Antioch Speedway this Saturday starts busy stretch for the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards Top-three in the standings separated by just 11-points
Antioch, CA – The Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards is geared up to launch the busiest stretch of the season and it all gets underway this Saturday June 17 with the final appearance of the year at Antioch Speedway.
The first part of the season has seen immense parity, with five different winners in as many races. Beginning this Saturday the Sprint Car Challenge Tour will be in competition each of the next three weekends, making it a critical piece of the puzzle towards the $10,000-to-win title.
Going into Antioch there is currently an ultra tight race at the front of the standings, with Paradise resident Kyle Hirst leading Roseville’s Sean Becker by just two scant points.
The 29-year-old Hirst has used solid consistency and some good old fashioned hard driving aboard the famed Roth Motorsports No. 83 to place his name at the top of the hill going into round six. Overall he’s tallied a trio of podium finishes in the first five events and will be a favorite to make it six winners in six races on Saturday. Hirst in fact made his first career start for car owner’s Dennis and Teresa Roth at the Antioch Speedway in June of 2012. That night he set a track record and won the main event.
For Becker this Saturday will also be an opportunity where he hopes to punch his first ticket into Sprint Car Challenge Tour victory lane at the helm of the Menne Motorsports No. 75 machine. The numerous-time Northern California champion has finished among the top-five in all but race thus far.
“We’ve had a good start to the year with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour, but definitely want to get a win under our belts,” Becker said. “With the way the format works and the level of competition we see with this series you have to be on your game every time you hit the track. A couple of the races we were able to dig ourselves out of a hole and that’s exactly what you have to do when racing for a championship. Hopefully we can get the monkey off our backs and bring home a victory in Antioch.”
Already a winner this season Roseville’s Willie Croft will also be looking to close in on the point lead, as he sits just 11-markers back in third. The veteran wheel-man scored victory on April 29 in Petaluma and is a past King of the West Series winner at the Antioch Speedway. During the opener onApril 1 he set fast time and claimed fourth in the feature behind the wheel of his Holy Smokes BBQ No. 29 mount.
After winning the most recent Sprint Car Challenge Tour event held in Stockton on May 27, Central Valley driver Mitchell Faccinto will be hoping to go back-to-back on Saturday in Antioch. The Hanford native rounds out the top-five in points and brought home a fifth place result at the previous Antioch Speedway appearance on April 1.
More drivers ready to do battle at the Antioch Speedway on Saturday will include Princeton’s Mason Moore, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal and Tony Gualda, Visalia’s Steven Tiner, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Watsonville’s Justin Sanders, Altoona, Iowa’s Carson McCarl, Placerville’s Andy Gregg, Brentwood’s Colton Slack, Sebastopol’s Bradley Terrell, Rio Linda’s Cody Lamar, Sacramento’s Herman Klein, Citrus Height’s Kalib Henry, Fremont’s Dustin Golobic and Kyle Offill, Fairfield’s Zach Lynskey, Grass Valley’s Robert Stice, Antioch’s Shawn Arriaga, Anderson’s Chelsea Blevins and others.
The main event as always will pay $2,500-to-win and $400-to-start. Owners that haven’t missed a race thus far will also be eligible for the $500 Kyle Larson Racing Bonus Money that is up for grabs to the A-main winner.
The front gate at Antioch Speedway this Saturday June 17 opens at 5pm, with all seating general admission during the night. Qualifying will begin around 6pm and racing will follow. Adult tickets cost $20; while kids 6-12, seniors 65+ and active military will be $15 and children five and under are free. A family pack featuring two adults and two kids will be available for $50. The pit gate opens at 2pm for competitors.
The Antioch Speedway is located on the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds at the corner of 10th and L Streets in Antioch, California. Take SR-4 West (Highway 4) to exit 27 and turn right onto L Street. The physical address is 1201 W. 10th Street Antioch, CA 94509. The track is located just a little over an hour from the capital city of Sacramento. More info can be found at www.antiochspeedway.com
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is proudly sponsored by Elk Grove Ford, Abreu Vineyards, Hoosier Racing Tires, Bianchi Farms, Kyle Larson Racing, All Star Performance, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Auto Meter, ADCO Driveline & Exhaust, Bullard Construction, Chris Kenner Racing Specialties/ Security Race Products, CLT Logging, CRV Carbon Solutions, Driven2SaveLives, Dynachrome, Finley Farms, Flying Squirrel, Garth Moore Insurance and Financial Services, Jockos Sprint Parts, Keizer Wheels, Light Up the World Beverages, LRB Inc., Menne Hay Inc., Moto Wear, Metal Works, Naake Suspension, Pit Stop USA, PT Shocks, Pyrotect Racing Cells, RacePartsTrader.com, R&R Racewear, Saldana Racing Products, Sellers Race Wings, Shifty Illusions, Team Ford of Woodland, Walker Performance Filtration, Weld Racing and Winters Performance.
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is operated under the Russell Motorsports Inc. banner, which also manages the Placerville Speedway in Placerville, California. For sponsorship opportunities and inquiries, RMI can be reached at 530-344-7592 or office@sprintcarchallengetour.com
More information on the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards can be found at our official website www.sprintcarchallengetour.com – Be sure to also like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sprintcarchallengetour and follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/360SCCT for the latest breaking news regarding SCCT.
Upcoming events for the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Abreu Vineyards Saturday June 17: Antioch Speedway Saturday June 24: Calistoga Speedway (Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Helena and Calistoga Dirt Classic) Sunday July 2: Stockton Dirt Track (Jimmy Sills Classic) Monday July 3: Petaluma Speedway
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Photo courtesy RCM Design