Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial finds new home at Placerville Speedway in 2021 and beyond
By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA – May 5, 2021…The Placerville Speedway is honored to be the new host track of the prestigious Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial, beginning with the 30th running of the prestigious showcase next month.
Not only is it moving to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds venue, but it will also be held during one of the biggest events of the year at the track, with that being the King of the West-NARC 410 Sprint Car Series and Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360 combo race on Saturday June 12th.
The event originally began at Silver Dollar Speedway in 1992 to honor the late Dave Bradway Jr., who lost his life in a Sprint Car crash at Skagit Speedway’s Dirt Cup in 1987. Bradway was a driver destined for stardom in Sprint Car racing and the event held in his memory has become a cornerstone for Northern California.
“We are definitely honored to host the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial race at Placerville Speedway,” commented track Promoter Scott Russell. “The Bradway is such a huge race in California with a lot of history behind it, so we couldn’t be happier to hold it here on June 12th of this season. The King of the West-NARC and Sprint Car Challenge Tour double-header that night has been an outstanding event. This is certain to give it an even larger boost.”
The 30th running of the event will also be the final chapter for long-time event organizers Dave and Dianne Durica. After the show this season, Steve Tuccelli and Karen Bradway-Tuccelli (sister of the late Dave Bradway Jr.) are set to take over the helm and continue the prestigious race.
“Dianne and I had originally planned for last year to be our final Bradway, but with COVID canceling the race it was decided that we definitely wanted to still do the 30th this season,” commented Dave Durica.
“We’ve had a great run and are happy that Karen and Tooch want to take it over in the years to come. Silver Dollar Speedway was a great home for a long time and we look forward to having announcer Troy Hennig still involved at the event. We’re excited to have Troy and Gary Thomas back together at the Bradway Memorial.”
In a bit of irony, Dave and Dianne Durica will celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary during the weekend. Along with that, June 12th also happens to be the day that the late Carol Bradway was born on. As customary the Durica family is gathering lap money for the event. If you would like to purchase a lap please contact Dave and Dianne at Durica1414@sbcglobal.net or 916-988-5958.
All the money goes back to the racers and helps make this event unique and special like it has been for so many years. The laps cost $100 and are split between the top-3 in the A-main each lap. The leader receives $50, 2nd place $30 and 3rd place $20.
In addition to lap money if there is anything you’d like to donate for the event contact Dave and Dianne to give them the details.
Steve Tuccelli spoke about the support and dedication the Durica’s have provided to the event over the years. “Karen and I, along with the entire Bradway family have much gratitude towards Dave and Dianne for their unwavering devotion to put this race on in Junior's memory all these years. Dave had a unique relationship with Junior and we are honored to have he and Dianne's faith in us to continue what they have built as one of the most prestigious races in California. We will work hard to have the same success, not only for Junior, but for Dave and Dianne as well.”
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