Placerville Speedway is eager to begin another championship season with the exhilarating sound of engines returning to the red clay this Saturday March 23rd.
The El Dorado County Fairgrounds based quarter mile will present an exciting program of grass roots dirt track racing, including the Thompson’s Family of Dealerships Winged 360 Sprint Cars, the Anrak Ltd. Late Models, Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks and the BCRA Lightning Sprints.
Live music will be performed in the grandstand entertainment zone from 4-6pm by Ed Wilson. Thirst quenching drinks and some of the finest racetrack cuisine in California is set to be offered at the Speedway Café, as we kick-off season 59 at the Placerville bullring.
Hanford’s Michael Faccinto pocketed the Thompson’s Family of Dealerships Winged Sprint Car championship last season, giving owners F&F Racing yet another title. Faccinto put together an extremely consistent campaign last season and returns in 2024 looking for even more.
After claiming three wins during the Hoosier Tires championship season last year Modesto’s Tony Gomes hopes to secure another victory on Saturday. Gomes showed immense speed with C&M Motorsports and more of the same is expected this year. Rounding out the top-five in points last season were Shane Hopkins, Ashlyn Rodriguez and Rookie of the Year, Luke Hayes.
Track legend Dan Jinkerson brought home his third consecutive Anrak Ltd. Late Model title last season after tallying three wins and seven top-five finishes. From a consistency standpoint Auburn’s Ray Trimble was even with Jinkerson but missed out on the championship by just 20-points. Tyler Lightfoot, Rod Oliver and Dan Brown Jr. completed the top-five. The ground pounders will contest nine events this season in Placerville.
Last season saw Nick Baldwin put together another stout campaign with the Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks. The Oakley, CA driver accumulated six wins and finished among the top-five all but once, on way to his fifth career track championship over Kevin Jinkerson. The Pure Stocks will see 13 total nights of racing.
Waterford’s Dakota Albright picked up four wins last season with the Bay Cities Racing Association Lightning Sprints at Placerville Speedway. Albright this year, however, will be competing with the Thompson’s Winged Sprint Cars for Spencer Motorsports. The BCRA Lightning Sprints are keen to make several appearances, both with and without the wings.
Tickets and Details:
Grandstand seating is general admission this Saturday March 23rd, except for the reserved seats marked for season ticket holders. Adult tickets 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/psr-032324 or at the gate on race day. Pit passes can be purchased at the pit gate or via the Pit Pay App to take advantage of the expanded seating area on the hill.
The pit gate will open at noon, with the front gate opening at 3pm. Happy Hour is offered when the gates open until 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 4:45pm with cars on track at 5:15. Hot laps, ADCO Driveline qualifying and racing will follow.
For those who can’t make it to the track, CaliDirt.TV will provide live flag-to-flag coverage of every Placerville Speedway point race this season. The live streaming service also includes each event with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour. Fans can purchase through a cost savings monthly membership or on a per race basis via https://calidirt.tv/
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 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 sponsorship opportunities at the office.
Join over 19,000 followers of Placerville Speedway on Facebook, where you can keep abreast of updates for the 2024 season. You can also find Placerville Speedway on X/Twitter by following us https://twitter.com/pvillespeedway - In addition, Placerville Speedway is also on Instagram. Please follow us @PvilleSpeedway.
Upcoming events at Placerville Speedway:
Saturday March 23: Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Ltd. Late Models, Pure Stocks and BCRA Lightning Sprints | Championship Opener
Saturday March 30: Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour and Nor-Cal Dwarf Cars | Spring Fever Frenzy
Saturday April 13: Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks and High Sierra Wingless Spec Sprints | 21st annual Tribute to Al Hinds
Story by Gary Thomas. Images courtesy of D&P Photos
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