Safety Fall Shootout in Tulare on Saturday.

 

It will be the final stop of 2016 at each track respectively and the beginning of four races to go. The series has visited Watsonville twice so far this year and Tulare on three previous occasions. Saturday’s KRC Safety Fall Shootout will also be the first night of racing on the new Thunderbowl Raceway surface that has been widened 15-feet at the bottom of the track. Each facility always provides great competition and this weekend will no doubt be much of the same.

 

Paradise, CA’s Kyle Hirst gets his bid at a third King of the West title back underway and goes into the double header sitting 34-points ahead of Campbell’s Bud Kaeding in the series standings. Three of Hirst’s five wins this year have come between Ocean Speedway & Thunderbowl Raceway, two tracks he has been very strong at the last few seasons. The 28-year-old swept both nights at the Peter Murphy Classic in July and looks to add more this weekend aboard the Roth Motorsports/ Tarlton & Son No. 21.

 

Kaeding is fresh off his fourth victory of the season during the most recent King of the West event in Placerville on September 24 and hopes to cut the point lead down even more this weekend. The Campbell racer ran second to Hirst both nights at the Peter Murphy Classic in Tulare and finished third at Ocean Speedway in July. Kaeding has certainly had a successful year at the helm of the Williams Motorsports ZERO machine, but still has unfinished business with the season winding down.

 

Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox continues his rookie season with the King of the West Series and goes into the weekend sitting third in points. One of his best nights of the year came at Ocean Speedway in June when he set fast time & ran top-five in the feature. Hanford’s DJ Netto goes into the double header ranking fourth in points. The 20-year-old captured victories at both Ocean Speedway & Thunderbowl Raceway last year. Netto is also coming off an impressive runner up finish at last weekend’s Fall Nationals in Chico.

 

Rounding out the top-five in points heading into the Watsonville/Tulare two-step is former King of the West champion Jason Statler. The Grass Valley driver has won at both tracks in the past and sits just 17-markers behind Netto for fourth going into the weekend. Completing the top-10 in the standings going into the double header are Atwater’s Sean Watts, Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Fremont’s Shane Golobic and Penngrove’s Chase Johnson.

 

Golobic has raced to three King of the West wins this season, including his home track of Ocean Speedway in June at the Pombo/Sargent Classic. The two-time Watsonville track champion is fresh off a big win with the National Sprint League this past weekend in Missouri. Golobic has also been solid in his Thunderbowl Raceway starts this year, bringing home a third place finish in May at the Faria Memorial, along with a fourth at the Murphy Classic.

 

Two-time King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series champion Tim Kaeding will make his first starts of the season aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83jr machine this weekend. The San Jose wheel-man has had much success over the years driving for Dennis & Teresa Roth and has had a solid season in 2016, which includes winning a preliminary night at the Knoxville Nationals. Kaeding is always a driver to beat at both Ocean Speedway & Thunderbowl Raceway.

 

More drivers expected to take part in some of this weekend’s action will include two-time KWS main event winner this season Cory Eliason of Fresno, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi & Craig Stidham, Watsonville’s Justin Sanders, Riverdale’s Landon Hurst, Campbell’s Brent Kaeding, Coarsegold’s Scott Parker, Gilroy’s Kurt Nelson, Salinas’ Jeremy Chisum, Murrieta’s Cori Andrews and others.

 

The front gate at Ocean Speedway this Friday will open at 4:30pm with hot laps at 5:30pm, qualifying around 6pm and racing to follow. The pit booth will open at 2pm. Adult tickets for Friday night cost $25, with kids 6-12 $15. Children 5 & under are free. All seating is general admission.

 

The Ocean Speedway is located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, California with the physical address 2601 East Lake Ave, Watsonville, CA 95076.

 

Reserved grandstand seats for the KRC Safety Fall Shootout on Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway cost $20 with general admission bleacher tickets $18. To reserve your seats contact (559) 688-0909. The front gate will open at 4pm with opening ceremonies & heat races expected to get underway around 7pm. Also on the card are the USAC Western Midgets & the Western RaceSaver Sprint Cars.

