Placerville, CA – June 27, 2018…One of the most anticipated weekends of the season for the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards will commence this Saturday and Sunday with an exciting double-header in Placerville and Petaluma.

This Saturday’s “Salute to the Fans” at Placerville Speedway will mark the first of three co-sanctioned events this season with the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series. The long-awaited race is sure to be one of the biggest single-night shows that the quarter-mile has ever seen, with the best of the best in California Winged 410 and 360 Sprint Car racing on hand.

One night later the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards will be in action at the Petaluma Speedway for the final time in 2018. The sticky adobe provided thrilling action as always in April and much of the same is expected during the special Sunday showcase this weekend. The June 30/ July 1 two-step will be the seventh and eighth point races of the season for the second-year Winged 360 series.

San Jose’s Tim Kaeding goes into Saturday holding a slim three-point lead in the standings over defending titlist Kyle Hirst of Paradise. Kaeding is currently in his first season driving for car owner Joshua Bates and is still searching for his initial win aboard the No. 42x machine. During the first SCCT event in Placerville he earned the Pit Stop USA Hard Charger Award and in Petaluma brought home a close runner up finish.

Hirst likewise is still looking for his first Sprint Car Challenge Tour triumph and will be gunning to check it off the list this weekend. The 30-year-old has been one of the hottest drivers in Northern California and is fresh off a KWS-NARC win at Calistoga Speedway last weekend.

A tie is currently seen for third in the points, with Roseville’s Colby Copeland and Willie Croft locked in an ultra-close battle. Croft has one victory on the season, which happened to occur at Petaluma Speedway, while Copeland is coming off a third-place finish during the most recent tour event in Hanford.

Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox earned a runner up last time out in Hanford and has catapulted himself to fifth in the standings. In fact, just 11-markers separate fifth through ninth heading into this weekend, making it a critical two-night outing. Rounding out the top-10 behind Cox are Watsonville’s Justin Sanders, Roseville’s Sean Becker, Penngrove’s Michael “Buddy” Kofoid, Auburn’s Andy Forsberg and Hollister’s Tony Gualda.

Additional drivers expected this Saturday and Sunday will include Penngrove’s Chase and Colby Johnson, Cameron Park’s Shane Hopkins, Foresthill’s Jodie Robinson, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal, Placerville’s Jimmy Trulli, Andy Gregg and Mike Cook, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Sebastopol’s Geoff Ensign, Fairfield’s Zach Lynskey, Marysville’s Ryan Souza, Wilton’s Matt Peterson, Rio Linda’s Cody Lamar, Santa Rosa’s Klint Simpson, Tracy’s Kyle Offill, Mather’s Kalib Henry and many more.

Online tickets for this Saturday June 30 at Placerville Speedway are available by visiting https://www.universe.com/events/double-header-kws-narc-scct-salute-to-the-fans-tickets-placerville-412XJ5. Adult tickets (ages 18-61) cost $40, senior/ juniors/ military cost $35 and kids 6-11 will be $10. Children five and under are free. Camping is available at the event and can be arranged by calling the El Dorado County Fairgrounds and Event Center at 530-621-5860.

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 with live music as well. Drivers meeting will be held at 4pm, with cars on track for wheel packing at 4:30. Hot laps, qualifying and racing will follow.