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| Press Release |
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Series point leaders extend early season leads
entering fifth championship race of season by Bill Sullivan |
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PLACERVILLE,CA – This Saturday night the 2007 El Dorado County New Car Dealer
Association, Hoosier Racing Tires, Coors Light championship racing season
continues at the famed Placerville Speedway with the fifth event of the racing
season. Pacific Sprints, Pro Stocks and Pure Stocks will resume their
championship campaigns. The three regulars will be joined by the Hunt Magnetos
Wingless Sprint Cars for the first time this season. With just four events into the season, veteran sprint car driver C.J. Humphreys of Placerville has developed a strong lead in the Hoosier Racing Tires sprint car division. Last Saturday, Humphreys drove to his second victory of the season in his Dale Miller Plumbing and Septic #85 and went four for four in top five finishes in the season so far. With his most recent win his point lead now sits at a 23-point advantage over Placerville’s Jimmy Trulli. Last Saturday night, Trulli advanced three positions in the point standings. With the absence of previous runner up Andy Forsberg and third place runner Colby Wiesz for the evening, Trulli capitalized on the most recent event and is one of four local drivers that sits in the top ranks of the point standings. Trailing Trulli by 27-points is Placerville residents Scott Russell and James Sweeney who are tied for the third position in the standings. Two season’s ago Russell came within single digits of the track championship. After a challenging season last year the former outlaw kart racer and Civil War Rookie of the Year is looking to rebound this season chase down his first ever track title. Last year, Sweeney graduated from outlaw karts into the sprint car division and at 17-years-old is the reigning Placerville Speedway Co-Rookie of the Year. Entering this Saturday’s event he is the fourth local driver within 30-points or less of the lead. Local drivers winning the sprint car championship is a rarity at Placerville Speedway in today’s competitive sport. The last local driver to win a sprint title here was Ray Rust of Garden Valley who won titles in 1987, 1994 and 1995. Prior to Rust the only other local since the track has been operated by John Padjen Motorsports was Joe Desimone Jr. of Cameron Park, who won the title in 1986. Currently tied for the position with Sweeney is defending Track Champion Greg DeCaries. Last Saturday, DeCaires advanced four positions in the standings with a second place finish in the feature event. With a new team in the developing stages for 2008, this will reportedly be the last year for DeCaires in the John Taylor Motorsports #35 as he plans to return to the Golden State Challenge series in a new team that will be further detailed in the near future. With a Civil War title and a Placerville title on their resume, DeCaires and Taylor will surely be top contenders for the championship. Defending Civil War champion Andy Forsberg of Auburn is sixth in the standings, dropping four positions due to his absence. Wiesz hangs on to the seventh position ahead of Troy Machado and Shannon Newton. In the Corona Pro Stock division, Dan Brown Jr. of Nevada City has extended his point lead to 19 digits over Marek Bernert of Citrus Heights who advanced one position this past week. Former two time champion Mike Moran of Rancho Cordova moved up a position into the third position, trailing the leader by 22-points. Dennis Ahart of Cameron park stepped up three spots in the standings into the fourth position ahead of Eldorado resident Dennis Armstrong. The Coors Light Pure Stock division has the Tilford name at the top of the point standings once again this season. This year, however, it is Matt Tilford of Folsom as he drivers the #92 that his older brother Tom drove to the championship last year. Tilford is now a two time winner with a 12-point lead over Brian Stevens of Pollock Pines. Jason Englund of Citrus Heights is third with 16-points between he and the leader. Michelle McClure is fourth with her brother Mike McClure rounding out the top five. As the Hunt Magneto Wingless Sprints make their first season appearance here Saturday the John Padjen Motorsports series that shares points from both Placerville and Silver Dollar Speedway has a familiar face in the lead; former two time Placerville Speedway champion Billy Wallace of Grass Valley. Wallace, a three time Chico winner this year holds a 10-point lead over Brandon Davis. Jay Youngman is third followed by Matt Streeter and Cody Myers. Reyna Krueger is one notch out of the top five in sixth. Placerville Speedway will open at 5:00 on Saturday with warm ups starting at 5:30 followed by Zam Fencing/Direct Traffic Control sponsored qualifying at 6:30 and heat races to follow. For additional information on this event contact the track business office at 916-969-7484 or log on to www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com. |
