Antioch, California – Saturday July 20
What:
The King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will invade the always exciting Antioch Speedway for the final time this season on Saturday night, during what will be the 12th round of competition in the 2013 racing season. The series opened up the year at the “Action Track by the Delta” on April 20 and this Saturday evening is sure to be entertaining and wild as always at the high-banked one-third mile clay oval. So far this year there have been five different winners in the first 11 events, with defending series champion Jonathan Allard becoming the first three-time winner last weekend.
After a runner up finish last Saturday in Watsonville Kyle Hirst continues to sit atop the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series point standings in his first full season driving the Roth Enterprises No. 83jr machine. The 25-year-old Sacramento wheel man this weekend will also return to the site of his first ever race in the Roth Sprinter. That event last year on June 23 saw Hirst set a new track record in qualifying, before claiming victory in the 30-lap feature to make it a grand debut driving for Dennis & Teresa Roth.
Fresh off his big victory last Saturday at the “Howard Kaeding Classic” in Watsonville three-time & defending King of the West 410 Sprint Car champion Jonathan Allard will go into Antioch looking for his fourth series triumph of the year. The Chico driver has won a pair of KWS 410 races in his career at the Antioch Speedway, but recent events at the track haven’t been so kind to him. Allard this year has claimed eight 410 Winged Sprint Car wins on the west coast and is certainly the hottest driver out west at the moment.
When the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series opened the season on April 20 it was Sacramento’s Willie Croft standing on the front stretch in victory lane aboard the Tri-C Manufacturing No. 3c mount. The man known as “Double Down” will return to the track on Saturday ranking third in the series standings, just 15-markers behind Allard for second. Croft has had a great season in 2013 and his win during the opener marked the first 410 Sprint Car triumph for his car owners’ Clyde & Marion Lamar since 1996.
Coming into Antioch Speedway sitting fourth in the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series standings is Fresno’s Craig Stidham, who captured one of the biggest victories of his career at the track one year ago this weekend. That night saw Stidham claim an exciting win in the 30-lap feature and score his first ever 410 Sprint Car victory. The former Rebel Cup 360 Series champion has had a solid campaign in 2013, which is his second straight season of competing with the traveling King of the West 410’s.
Rounding out the top-five in the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series standings happens to be Sydney, Australia’s Peter Murphy, who will be looking for his first series win of the season on Saturday. The reigning New Zealand Sprint Car champion finished 10th in the main event last Saturday in Watsonville and so far this year has one win on the west coast, with that being a preliminary night victory at the “Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup” at the Skagit Speedway in Washington.
Hot on Murphy’s heels now is former Golden State/ King of the West 410 champion Jason Statler, who captured a series win at the Antioch Speedway in 2003. The Grass Valley driver is coming off his best finish of the KWS season last Saturday in Watsonville and will be looking for his first win of the year this weekend. Statler sits just 12-digits back of Murphy for the fifth spot in points. Ranking seventh in the standings and only nine back of Statler is 13-time Golden State/ King of the West 410 champ Brent Kaeding.
The Campbell veteran is always a driver to beat at the Antioch Speedway and this Saturday will be gunning for his first win of 2013. “BK” has captured four main event victories at the track since 410 Sprint Car racing returned there in 2003. Auburn’s Richard Brace Jr. recently picked up his best career King of the West 410 finish and currently ranks eighth in the series standings, followed by Rico Abreu and veteran Doug Gandy of Oakhurst rounding out the top-10 going into Saturday at the “Action Track by the Delta.”
After earning his best career King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series finish last weekend Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi will invade the Antioch Speedway in search of his first win on Saturday. The 16-year-old phenom tallied a third place finish last week in Watsonville and it marked his third top-five effort of the season. In April Scelzi was the hard charger in the A-main at Antioch with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and also earned that same honor with KWS at the track last July.
Other drivers expected at the Antioch Speedway on Saturday will include Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs, Grass Valley’s Carl Droivold, Fair Oak’s Chad Compton, Laton’s Geoffrey Strole, Grass Valley’s Pat Harvey, Coarsegold’s Scott Parker, Corning’s Bud Walberg, Pleasant Hill’s Dusty Green, San Jose’s Art Mccarthy and more.