 

The Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California. From the junction of SR 99 and SR 137, go west on SR 137. At South K go south one-half mile to the Fairgrounds. More info can be found at http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com

 

KRC Safety was established in 1978, having less than 100 barricades in inventory. Originally known as Kaweah River Construction, the name was later changed to KRC after its founder Ken Ray Castro. Ken “Chief” Castro passed away on January 13, 1985. Today, KRC is owned and operated by Ken’s son Gary Castro. KRC continues to grow year after year and many of the original employees are still with KRC, who are just like family.

 

KRC now offers many services including, Traffic Control, Construction Area Signs, Custom, Permanent and Street Signs, Temporary Chain Link Fence Panels, Roadway Markers, Delineators, Traffic Control Plans, Message Boards, K-Rail, all types of Equipment Trucking, Generators, Light-Towers and many other services for rent and sale. Even from their humble beginnings they still know their customers by name. More information on KRC Safety Company can be found at http://krcsafety.com/wordpress/

 

Info on the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series can be found at http://www.racepmg.com

Be sure to like the KWS Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints and become a member of our Twitter community at https://twitter.com/KwsSprintRacing for all the latest breaking news regarding the series

 

Remaining King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series events in 2016

Friday October 7: Ocean Speedway – Watsonville, CA
Saturday October 8: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (KRC Safety Fall Shootout)
Saturday October 15: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA (31st Cotton Classic)
Saturday November 5: Stockton Dirt Track – Stockton, CA (33rd Tribute to Gary Patterson)

Bud Kaeding leads all 30-laps to capture fourth King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series victory of the season on Saturday at Placerville Speedway

 

By Gary Thomas

 

Placerville, CA – September 24, 2016…After scoring his first career Placerville Speedway victory in April Campbell’s Bud Kaeding returned to the high-banked bullring on Saturday night and added another, by claiming the 30-lap main event with the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series.

 

It was the fourth overall triumph of the season for Kaeding and the Williams Motorsports team, in what has been a solid year for the Oakhurst, CA based team. It also marked his 16th career King of the West 410 Sprint Car win, which gives him sole possession of seventh on the all-time series list, breaking a two-way tie between himself and Tim Green. Kaeding is now just one victory away from tying Los Angeles driver Tyler Walker for sixth on the win list. 

 

“We’ve had a really good season overall and to win twice in Placerville this year is pretty special,” commented Kaeding. “This hasn’t always been my best track over the years, but Sean Grealy and my guys gave me an outstanding car tonight. These races are never easy to win, so you have to celebrate them when you get the chance. We’ve had a great group of racers out here and I hope all the fans are enjoying the close competition this season. Thanks to everyone for coming out tonight and supporting all of us. We hope everyone can make it out to Watsonville & Tulare in a couple weeks.” 

 

The 30-lap feature got off to a rather slow start, with multiple stoppages plaguing the flow early on. After lap 10 however, the race went green to checkered and saw Kaeding have his way out front for the duration of the contest. Roseville’s Colby Copeland tried to keep pace through lapped traffic, but Kaeding was ultra strong picking his way through the slower cars. 

 

Hollister’s Ryan Bernal, who was making his first ever King of the West Placerville start, looked like a veteran as the laps wound down in the feature. After starting 10th in the field he battled his way under Hanford’s DJ Netto on lap 19 for third and then sliced under Copeland for second on lap 26. 

 

Bernal then closed the gap between himself and Kaeding over the final few laps, but would come up just short, having to settle for second at the stripe. The official margin of victory for Kaeding at the line was 0.682 seconds. The runner up effort was a career best with the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series for Bernal aboard the Mike Phulps owned Metal Works No. 56 machine. 

