Placerville Speedway championship season resumes Saturday with First Responders Night

By Gary Thomas

Image courtesy of Jason Tucker Photos

Placerville, CA…Coming off consecutive rainouts the weather gods are finally smiling on Nor-Cal, which means it’s time to get the Hoosier Tires championship campaign back underway at Placerville Speedway this Saturday.

The Thompson’s Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Mtn. Democrat Ltd. Late Models, Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks and the Nor-Cal Dwarf Cars are all amped up to converge at the quarter-mile this weekend. First responders with valid ID will receive tickets for $15 at the gate. Fan giveaways and more will also be part of the festivities on Saturday during “First Responders Night.”

Mather’s Kalib Henry leads the way in the Thompson’s Family of Dealerships Winged 360 Sprint Car standings. After winning opening night the 22-year-old came back on April 9th to charge from 15th to seventh in the feature.

Second-year Sprint Car driver Landon Brooks ranks second in the points over Bubba Decaires, Kaleb Montgomery and eight-time track champ Andy Forsberg.

Defending track champion Dan Jinkerson captured opening night with the Mountain Democrat Ltd. Late Models on April 9th. The Diamond Springs competitor picked up the win over Jay Norton, Dan Brown Jr., Tyler Lightfoot and Kiely Ricardo.

Three-time and defending Red Hawk Casino Pure Stock champion Nick Baldwin sits at the top of the standings going into race number three on Saturday. The Oakley wheelman captured victory on opening night and finished a close second to Rio Linda’s Ryan Peter last time out.

Tommy Sturgeon, Chris McGinnis, Michael Murphy and Ryan Murphy complete the top-five after two events. Also expected to tackle the bullring will be Jonathan Walsh, Russ Murphy, Mel Byers, Kevin Jinkerson and more.

Rounding out the card this Saturday are the colorful coupes of the Nor-Cal Dwarf Car Association. The group routinely brings solid fields to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds track and always puts on a show. Adult tickets for this Saturday April 30th cost $18 while seniors 62+, military and juniors 12-17 will be $16. Kids 6-11 cost $8 and those five and under are free. Purchase tickets online at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/points-race-6 or at the gate on race day.

Grandstand seating is general admission at each event, except for the reserved seats marked for season ticket holders. Please note if patrons sit in a reserved seat, they may be asked to move. Pit passes can be purchased at the pit gate or on Pit Pay to take advantage of the expanded seating area on the hill.

The pit gate will open at noon, with the front grandstand gate opening at 3pm. Happy Hour is offered from 4-6pm in the grandstands featuring live music along with discounted Coors Light and Coors Original at the beer booth. The pit meeting will be held at 4:30pm with cars on track at 5:15. Hot laps, ADCO Driveline qualifying and racing will follow.

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

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Upcoming events at Placerville Speedway: Saturday April 30: Thompson’s Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Mtn. Democrat Ltd. Late Models, Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks and Nor-Cal Dwarf Cars | First Responders Night

Saturday May 7: Thompson’s Winged 360 Sprint Cars, USAC Western States Midgets, BCRA Lightning Sprints and Mtn. Democrat Mini Trucks | Mother’s Day Madness presented by Mountain Democrat