Red Hawk Casino Championship Point Race Five Opens Big Summer of Racing for Placerville Speedway Saturday
Placerville, CA – After being idle last weekend the El Dorado County Fairgrounds based Placerville Speedway returns to action this Saturday night June 3 with round five of the Red Hawk Casino championship point season set to commence.
Divisions geared up to tackle the quarter-mile bullring during Saturday’s June kick-off will include the Thompson’s Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Ltd. Late Models, Pure Stocks and the Bay Cities Racing Association Midget Lites.
Elk Grove’s Greg Decaires has captured the last two Thompson’s Auto Group Winged 360 events and hopes to make it three-in-a-row this Saturday. The four-time Placerville Speedway champion held off the relentless challenges of reigning titlist Mason Moore of Princeton last time out. Both drivers will be among the favorites this weekend during round four for the winged warriors.
Local favorite Jimmy Trulli of Placerville had another strong outing at the most recent race on May 20, bringing home a fourth place finish after an entertaining battle with Auburn’s Andy Forsberg, who ended up third. Trulli ranks second in the standings and will be searching for a solid night to help chip away at Decaires’ point lead. Forsberg charged from deep in the field two weeks back and hopes to add yet another victory on the red clay come Saturday.
Visalia’s Steven Tiner, Fair Oak’s Jake Morgan and Sacramento’s DJ Freitas round out the top-five in points going into the weekend. Additional drivers expected on Saturday will include round one winner Justyn Cox of Clarksburg, Roseville’s Sean Becker, Placerville’s Cody Fendley and Mike Cook, Napa’s Chris Masters, Calistoga’s Mike Benson, Shingle Spring’s Justin Johnson and more.
Live Oak’s Matt Micheli currently sits atop the Ltd. Late Model standings going into Red Hawk Casino championship point race number five. Micheli has one victory to his credit this season and leads fellow race winner already this year Ray Trimble, Mike Lightfoot, Tyler Lightfoot and Tom Tilford in the top-five. Ryan McDaniel earned his second victory of the season last time out during a dominating drive in the feature.
The Pure Stocks have a great battle shaping up coming into Saturday, with three drivers locked in a dead-heat at the top of the points. Diamond Springs Dan Jinkersen has been a dominant force thus far in 2017, but consistency has helped Nick Baldwin and Scott Grunert earn a share of the lead after four rounds. Jinkersen has captured three of the four races and wants to make it four out of five this weekend. Jason Palmer and Rick Grunert complete the top-five in the standings.
The BCRA Midget Lites are set to make their third appearance of the season on Saturday. At the last event on May 6 it was Washington traveler Zach Keefe who scooped up the victory. Opening night saw current series point leader Craig Dillard bring home the checkered flag. Dillard goes into Saturday leading Dakota Albright, Kayla Green, Hunter Kinney and Emilee Lindgren in the standings.
Adult tickets this Saturday will cost $15, while seniors 62 plus and juniors 12-15 will be $13, children 6-11 are $6 and those under 6 will be free. The pit gate will open at 2pm, with the front grandstand gate opening at 3pm.
A happy hour will be offered from 4pm-6pm in the grandstands featuring discounted Coors Light and Coors Original at the beer stand. Drivers meeting will be held at 4:30pm, with cars on track for wheel packing at 5pm, qualifying scheduled to begin around 5:30pm and heat races expected to fire-off around 6pm.
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 information on the Placerville Speedway log onto http://www.placervillespeedway.com
Since opening in 1965 the Placerville Speedway has been a favorite among fans throughout Northern California. Well known for its steep banks, distinctive red clay, loyal fan base and extremely close action, the track is located just 40-minutes up the hill from the capital city of Sacramento.
Join over 8800 followers of Placerville Speedway on Facebook, where you can keep abreast of updates for the 2017 season. You can also find Placerville Speedway on Twitter by following us https://twitter.com/pvillespeedway - In addition, Placerville Speedway is also on Instagram. Please follow us @PvilleSpeedway.
The Placerville Speedway is operated by Russell Motorsports Incorporated, which can be reached at the track business office at 530-344-7592. Contact Kami Arnold or Scott Russell directly for 2017 sponsorship opportunities at the office.
Upcoming events at Placerville Speedway: Saturday June 3: Thompson’s Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars | Ltd. Late Models | Pure Stocks | BCRA Midget Lites
Saturday June 10: Thompson’s Auto Group Fan Appreciation Day: Thompson’s Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars | Ltd. Late Models | Pure Stocks | Mini Trucks | NCDCA Dwarf Cars (pit party with cars on display and drivers available for autographs)
Saturday July 1: Thompson’s Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars | Ltd. Late Models | Pure Stocks | BCRA Midgets
Tuesday July 4: Freedom Fireworks: Thompson’s Auto Group Winged 360 Sprint Cars | Ltd. Late Models | Pure Stocks | Mini Trucks
Photos courtesy of Cleveland Digital Imaging