 

“I’m pretty pumped to finish on the podium with the King of the West Series tonight,” said Bernal. “We had a really good car in the feature and I got into a nice groove on the bottom the last 10-laps. I think with a couple more laps we would have had a shot at Bud (Kaeding). I’ll take a second though considering the kind of competition we are running against. It was a great weekend for us to get a couple of second place finishes with the winged car.”

 

Copeland crossed under the checkered flag in third to claim his second podium finish of the King of the West season. It was also his first series start in the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association/ Antaya Motorsports No. 20 Sprinter. “I thought we had a shot to get a win early on, but a third place finish is pretty good for us tonight. This is a new deal for me so I can’t thank Larry Antaya, Tim Werbach and this entire team enough for giving me the chance to drive this car. I’m excited for the remainder of the season. 

 

After winning the night’s dash DJ Netto had a solid run in the feature to come home in fourth behind the wheel of the Tri-C Manufacturing No. 3c mount. Fremont’s Shane Golobic thrilled the crowd after having to go to the rear of the field on lap one aboard the Keith Day Trucking No. 22 Sprinter. He proceeded to charge around the high-side of the quarter-mile and march his way back to fifth by the finish. If a yellow had come out at some point in the race Golobic certainly would have made things interesting up front.

 

The top-10 was completed by Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Paradise’ Kyle Hirst, Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox and Fresno’s Cory Eliason. Hirst was able to recover for an eighth place finish after getting upside down in his heat race and also being caught up in an early race incident in the feature. After the night he still maintains a 30-point lead over Kaeding with four events remaining in 2016. 

 

A-main finish: 1. 0 Bud Kaeding, 2. 56 Ryan Bernal, 3. 20 Colby Copeland, 4. 3c DJ Netto, 5. 22 Shane Golobic, 6. 25 Bobby McMahan, 7. 37 Mitchell Faccinto, 8. 21x Kyle Hirst, 9. 31c Justyn Cox, 10. 83jr Cory Eliason, 11. 00 Jason Statler, 12. 68 Chase Johnson, 13. 12 Jarrett Soares, 14. 19 Chase Majdic, 15. 98 Sean Watts, 16. 29 Willie Croft, 17. 58 Matt Barber, 18. 1h Billy Wallace, 19. 45 Jake Morgan, 20. 8 Jim Richardson

 

As noted DJ Netto captured the dash, while heat race victories went to Colby Copeland, DJ Netto and Justyn Cox. Bud Kaeding started off the night by setting his first fast time of the season by clocking a 10.587 around the Placerville Speedway. Full results are available atwww.racepmg.com 

 

The King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will take this coming weekend off, before getting back underway with a double header outing on Friday October 7 at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville and then Saturday October 8 at the Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare for the KRC Safety Fall Shootout. 

 

Photos courtesy M&M Racing Photos & Donna Peter

Final Placerville Speedway appearance of the season up next for the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series this Saturday September 24

 

By Gary Thomas

 

Placerville, CA – September 20, 2016…With the season winding down the start of five races to go for the traveling King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will take place this Saturday night with the final visit of the season to the always action packed Placerville Speedway. 

 

The Placerville bullring is located just 40 minutes from the capital city of Sacramento and this Saturday marks the third trip of the season to the Scott Russell & Kami Arnold promoted quarter-mile clay oval. The first two events have been nothing short of thrilling and this weekend promises to feature much of the same, as drivers look to build momentum for the final month & a half in Northern California. Also on hand will be the always entertaining BCRA Midgets, plus IMCA Sport Mods. 

 

Two-time King of the West champion Kyle Hirst leads the field into Saturday aboard the Roth Motorsports/ Tarlton & Son No. 21x Sprinter. The Paradise, CA wheel-man sits atop the standings by 57-markers and will be gunning for his sixth victory of the campaign this weekend. Last year Hirst swept both events at the Placerville Speedway and led a number of laps in the feature during the most recent visit on July 30. If he were to park it in victory lane it would set a new personal high for him when it comes to wins in a season with the series. 

