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Sean Becker leads Golden State Challenge Series into Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial
By Gary Thomas
Chico, CA - May 9, 2007... Defending Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial winner Sean Becker of Oroville will lead the Golden State Challenge Series sprint cars into this year’s running of the event this Saturday at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway. Becker brings a five point lead in the GSC standings into the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial and is coming off a clean sweep of last Saturday’s event at Ocean Speedway. "The Shark" has also won a pair of 410 point races at Silver Dollar Speedway this season and comes into the weekend looking to build off the momentum from last Saturday.
Becker’s clean sweep at Ocean Speedway last weekend came aboard the Tom Fisher/Kyle Main owned, Cherry St. Mini Storage, Rolling Hills Realty No. 35m. It was the first time a clean sweep had happened with the Golden State Challenge Series since Jason Meyers did it at Calistoga Speedway in 2002 during the running of the Tribute to Gary Patterson. Last season Becker won the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial and it was one of the better stories of the year following an ‘05 season where he won the GSC championship, yet lost his ride and wasn’t even sure if he’d be racing in 2006.
Looking back on it one of the best things that could ever happen for Becker occurred as he joined the Fisher/Main Motorsports team and they began the season by winning the first two point races of ‘06 at Silver Dollar. Then in May he picked up his biggest career win by capturing the Bradway Memorial and pocketing roughly $5,500. This season Becker comes into the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial as one of the hottest drivers in the U.S. as he has tallied eight top 5 finishes in the first nine races of the GSC season.
Hot on Becker’s heels is the man that has won more races in California sprint car racing than anybody else, Brent Kaeding. The Campbell veteran and 12-time King of California has won three Golden State Challenge Series races this season and has finished second or better in four straight events. BK has driven his Al’s Roofing Supply, Kaeding Performance, Selco Heating & Air No. 69 to seven top 5 finishes with GSC this season and is one of the few drivers left today that competed with Dave Bradway Jr. Kaeding is one of only two drivers to have won the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial three times and comes into this year’s event looking to cut into Becker’s five point lead in the series standings.
Ironically the only other driver to have won the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial three times sits third in the Golden State Challenge Series standings; that is Chico’s own Jonathan Allard. The defending King of California has fallen to 17 points back of Becker for the lead, but goes into a track he has dominated at this season. Allard currently leads the point standings at Silver Dollar Speedway and has won three of the six point races held so far in 2007. The 30 year-old also captured opening night of the Mini Gold Cup when the Golden State Challenge Series visited the track in March. Allard has been in a victory drought with GSC, however, and hasn’t won since opening night. Picking up a fourth Bradway Memorial win to make up some ground on Becker would be very beneficial for the driver of the Williams Motorsports, GT Trends, K & N Filters No. 0.
2004 Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial winner Jason Statler of San Jose currently sits fourth in GSC points. "The Big Guy" also sits second in Silver Dollar Speedway points and will look to put the Tom Rolfe Trucking, DF Rios Construction No. 10 into victory lane this Saturday. Rounding out the top five in current GSC points is the Holey Smokes BBQ, LRB Manufacturing No. 29 of Sacramento’s Willie Croft. The driver known as "Double Down" has been impressive in his first full season with GSC and sits just 11 points back of Statler for fourth.
Salinas driver Ronnie Day ranks sixth in GSC points and has tallied three top five finishes aboard the Ridgeline Framing, Elite Landscaping No. 1. Day will run Silver Dollar Speedway for the first time since acquiring crew chief Brian Cannon in late March. Cannon tuned Andy Forsberg to last year’s Silver Dollar Speedway track championship and will look to guide Day to his first Chico win since the year 2000.
Chico’s Brett Miller is coming off his first career GSC top five finish last Saturday at Ocean Speedway and comes into the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial sitting seventh in GSC points. The 17 year-old has tallied one win this season at Silver Dollar in point race competition aboard the Care Free Pools, Platinum Powder Coating No. 1x. Tracy’s Jason Botsford has moved up to eighth in GSC points aboard the Randy V tuned, Extreme Fabrication, Louis Galli Farms No. 29. Gilroy’s Jon Maiwald sits ninth in GSC points and is coming off his first career GSC top 10 finish, which he accomplished last Saturday at his home track of Ocean Speedway in the RPM Painting & Designs, Speed Mart No.6m. Rounding out the top 10 in the GSC standings is Discovery Bay driver Jim Skinner. Skinner had one of the best runs of his career last Saturday at Ocean Speedway as he started from the front row and ran solidly in the top five until contact with another car knocked out the front end on his Skinner Motorsports, WB Equipment No. 73.
Other drivers expected at this year’s running of the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial include: Grass Valley’s Brad Sweet, Fairmont Indiana’s Brandon Wimmer, Elk Grove’s Kyle Hirst, Auburn’s Andy Forsberg, Chico’s Stephen Allard, Robby Whitchurch, Johnny Gray and Matt Shelton, Visalia’s Blake Robertson, Campbells’ Bud Kaeding, Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs, Placerville’s Andy Gregg, Yuba City’s Korey Lovell, Princeton’s Mason Moore, Fresno’s Mark Workentine and many more.
Gates open at 5 pm this Saturday at the Silver Dollar Speedway with qualifying expected to around 7. All seating is general admission and adult tickets will cost $16, juniors $11 and kids $4.
The Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial pays tribute to fallen race car driver Dave Bradway Jr. who lost his life in a sprint car crash at Skagit Speedway’s Dirt Cup in 1987. It is the biggest event of the season for the Golden State Challenge Series and packs extra money and goodies all night long. Promoters John and Robbie Padjen have added an extra $1,000 to the winners share to bring the winning take up $4,000. Not only that, but Dave and Diane Durica have once again collected lap money and each lap of the main event and B-main will pay $100 to be distributed among the top three each lap. The leader of the lap gets $50, second $30 and third $20. If a driver leads every lap of the 40 lap feature they can take home $6,000.
Helping out with the heat races for fifth straight year is the internet fan group known as HoservilleCA. Each heat winner will receive a right rear tire, a sleeve of tear offs and bird cages. Each driver will also receive a pair of trophies, one to keep and one to give to a child in the grandstands. Contributing companies include Kaeding Performance, Laser Engraving from Marshalltown, Iowa, Arnold’s for Awards and V-Mac Racing Products. Visit the home of HoservilleCA at the Northern California Sprint Car Forum located at http://www.hoserforums.com/index.cfm
The Durica’s have also had brand new Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Tee Shirts made for this year’s race. Get your shirts fast as they always sell quickly.
Racing action will also be taking place on Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway and will feature the 410 sprint cars, wingless spec sprints and dirt modifieds as they compete in Point Race #7. Silver Dollar Speedway debuted the brand new Feather Falls Casino scoreboard last Friday night and it adds a nice modern touch to the famous 1/4 mile bullring that’s home to the Gold Cup Race of Champions.
For more info on the Golden State Challenge Series and the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial log onto log onto http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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Several of the top names in West Coast sprint car racing will be on hand at the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial including: Sean Becker, Brent Kaeding, Jonathan Allard, Jason Statler, Ronnie Day, Brad Sweet, Blake Robertson, Kyle Hirst and Stephen Allard just to name a few. Near 40 drivers are expected at the event.
For more info on Dave Bradway Jr. visit the Bradway Memorial site located at: http://www.fnfracing.com/JrMemorialPage.htm
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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