8/22/2011
Silver Dollar Speedway
It Comes Down to One Final Night
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Photo by Steven Cox [sprintcarphotos.com][/caption]CHICO, CA (8-22-11) -Â How quickly things can go by. The 2011 Wells Fargo Point Championship racing concludes this Friday night, August 26, with the annual running of the Cherry St. Mini Storage and Pepsi Night festivities. What a night we have scheduled. Four championship drivers will be crowned on the front stretch after the races. It's the final time to see the entire cast of stars race under the lights at the famed Silver Dollar Speedway.
Front gates open at 6pm. Racing is slated to start at 7pm. General adult admission is $12.00. Juniors and seniors are $10.00 with children prices at $6.00. Pit gate will open at 4pm.
The closest championship battle is between Chico's Mark Abouzeid and Richard Papenhausen in the dirt modifieds. For most of the season Papenhausen led the points. After last Friday night, Abouzeid left the race track with a one point lead. Abouzeid won the main event last week. It was his second in a row and fifth for the year putting him in a tie with Papenhausen for most wins. This Friday is going to be a winner takes all scenario. Win the main event and more than likely, you will be the track champion. Abouzeid also has one more thing at stake. The gigantic 6 foot Pepsi trophy has never been claimed. If you win three years in a row, you get to keep the trophy forever. Abouzeid has won this race the last two years in a row. If he wins this Friday, he keeps the trophy and makes Dennis Gage purchase a new one.
Redding Tyler Wolf is so close to his first championship he can smell it. Nothing would be finer for him than to hear the song "Hungry like the Wolf" while celebrating in victory lane this Friday night. Wolf holds a six-point lead over veteran and two-time track champion Andy Forsberg. Wolf picked up his first win of his career on July 29th. Forsberg has two wins. If these two tie for the points after the main event is over and neither of them won the main event, then the championship would go to Forsberg because he has more main event wins. There are still many points on the line. Qualifying points, heat race and main event points will allow Forsberg to close in or Wolf to pull away. Wolf, whether he knows it or not, has an opportunity to also halt Forsberg from making history. If Forsberg can win, he would be placed in a tie with Danny Burton for the second most track championships at three. Shane Scott holds the record with seven. Also, Forsberg is currently leading the Civil War and Placerville point standings. If he could win all three in the same year, he would be the first driver in the history of the sport to do so.
The street stock championship has been dominated all year by Kevin Lesch. His nearest challenger is Kevin Ward. Both drivers have each won three main events this year; however, Lesch has been the more consistent of the two. Yet, the driver with the most wins has been Phil Marino. Momentum is high right now for Marino who has won the previous two main events and four overall this season. Marino is also the defending Pepsi Night winner. Speaking of defending champions, Heather Bartlett is returning for one night only. The defending and two-time track champion has one win this year in limited duty. She is getting married and has plans to start a family. If you are a Heather Bartlett fan then this will be farewell race that you can not miss. Scott Rogers was also a nice addition last week. Hopefully, he is set to return also. The street stocks have been wonderful this year and look to finish on a high note this Friday.
Terry Schank Jr. is poised to win his second track championship in a row. He is also the defending Pepsi Night winner. He also scored the most recent victory for the wingless division on July 29th. He and his Joe Hunt Magnetos team are primed to end up in victory lane again unless one of the locals like BJ Martin or Taylor Simas can step up to the plate and snatch away the victory. The Joe Hunt Wingless series will return on September 7 for their special invitational race. The wingless will also return on September 30 and October 1 as part of the Fall Nationals.
For more information please call 530-350-7275 or via the Internet at www.silverdollarspeedway.com
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