|
PRESS RELEASE, PLACERVILLE SPEEDWAY
SECOND ANNUAL MARK FORNI MEMORIAL RACE MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2007
MEDIA CONTACT: Bill Sullivan
Saturday's Forni Memorial is more than a cash cow for many local drivers
Russell, Sweeney, Humphreys, Trulli and Gregg all had close ties to the late friend of the sport
by Bill Sullivan
PLACERVILLE, CA – This Saturday night, an impressive purse of more than $21,000 will likely draw a great number of competitors to Placerville Speedway for the second annual Mark Forni Memorial race featuring winged 360 Sprint Cars, Pro stocks, Pure Stocks and the Midget Lites of the Bay Cities Racing Association.
While many drivers will be logging entries in response to the high payout, a group of local competitors will be racing with heavy hearts and great pride as they pay tribute to the dear friend they lost to cancer two years ago. For these particular drivers, the added winnings are simply the icing on the cake for this special community driven event.
"Mark was one of my best friends," said Placerville driver Scott Russell. "We did a lot of things together but the one thing Mark loved the most was Placerville Speedway. I can't even begin to say how much I miss him but I know he's looking down on us and seeing what this race is becoming and he's smiling."
Russell was one of several drivers that was sponsored by Mark Forni and Forni's Trucking through the years. Placerville's C.J. Humphreys was one of the first sprint car drivers that Forni sponsored and supported. He was also involved with local drivers Jimmy Trulli, Andy Gregg and James Sweeney since the early days of their racing careers. For all of these drivers a victory in Saturday's prestigious race would surely top their resume and the limited edition trophy being in their possession would likely supersede the added funds in their bank account from their success.
"Winning this race would mean so much to me and any of us who knew Mark personally," said Russell, who was unable to race in the feature event last year but still led the field in a special tribute lap prior to the green flag. "But just being part of it and seeing it take place is a very special thing, regardless of where we finish."
Like Russell, Trulli and Humphreys were also very close to Mark Forni. All three drivers are amidst their best career seasons, sitting within the top five in the point standings in the chase for the track championship.
"I don't doubt for a minute that Mark doesn't have a little bit to do with that, its kind of ironic that all of us are doing this well at once," said Russell. "There have been many race nights at Placerville last year when I felt he was helping in some way, hopefully Saturday night he'll send some help our way. Regardless of who wins this race, if its one of the cars he sponsored that would make it even more memorable."
For Sweeney, Saturday will mark the second Mark Forni Memorial of his young racing career. Anyone who knows their local history in El Dorado County is well aware that the names Sweeney and Forni are true patriarchs within the community. Both the Sweeney and Forni families were a vital part of the birth of the El Dorado County Fair.
The 17 year old 2006 co-rookie of the year began racing after Mark Forni's passing but was a close friend all his life through his father Bob Sweeney who worked with Mark Forni on numerous excavating projects, including helping promoter Alan Padjen with the re-engineering and restoration of the underground drain system at Placerville Speedway that caused numerous cancellations back in 2005.
"I'll never forget that day that showed us the true Mark Forni and what this place meant to him," said Padjen. "We had plenty of people to do the heavy work out here. Mark could have taken it easy and just hung around but he insisted on getting involved and getting the job done. I know how tired I was that day. I can't even imagine how tired he was. He was so thin and so ill at the time but he still could of outlasted the rest of us out there.That's the Mark Forni I knew and will always remember. He was the guy that always came to this place and said 'So what's it going to take to fix this problem'. Not only did he say that, he always followed through.
Since he was a young child, Mark Forni always held a strong interest in racing at Placerville Speedway. As an adult, Forni was always known for lending a helping hand at the speedway, whether is was helping a stock car driver he didn't even know change a tire during a caution flag or helping the track promoters defeat the damaging acts of mother nature after the off season.
"Mark was person who never hesitated to help anyone in need," said Humphreys. "Even when he was very ill in his final days he still helped people in any way he could. Being in this race will be very special for us and it's not really about the money at all."
Like the others, Gregg will be another one of the local drivers looking to hoist the special Mark Forni Memorial trophy this weekend. Only this time, Gregg can finally show up at the track in the wake of victory. The former rookie of the year scored his first California victory last Saturday night in the Civil War race at Marysville Raceway Park, ending years of frustration trying to win at home rather then the Pacific Northwest where he has prior feature event victories.
During this past season Gregg has nearly won a handful of events at Placerville Speedway. During the season opener here in the Golden State Challenge Series he led every lap of the race but the final one when he saw the California gold wash downstream after Indiana's Brandon Wimmer took him from the lead position in a last lap crash and dash. This Saturday night, Gregg no longer needs to focus on the bridesmaid blues but can set his sights on carrying his recent good fortune to his hometown track. There is no doubt he has a good friend looking down on him from the best seat in the house and will surely guide him all the way along with the others.
Saturday's event will payout more than $21,000 in overall winnings. With the added contributions, the feature event for Saturday's race will pay our more than $18,000 alone. $5,000 will go to the winner of the 30-lap feature, second place will earn $2,000, third place $1,500 and the payout continues in the four-digit format all the way down to seventh place. Just starting the feature event will earn a driver $300 for this one night of racing.
In addition to the feature event funds, the B feature will boast an increased purse as well with more than $2,000 being awarded accordingly to the 20 drivers in the event. The C feature will payout more than $600 down the line. The fast qualifier of the evening will earn an extra $200 and additional qualifying bonuses will be announced later in the week.
The format for Saturday's race will include qualifying for the sprint cars followed by heat races for all four divisions including Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks and the Midget Lites of the Bay Cities Racing Association.. All four divisions will compete in preliminary events and full feature events which will conclude with the high paying feature event. Additional bonus awards will later be announced for the weekly stock car divisions as well.
The gates of Placerville Speedway will open at 5 p.m. on Saturday and all seating is general admission. Adults will be $11, juniors and seniors $9, children are $4 and under six will be admitted for free.
|