 

“We’re looking forward to getting the season back underway this Saturday at Placerville Speedway,” Hirst commented. “We’ve had a really strong year so far and hopefully we can continue that during these last five races. Whenever King of the West competes in Placerville it’s a wild show, so hopefully the fans will pack the stands this weekend. It would mean a lot to get that sixth win of the season. We had a good shot last time in Pville and definitely want to seal the deal on Saturday.”

 

The previous two King of the West appearances in Placerville have been picked off by Campbell’s Bud Kaeding & Fremont’s Shane Golobic respectively. Both drivers have claimed three wins apiece this season, with Golobic claiming victory at the two most recent events held. Kaeding ranks second in the points going into Saturday and will be hoping for a strong night to try and cut into Hirst’s lead with five races to go. Golobic will be searching to make it three in a row with the series this weekend. 

 

Sacramento’s Willie Croft has been in position to win both King of the West stops in Placerville this season, but each time has found heartbreak city towards the end. The season-opener saw him lead 26-laps, before a spun car ended his shot at victory. In July he looked to be on way to a certain triumph, until banging the cushion just hard enough to send him sideways & on his side in dramatic fashion just prior to the checkered. Croft looks to put that behind him on Saturday to try and scoop up his first Placerville KWS win. 

 

Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox, Grass Valley’s Jason Statler & Hanford’s DJ Netto round out the top-five in the standings going into Placerville. Cox will continue his rookie campaign with the series and has certainly gained speed with the season wearing on. Statler earned a podium finish in July at Placerville and will be gunning to improve by a couple more spots on Saturday. Netto will be looking to score his first win of the season, as he makes his second King of the West start since joining the Tri-C Motorsports team. 

 

More possibilities on Saturday will include Fresno’s Cory Eliason, Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Penngrove’s Chase Johnson, Atwater’s Sean Watts, Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares, Fair Oak’s Jake Morgan, Murrieta’s Cori Andrews and others.

 

Adult tickets this Saturday cost $22, seniors 62 & over and juniors 12-15 will be $15 with kids 6-11 being $6. Children under 6 are free. The pit gate at Placerville Speedway on Saturday opens at 2pm, with the front gate opening at 3pm and racing anticipated to begin around 7pm. 

 

The Placerville Speedway is located on the beautiful El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, California. Take Hwy US-50 to Forni Road/Placerville Drive exit. Then go north on Placerville Drive to the Fairgrounds. The physical address is 100 Placerville Dr., Placerville, CA 95667. For more on Placerville Speedway log onto http://www.placervillespeedway.com

 

Info on the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series can be found at http://www.racepmg.com

Be sure to like the KWS Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints and become a member of our Twitter community at https://twitter.com/KwsSprintRacing for all the latest breaking news regarding the series

 

Remaining King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series events in 2016

 

Saturday September 24: Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA
Friday October 7: Ocean Speedway – Watsonville, CA
Saturday October 8: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (KRC Safety Fall Shootout)
Saturday October 15: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA (31st Cotton Classic)
Saturday November 5: Stockton Dirt Track – Stockton, CA (33rd Tribute to Gary Patterson) 

The King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series resumes action this Saturday with lone visit of the season at Petaluma Speedway

 

By Gary Thomas

 

Petaluma, CA – August 22, 2016…Following a three-week break the traveling King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series is eager to return to action this Saturday night August 27 with a visit to the cool confines of Petaluma Speedway. 

 

The 3/8 mile clay oval has been a welcomed stop over the years for teams with the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series. The tacky & hooked-up speedway has often produced exciting competition, as lapped traffic can create some of the most hectic racing towards the front of the field of any track on tour. 

 

The Petaluma Speedway had been a staple on the Northern Auto Racing Club/ Golden State 410 Sprint Car Series schedule over the years, but a multiple-season hiatus from the track occurred during the late 1990’s to 2004. 

