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RW Racing Photos
King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series geared up to begin the regular season at Placerville Speedway’s Gold Country Shootout this Saturday April 4
By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA – March 31, 2015…Famous for its steep banks, distinctive red clay, loyal fan base and extremely close action the El Dorado County Fairgrounds based Placerville Speedway will play host to the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series this Saturday night at the Gold Country Shootout.
The Placerville Speedway is located just 40 minutes from Sacramento and Saturday marks the first official full-point event for KWS, after opening the season with a co-sanctioned event last month in Tulare with the World of Outlaws. The Gold Country Shootout also sets the stage for next week’s anticipated return of the Greatest Show on Dirt during a special Wednesday show on April 8.
With such a grand opening comes an expected abundance of traffic. Track sponsor Red Hawk Casino has partnered with Placerville Speedway to help race fans avoid traffic congestion and parking worries. For these upcoming events, race fans are welcomed to grab a seat on one of the Red Hawk Casino complimentary shuttles to the speedway.
Red Hawk Casino will provide an exclusive shuttle service to and from Placerville Speedway throughout the late afternoon and evening. This pilot service will allow race fans to park at the Casino, just off Highway 50 and take advantage of this complimentary service that will bus fans right to the entry gates of Placerville Speedway to enjoy these big nights of racing.
Those wishing to ride the Red Hawk Casino Placerville Speedway shuttle service will find the pickup location in the main entry and valet area of the Casino. Return shuttle pick up later in the evening will take place just outside of the main grandstand entry at Placerville Speedway. On race days, both locations will clearly be marked with Red Hawk Casino – Placerville Speedway signage to make using this free service simple for race fans.
Chico’s Kyle Hirst led the way last season with four victories en route to his second straight King of the West title and officially begins the march for three in a row on Saturday. He also had tremendous consistency, finishing on the podium in half of the races and in the top-five 13-times out of 18 starts. This year he will go after that third straight series title aboard the Main Motorsports No. 35m Sprinter, a car that visited victory lane in the July KWS event at Placerville last season with Sean Becker. Hirst also captured the KWS visit to the red clay bullring in April of 2013.
After finishing runner up last year in the points Campbell’s Bud Kaeding guns for his first King of the West title in 2015. The driver of the Williams Motorsports No. 0 machine earned a win last season at the Howard Kaeding Classic and will be searching for more in 2015. Three-time King of the West champ Jonathan Allard of Chico will be looking to get back atop the ladder this season in the Tri-C Manufacturing No. 3c mount. Allard has had an amazing string of consistency at Placerville Speedway over the years in 410 competition and will be hoping to continue that on Saturday.
San Jose’s Tim Kaeding is always a threat at Placerville Speedway and will be looking for another win at the high-banks this weekend. The two-time King of the West champ has multiple victories in Placerville and is set to compete aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83jr Sprint Car. Thirteen-time King of the West champion Brent Kaeding routinely runs well at Placerville and will be another favorite on Saturday. The Campbell veteran earned his most recent series victory at the track and came within reach of a win last July, only to lose it on the final corner.
More drivers looking to put their name towards the front of the field at the Gold Country Shootout will include Sacramento’s Willie Croft, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Lemoore’s Carson Macedo, Grass Valley’s Jason Statler, Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan, Hanford’s DJ Netto & Mitchell Faccinto, Princeton’s Mason Moore, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Penngrove’s Chase Johnson, Minden, Nevada’s Tanner Thorson, Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal, Santa Rosa’s Jo Jo Helberg, Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares, Fair Oak’s Chad Compton and others.
Adult tickets for the Gold Country Shootout on Saturday April 4 will cost $22, seniors 62 & over will be $15, juniors 12-15 will be $15 and children 6-11 will be $6. All seating is general admission during the night. The pit gate at Placerville Speedway on Saturday opens at 2pm, with the front gate opening at 5pm and racing anticipated to begin around 7pm. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the grandstands always pack in at the Placerville bullring.
Since originally starting out as the Golden State 410 Series in 1986, this season marks the 30th anniversary for what is now known as the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series. The tour will once again will be held under the leadership of John Prentice & Brent Kaeding, who begin their second full season managing the series. Saturday's visit to Placerville is the first of two appearances at the track for KWS this year, with the other being the July 18 Bullring Nationals.
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 on Placerville Speedway log onto www.placervillespeedway.com
Tickets for the King of the West co-sanctioned event at Calistoga Speedway with the World of Outlaws on April 11 & 12 can also be purchased by logging onto http://dirtcar.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=163 or by calling 1-877-395-8606. Plans are in the works for a legends & current stars autograph session during the weekend.
Info on the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series can be found at www.racepmg.com
Be sure to like the KWS Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints and become a member of our Twitter community at https://twitter.com/KwsSprintRacing for all the latest breaking news regarding the series
Upcoming King of the West Series events following Placerville
Saturday April 11: Calistoga Speedway (Co-sanctioned with World of Outlaws)
Sunday April 12: Calistoga Speedway (Co-sanctioned with World of Outlaws)
Saturday May 2: Silver Dollar Speedway (25th annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial)
Saturday May 9: Petaluma Speedway
Saturday May 16: Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway (Chris & Brian Faria Memorial)
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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