By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA…The Placerville Speedway is ready to embark upon its 57th season of competition, as Russell Motorsports Inc. showcases the opening championship point race presented by Hoosier Racing Tires this Saturday.
The Thunder in the Foothills championship season presented by Hoosier launches with all four of the Placerville Speedway regulars competing. Teams with the Thompson’s Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Mountain Democrat Ltd. Late Models, Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks and Mountain Democrat Mini Trucks all get their bid at a season long title underway this weekend.
Last year saw Auburn’s Andy Forsberg earn an unprecedented eighth Thompson’s Family of Dealerships Winged 360 Sprint Car championship on the red clay. In the off-season however, the 45-year-old veteran shifted gears back to the familiar No. 92 Sprint Car, while Templeton’s Kaleb Montgomery takes over the seat of the F&F Racing X1 mount. A host of other teams will be vying for victory on opening night this Saturday, which kicks-off the first of 15 point races for the Winged Warriors.
Diamond Springs competitor Dan Jinkerson locked down his first career Mountain Democrat Ltd. Late Model title last season. On the strength of two wins, he was able to top teammate Tyler Lightfoot by 24-points at seasons end. The ground pounders are set to contest a total of 10 point races this year.
Last season saw Oakley’s Nick Baldwin put together a magical campaign with the Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks. The talented driver accumulated six wins and finished among the top-five at every show, en route to his third career track championship over Kevin Jinkerson. The Pure Stocks will see 15 total nights of racing in 2022.
Rancho Cordova’s Mike Miller was “Mr. Consistency” with the Mountain Democrat Mini Trucks last year, as he earned top-five finishes at each event, including one victory. Miller won the title by a slim 14-markers over Thomas Jensen. We are set to welcome the grass roots racing division on seven occasions this season.
This Saturday will also be a nice lead-in to next week’s Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards opener. Competing alongside SCCT on March 26th will be the USAC Western States Midgets and BCRA Lightning Sprints.
Adult tickets for the championship opener this Saturday March 19th 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-1 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.
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 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.
FloRacing returns as the official broadcast partner of the Placerville Speedway in 2022. The popular company is set to live stream as many events as possible, with all others filmed and archived for on demand viewing following the show.
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
Join over 16,000 followers of Placerville Speedway on Facebook, where you can keep abreast of updates for the 2022 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.
Upcoming events at Placerville Speedway:
Saturday March 19: Thompson’s Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Mtn. Democrat Ltd. Late Models, Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks and Mtn. Democrat Mini Trucks
Saturday March 26: Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards, BCRA Lightning Sprints and USAC Western States Midgets | Spring Fever Frenzy
Saturday April 2: Thompson’s Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks, Mtn. Democrat Mini Trucks and Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprints
Image courtesy of Tim Holland
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