 

In 2005 the series returned to Petaluma and ran each season through 2010, until another hiatus was seen, before the King of the West 410’s returned a few years later. In total there have been 14 Winged 410 Sprint Car events held at the Petaluma Speedway since ‘05. The early season event this year fell victim to rain, so Saturday will be your only chance to catch Winged 410 Sprints at the track in 2016. 

 

“We’re definitely looking forward to having the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series at the Petaluma Speedway 3/8 on Saturday,” commented track announcer, statistician & co-founder of the California Dream Team Ron Lingron. “The King of the West Series brings some of the best drivers from around the Western United States and it’s a joy to watch them try to tame the sticky adobe. It’s always a great show and we hope everyone is looking forward to it.” 

 

Two-time King of the West 410 champion Kyle Hirst leads the field back into action on Saturday. The Paradise resident has captured a season-high five main event victories aboard the Roth Motorsports/ Tarlton & Son No. 21x machine. Hirst will be gunning to set a new personal record for wins in a season with the series in Petaluma on Saturday. 

 

Campbell’s Bud Kaeding goes into Saturday ranking second in the standings and is the most recent winner in series action at the Petaluma Speedway. The three-time USAC Silver Crown champ led all 30-laps last season to earn his second career KWS triumph at the track. Kaeding has claimed two victories so far this season. 

 

First-year full-time driver Justyn Cox has moved to a season-best third in the standings going into Petaluma. The Clarksburg driver will be searching for his first career series win this weekend. Grass Valley wheel-man Jason Statler has also battled his way up to fourth in points. The 2004 champ is coming off a podium finish at the most recent event on July 29 in Placerville. Rounding out the top-five going into Saturday is Hanford’s DJ Netto, who is coming off a trip to the Midwest recently. 

 

More drivers expected Saturday will include Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Sacramento’s Willie Croft, Fresno’s Cory Eliason, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Atwater’s Sean Watts, Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares, Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan, Penngrove’s Chase Johnson, Los Angeles’ Tyler Walker, Sebastopol’s Geoff Ensign and others. 

 

During the night we will honor long time KWS pace truck driver Chuck Burt, who passed away recently. Known as Pace Truck Chuck, the Petaluma resident was a long time staple with the series and a friend to all. In addition to a memorial lap his familiar red ford ranger will also pace the field one last time on Saturday. 

 

The front gate opens at 4pm this Saturday August 27 with adult tickets $22, seniors & juniors $16 and children five & under free. The pit gate will open at noon. 

 

The Petaluma Speedway is located in the southern part of the wine country at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds just off Highway 101 in Petaluma, California. Fans are recommended to bring a jacket and warm clothes if you have never been to the Petaluma Speedway, as temperatures usually do chill off once the sun goes down. More info on the track can be found at www.petaluma-speedway.com

A-main winners this season: Kyle Hirst (5), Bud Kaeding (3), Shane Golobic & Cory Eliason (2), Willie Croft (1)

 

The all-time 410 track record at Petaluma Speedway is held by 2009 KWS titlist Tyler Walker, who set the mark on August 1 of his championship year. “T-Dub” toured the 3/8 mile oval for the track record in 11.990 seconds aboard the Scott Chastain owned NMI Industrial Contractors No. 24 machine. 

 

The King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series is held under the management of Prentice Motorsports Group, which also operates the Civil War 360 Sprint Car Series presented by Flowmaster, the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo, the Wingless Sprint Car Series presented by Hunt Magnetos, the All Star Modified Tour and Ocean Speedway. 

 

Info on the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series can be found at www.racepmg.com

 

Be sure to like the KWS Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints and become a member of our Twitter community at https://twitter.com/KwsSprintRacing for all the latest breaking news regarding the series

 

 

Saturday August 27: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA 
Saturday September 24: Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA
Friday October 7: Ocean Speedway – Watsonville, CA
Saturday October 8: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (KRC Safety Fall Shootout)
Saturday October 15: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA (Cotton Classic)
Saturday November 5: Stockton Dirt Track – Stockton, CA (Tribute to Gary Patterson)