|
Mel Hall Memorial is true “Race of Champions”
2 Grand & $1100 in contingency awards for winner
by Bob Burbach
Marysville CA. Paul and Kathy Hawes will host the 2008 Mel Hall Memorial Race this Saturday night at Marysville Raceway Park. The entry list will include drivers that represent over 20 sprint car championships at MRP and elsewhere. $2,000 plus over $1100 in contingency awards will be available to this year’s Winged Sprint Car race champion. The richest ever Mel Hall Memorial will be contested over 20 laps making this the best paying 20 lap feature event presented in the west.
The list of champion drivers is vast and will include 2-time MRP Winged Sprint Car Champion Mark Hall of Grass Valley. Hall will be trying for his first win in the great race named after his well-respected father. Hall also won 3 titles at Grass Valley’s Ernie Purssell Memorial Speedway. 3-time MRP Champion Korey Lovell of Yuba City will also appear along with Colfax’s Colby Wiesz. This duo represents 6 championships between them. Wiesz won 3 titles in a row (1999-2002). Elverta’s Mike Wasina Jr. comes into the big race representing 2 MRP championships. This observer talked to 1997 Winged Sprint Car champion Jeff Young of Roseville last week and he said he might put something together and hop into Dennis Harvey’s quick racer.
Hawaii’s own Dean Freitas brings 9 Hawaiian sprint car championships into the Mel Hall race. If Mike Wasina Sr. saddles up for this one he will represent MRP’s first two years of winged sprint car racing, as he was the champion in those first two campaigns (1991-’92).
Also entered in this Saturday night’s open wheel extravaganza is the “Madman” Mike Monahan from Sparks Nevada. Monahan took the MRP title in 2004 after garnering 3 titles early in his career in the Midwest. 2007 champion Jeremy Burt of Grass Valley should be on hand as well, though Burt has not made his intentions known to this observer. Double titleholder (2005-2006) Brent Dothage of Kelseyville will also be in the field.
When you look at the star studded entries in this year’s Mel Hall Memorial Race one cannot but be reminded that the man we honor was a racing champion in his own right. Then, as a promoter, Hall’s influence and tenacity helped bring big time sprint car racing to this area.
The Mel Hall Memorial Race will also feature the incredibly competitive MRP Wingless Sprint Cars. The MRP Street Stocks will continue their rough and tumble season on the well manicured clay along with the second appearance of the $1000 to win Open 4s. This is a “run what you brung” 4 cylinder open stock car race.
Pit gates always open at 3 with the grandstands opening at 5. Practice and hot laps start at 6 with qualifying and racing to follow. Put www.marysvilleracewaypark.com on your “favorites” button on you computer. Watch this site for press releases, updates and complete results
Contingency Connection at Mel Hall Memorial Race-Winged and Wingless Sprint Cars-$300,000 in contingency rewards ongoing through 2008:
Remember, our racing program will get $150,000 worth of contingency dollars for our winged and wingless sprint cars. The way it works is that Contingency Connection has signed up 181 sponsors nationwide who contribute products or merchandise each race to the winner. The only catch is that drivers must be sporting the decal of that sponsor to earn the bonus. If a driver who wins the MRP Winged or Wingless feature race has every decal on his car, he could receive some $1150 in products or merchandise. The vouchers can be saved and traded in for larger ticket items. The bonus is a healthy addition to the weekly $1,000 promoter Hawes already pays to the winner of MRP winged sprint car main events and the $750 he pays to MRP wingless sprint car feature winners.
In addition to the $150,000 Contingency Connection is providing during the regular season, the program also has earmarked another $150,000 toward a year-end bonus for the top two drivers as well as four other "at-large" drivers whom the promoters believe are deserving of some added cash.
|
