King of the West Sprint Car Series announces updates to 2013 schedule including a return engagement to Petaluma Speedway
By Gary Thomas
Rio Vista, CA – January 15, 2013…Since the original release of the King of the West Sprint Car Series schedule there have been a couple of exciting modifications to detail, highlighted by the Winged 410 Sprint Car return to Petaluma Speedway on Saturday May 11.
The event at Petaluma Speedway will be billed as the “Tribute to Baylands Raceway Park” and marks the first Winged 410 Sprint Car race at the sticky three-eighths mile since 2010. Fans and teams alike have been hoping to see the King of the West Sprint Car Series back on the hooked up Petaluma gumbo and now they have their wish.
From Bobby Gerould’s Baylands Raceway Park page: “Baylands was a hot spot for great sprint car racing during a much too short-lived time in the 1980’s. Located in Fremont, CA, in the heart of the thriving Bay Area, Baylands ran weekly winged sprints, as well as special World of Outlaws, CRA, BCRA, Golden State Challenge, and NARC shows. Opening in August, 1981 and racing until November, 1988, Baylands played a vital role in the booming sprint car scene in Northern California.”
To commemorate the evening on May 11 many names and faces from the days gone by at Baylands Raceway Park are expected to be on hand for autographs and interviews. The two most recent Winged 410 events at the Petaluma Speedway in 2010 were captured by reigning KWS champion Jonathan Allard in his familiar Williams Motorsports No. 0 sprinter.
“We are very excited to be back at the Petaluma Speedway in 2013 and want to thank Rick Faeth and John Soares for making it possible,” said KWS Operations Manager & former Baylands Raceway Park Announcer George Hague. “I have a lot of memories of Baylands from my days as an announcer there and we think it will be great to hold an event to relive the history of the track.”
To open up the date for Petaluma the King of the West Sprint Car Series and Merced promoter John Soares have moved the previous date for Merced Speedway to Saturday June 1. The quarter-mile bullring has played host to the World of Outlaws the last couple years, but in 2013 the KWS Series will be the only Winged 410 show at the facility.
Additional updates to the schedule include the annual “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” being added to the Sunday May 26 date at Thunderbowl Raceway. The event is part of a King of the West Series double-header during Memorial Day weekend at the Tulare, California oval on Saturday & Sunday May 25 & 26. The “Faria Memorial” has been a mainstay on the schedule for a number of years.
The Saturday September 21 date at Thunderbowl Raceway will also be tabbed as the “John Anthony Sharp Memorial” and features the USAC West Coast Wingless Sprinters running alongside KWS to make for a great combo night of racing. Drivers such as Bud Kaeding and Peter Murphy are sure to pull double duty during the event at the blazing fast one-third mile clay oval.
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From an earlier release:
The 2013 racing season kicks off on Saturday April 20 with the traditional KWS opener at John Soares’ Antioch Speedway located on the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds. Quickly gaining a reputation as one of the raciest tracks in the West; the one-third mile clay oval will also host the King of the West 410 Sprints on Saturday July 20.
The high-banked quarter-mile bullring of Placerville Speedway will host the King of the West Series on two occasions once again this season. The first of those will be Saturday April 27 and the second is slated for Saturday June 29. The lightning fast track is a favorite among fans for its distinctive red clay and close action. The all-time KWS track record at Placerville is a blistering 9.913 shared by Tim Kaeding & Evan Suggs.
The always exciting Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway will play host to three nights of action in 2013, which will be anchored by a double header outing during Memorial Day weekend on Saturday & Sunday May 25 & 26. The King of the West 410’s will then return to the lightning fast one-third mile clay oval for a single night showing on Saturday September 21. The Sunday May 26 event will be the annual “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” and the September 21 race will be tabbed as the “John Anthony Sharp Memorial.”
The famed Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico will hold one King of the West event this season and it happens to be the 23rd annual “Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial” on Saturday May 4. The event has been a cornerstone for the series and always features extra money and awards packed into the night. Expect a huge show as fans will get to see the KWS Series at SDS one time only in 2013, so don’t miss out on what is sure to be a definite special event on Saturday May 4.
Also hosting single events this season will be the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville on Saturday July 13, the new Stockton 99 Dirt Track on Saturday August 3, a return to the Santa Maria Speedway on Saturday July 27 and the 28th annual “Cotton Classic” at Kings Speedway in Hanford on Saturday October 12.
The event at Ocean Speedway on July 13 is the third annual “Howard Kaeding Classic,” which has become a very big event over the past two years at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds bullring. The “HK Classic” is part of an exciting two night weekend that also features USAC Sprints & Midgets during the Friday portion.
The Santa Maria Speedway visit on July 27 will mark the first KWS appearance at the track since 2011 and the Stockton event on August 3 will be the inaugural appearance for the series at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds track. The prestigious “Cotton Classic” on October 12 will mark the lone 2013 appearance at Hanford’s Kings Speedway and will be a huge event as always, with the USAC West Coast Wingless Sprints also competing that night.
Friday & Saturday May 17 & 18 will be the first of five weekends of competition at the newly refurbished Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway in Fernley, Nevada. During the off-season KWS Managing Director Dan Simpson became promoter of the track known as “Racings Field of Dreams” and is bringing 410 Sprint Car racing back to it for the first time since 2006.
In addition to May 17 & 18 the King of the West 410 Sprints will also invade the three-eighths mile oval on July 5 & 6 for the “Cherry Bomb Classic,” August 9 & 10 (during Hot August Nights in Reno), September 13 & 14 (during the Reno Air Races) and for the KWS season-finale on Friday & Saturday October 25 & 26. Stay tuned for all the exciting plans that are being put in place for RTF Speedway.
Another track located in Northern Nevada that joins the mix in 2013 is Rattlesnake Raceway in Fallon, hosting a pair of events with the first occurring on Friday & Saturday June 7 & 8. The two-night show is part of the town’s annual “Octane Fest” that features drag racing, monster trucks, tuff trucks and more. KWS will then return to Rattlesnake on Saturday & Sunday August 31 & September 1 during the “Cantaloupe Festival” in Fallon.
The amount of money on the line for teams this year with the King of the West Series during the Northern Nevada dates will be inflated as well, with each event at Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway & Rattlesnake Raceway paying $3,500 to win the A-main and a very stout $1,000-to-start. The purses are focused on paying down solidly to make sure all teams in competition have a piece of the pie.