Be sure and get there when the front gate opens at 5pm to take part in our pre-race autograph session that will last for approximately 45 minutes. Tentatively scheduled for the autograph session are 2004 Golden State/ King of the West 410 champ Jason Statler, reigning KWS Rookie of the Year Chad Compton and Antioch KWS April 20 winner Willie Croft. We’ll have some t-shirts to give away along with limited edition “Salute to Baylands” autograph cards and more. All in all it looks to be a great night of racing and we look forward to seeing all the wonderful Antioch Speedway fans on Saturday for the final time in 2013.
When:
On Saturday July 20 the front grandstand gate of the Antioch Speedway will open at 5pm. Hot laps are scheduled for 6pm, with qualifying at 6:30pm and racing anticipated to start around 7pm. An early arrival is suggested as the Antioch Speedway routinely has a packed house of fans in attendance.
Where:
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 East (Highway 4) to the Somersville Road North Exit. Follow Somersville Road to 10thStreet. Turn Right on 10th Street. The address for the track is 1201 W. 10th Street Antioch, CA 94509. The track is located just a little over an hour from the capital city of Sacramento.
Tickets:
Tickets will be available the day of the race with adults being just $20, children 6-12 $10, seniors 65 & older $10 and children 5 & under free. A family pack with two adults & two children will also be available for $50.
On the Internet:
King of the West Sprint Car Series-
Official Website- http://www.kwssprints.com/
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints
Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/KWSSprintRacing
You Tube- http://www.youtube.com/user/kingofthewe … ature=mhee
Instagram- kwssprints
Antioch Speedway-
Official Website- http://www.antiochspeedway.com/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Antioch-Speedway
About the track:
The Antioch Speedway was lengthened and re-configured prior to the 2009 season and is now a one-third mile high-banked clay oval. In June of last year the King of the West 410 track record fell when Sacramento’s Kyle Hirst blistered the speedway in 11.705 seconds aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83jr Sprinter.
Past winners of Golden State/King of the West Series events at Antioch Speedway since 410 racing returned to the facility in 2003:
2013- Willie Croft in April
2012- Tim Kaeding in April, Kyle Hirst in June & Craig Stidham in July
2011- Jonathan Allard in April and Tim Kaeding in July
2010- Jonathan Allard in April and Kyle Larson in July
2009- Tyler Walker in April and Brent Kaeding in July
2008- Tyler Walker in April and Tim Kaeding in July
2007- Brent Kaeding in April and Tim Kaeding in July
2006- Dennis Moore Jr. in July
2005- Lawrence Edlund in April and Robert Ballou in July
2004- Brent Kaeding in April and Brent Kaeding in July
2003- Jason Statler in July
Top-15 in driver standings after 11 rounds of competition:
1. Kyle Hirst 1657; 2. Jonathan Allard 1628; 3. Willie Croft 1613; 4. Craig Stidham 1532; 5. Peter Murphy 1444; 6. Jason Statler 1432; 7. Brent Kaeding 1423; 8. Richard Brace Jr. 1302; 9. Rico Abreu 1239; 10. Doug Gandy 1189; 11. Carl Droivold 1183; 12. Chad Compton 1179; 13. Geoffrey Strole 1132; 14. Dominic Scelzi 1126; 15. Pat Harvey 1050
Winners so far this season with the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series:
Antioch Speedway April 20: Willie Croft
Placerville Speedway April 27: Kyle Hirst
Silver Dollar Speedway May 4: Rico Abreu
Petaluma Speedway May 11: Willie Croft
Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway May 17: Rico Abreu
Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway May 18: Jonathan Allard
Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway May 25: Jason Meyers
Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway May 26: Jason Meyers
Placerville Speedway June 29: Jonathan Allard
Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway July 6: Kyle Hirst
Ocean Speedway July 13: Jonathan Allard
Upcoming King of the West events:
On Saturday July 27 the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will make its much anticipated return to the popular Santa Maria Speedway for the first time in two years. With its coastal climate the track is always a favorite stop among teams and fans alike, especially during the heat of summer. In 2011 the King of the West Series competed at the Santa Maria Speedway on two occasions, with the first being captured by Andy Gregg and the second won by Jonathan Allard. The victory for Gregg marked his first career Golden State/ King of the West 410 triumph.
On Saturday August 3 the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will make its anticipated debut at the brand new Stockton 99 Dirt Track. After a very successful World of Outlaws event, everyone is eager to see Winged 410 Sprint Cars return to the venue on August 3. The Stockton 99 Dirt Track is located on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, California and is built inside a one-mile horse track. The grandstands are some of the nicest we will see all season long with KWS & makes a unique experience for Sprint Car racing.