Placerville, CA – January 16, 2019…Nestled in an area known for bearing gold the El Dorado County Fairgrounds based Placerville Speedway will now be known as host of the richest two-day USAC Midget race in history, with the inaugural Elk Grove Ford “Hangtown 100” set to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday November 19th and 20th.
With extensive support from Elk Grove Ford the two-night USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget event will showcase a $100,000 purse, with opening night awarding $5,000-to-win and the 100-lap finale paying out a whopping $20,000-to-win. The final night will also be a solid $1,000-to-start.
“We are very excited to work with Matt Wood and Elk Grove Ford to bring a show of this magnitude to Placerville Speedway towards the end of our season,” commented track promoter and Russell Motorsports Inc. President Scott Russell. “When you look at tracks that are the perfect size for midgets, you certainly point to Placerville Speedway. It’s going to be an incredible show with all the biggest names in USAC racing from across the country competing in Northern California. This is going to be an event you will not want to miss.”
The Elk Grove Ford Hangtown 100 will add even more excitement by boasting a Trophy Cup style format with large inverts occurring each night. A $20,000 point fund will also be in place for the two days. Thursday November 21st will be held as a rain date in case of inclement weather. Also sharing the card both nights will be the Wicked Energy Gum Focus Midgets.
Originally a gold mining camp known as Old Dry Diggins in 1848, the settlement earned its most common moniker of “Hangtown” in 1849 because of its reputation for justice carried out by hangings. After one such crime, an impromptu citizens jury met to consider the fate of the three accused. The jury wasted little time reaching a verdict, but the question was asked, what will be done to them. Someone shouted, “Hang them!”
The majority agreed, the historical precedent was set, and word quickly traveled, creating the famous and colorful Hangtown title. A milder name was then requested after a few years and in 1854 the city of Placerville was incorporated. The Placerville Speedway was originally known as Hangtown Speedway when it came into existence back in 1965. It took on the current name in the early 1980’s and has grown to be one of the more popular tracks in the region.
Reserved seating will be in place both nights at the Elk Grove Ford Hangtown 100 with more details to follow. Future announcements regarding the event will also take place throughout the season. To keep up with event news follow on Twitter @hangtown100 . Be sure to check out the event website at www.hangtown100.com and subscribe to news at www.hangtown100.com/subscribe
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
The Placerville Speedway would like to thank all of its partners for their support this season including Red Hawk Casino, Hoosier Racing Tires, Coors Light, Thompson’s Auto Group, Absolute Auto Glass, ADCO Driveline and Custom Exhaust, Bear Republic Brewing, Beef’N’Brew, Capital Ace Hardware, Carol Russell Bookkeeping Service, Campora Propane, Davies Family Inn, High Sierra Industries, Poor Reds BBQ, Les Schwab Tires, the Paint Spot, Riebies Auto Parts, Shadow Ridge Ranch, The Critter Getter, Foothill Tree Service, Mountain Democrat, Union Bank, Windfall Media, Arnolds for Awards, and Sierra Arbor Worx.
Join over 11,000 followers of Placerville Speedway on Facebook, where you can keep abreast of updates for the 2019 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 quarter-mile clay oval 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 2019 sponsorship opportunities at the office.