PLACERVILLE, CA (9-1-10) - They are exciting week after week at Placerville Speedway and continue to grow in popularity in the way of competitors and dedicated spectators. They are known as Pure Stocks and Saturday night one local driver looks to become the king of them all as the newest division champion and the first local title earner since 2004.

As he enters the final night of competition at Placerville Speedway, Chris Curtiss of Placerville sits 42-points in the lead of the division point standings. in one of racing a driver can earn as many as 50 points with a perfect night of racing at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds. Curtiss must simply take the green flag on Saturday night to become the champion of the 2010 Red Hawk Casino Championship Series.

"We're treating this night just like every other night and doing what we have done all year," said Curtiss. "We're in a good position as far as the championship goes and that's something we set out to do. It would be nice to get another win on the last race of the year."

Curtiss has started in all 14 of the Placerville Speedway championship point races this season. Prior to last Saturday night his title hopes remained questionable when it was assumed he would not be able to enter the penultimate race of the season due to his scheduled return flight from his honeymoon. Curtiss surprised even his family members on Saturday afternoon when both he and his new bride Megan arrived at the speedway to cancel the back up driver for the night and go out to secure the championship.

"We originally had planned to sit out the night, I had done the math on the points and it was possible to still win the championship," said Curtiss. "But as we got closer we planned on coming back a little earlier and just surprised everyone. I really have to thank my new wife for her support in this along with my Dad and my Grandpa for all their help with the car."

In 2010, Curtiss has claimed a single main event win. He has finished in the top five a total of 12 times this year, the top ten on 13 occasions and has claimed one heat race victory. On the night he claimed victory, Curtiss crossed the line in second place and later learned he was the feature event winner after first place was disqualified for not reporting to the post race weight inspection.

The last El Dorado County driver to win a Pure Stock championship was back in 2008 when Brian Stevens of Pollock Pines claimed the title. Prior to that second generation driver Mark Treat of Placerville was the last local to win a title when he followed in the footsteps of his uncle, multi-champion Bob Treat of Placerville, to claim the track title. Prior to that Matt Keeler of Placerville has been the only other driver that hails from El Dorado County to claim the title. Curtiss is very humble and modest about the track championship. He hopes the final night will lead him to victory as well as the title.

"Our first win of the season was nice but it's not how I'd like to win one," he said. "It would be really nice to go out and get a win on the last race of the year. We've been very consistent in the top five all year. Hopefully we can get a good starting spot and keep it up front on this final night."

Curtiss is 42-points ahead of Grass Valley's Michelle McClure entering Saturday's event. Dennis Armstrong of Eldorado is third in the standings, 50-points out of the lead and just 8-points behind McClure. Eddie Gardner of Sacramento is fourth in the standings. Chris Van Roekel of Grass Valley has advanced to fifth place in the ranks.

Saturday night will mark the inaugural "Pepsi Trophy Presentation" at Placerville Speedway. The sprint cars, late models and pure stocks will be awarded giant perpetual trophies for their efforts on this special night. Each year the trophy will be passed on to the next winner with their name added to the plaques. This long tradition has been very popular at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico and is sure to be the same in Placerville.

Windfall Classifieds Inc. will bring some 100 special guests to the race track this Saturday night as well. The local classified advertising paper that has shown great support of auto racing in the area will be giving away a number of prizes throughout the evening as they continue their great support as one of Placerville Speedway's media partners.

The grandstands at Placerville Speedway will open at 5 p.m Saturday night Qualifying starts at 6;30 followed by racing at 7. Adult tickets will be $12, juniors and seniors $10, children $5 and under six will be admitted for free, Don't miss the final points race of 2010. For additional information visit www.placervillespeedway.com and www.handyracingpromotions.com.