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Following rain out GSC drivers now ready for Petaluma
By Gary Thomas
Petaluma, CA - April 17, 2007... After suffering the first rain out of the season last Saturday in Watsonville, the battle for the Golden State Challenge King of California Series championship will now shift to the Petaluma Speedway for Round #9 this Saturday. The 3/8 mile clay oval hosted the GSC winged 410 sprinters twice last year and they’ll once again play host to a pair of races for the traveling series in 2007.
Last season the Petaluma Speedway was the site of the season opener for the Golden State Challenge Series, as early season rain forced the cancellation of the first seven races. This year GSC was able to get in its first seven races before the eighth, scheduled for Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway last Saturday, fell victim to a storm front that came in.
In April of 2005, 410 winged sprint car racing made a return to the Petaluma Speedway following a seven year hiatus. The man who won that race is also the driver that sits atop the current Golden State Challenge Series point standings, that being Oroville’s Sean Becker. The driver known as the "Shark" led all 30 laps that night to pick up the win, and later in the season went on to win the Golden State Challenge King of California Series championship. Becker is coming off his first win of the season last Friday at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway during point race competition, and will look to carry that momentum into Petaluma as he wheels the potent Fisher-Main Motorsports, Cherry St. Mini Storage No. 35m.
Although Becker hasn’t won a race with GSC this season, his consistency has been outstanding. The 26 year-old driver has finished on the podium in four straight races and has been in the top five in six of the first seven. His lone finish outside of the top five was a sixth place effort and that came during the very first night of the season where he started from the 20th position. Becker, who was married to girlfriend Lisa Wakefield last October, is coming off a season that saw him win five races including the prestigious Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway.
Campbell’s Brent Kaeding comes into Petaluma sitting second in points, eight back of Becker for the lead. The 12-time King of California has won the past two Golden State Challenge Series races and has tallied five top five finishes this season. Kaeding drove his Al’s Roofing Supply, Kaeding Performance No. 69 to a win during GSC’s last race a couple weeks back in Antioch, and will look to chop into Becker’s lead this weekend. The father of three has also won a pair of 360 winged sprint car races this season at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway. BK has gotten hot and is getting back the form that has made him the winningest driver in GSC history.
A driver eager to hit the Petaluma Speedway clay is Chico’s Jonathan Allard. The defending King of California swept both Golden State Challenge Series races at the 3/8 mile oval last season, and this weekend will be running his first GSC race of the year in a Maxim Chassis after he and his Morrie Williams owned team made the switch from J & J last Friday. The 30 year-old dominated the two races at Petaluma last year, which helped propel him to his first GSC championship.
Other drivers expected at Petaluma Speedway this weekend include: San Jose’s Jason Statler, Sacramento’s Willie Croft, Chico’s Brett Miller, Salinas’ Ronnie Day, Grass Valley’s Brad Sweet, Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Fairmont, Indiana’s Brandon Wimmer, Tracy’s Jason Botsford, Gilroy’s Jon Maiwald, Discovery Bay’s Jim Skinner, Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs, Chico’s Matt Shelton, Fresno’s Mark Workentine, Penngrove’s Alissa Geving and more.
Gates open at 4:30 pm with tickets costing $16. The Petaluma Speedway is located on the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds about 40 miles north of San Francisco in Petaluma, CA. The track is nestled in the heart of the wine country surrounded by thousands of acres of grape vineyards, dairy ranches and more. For more info call 707-763-7223 or log onto http://www.petaluma-speedway.com
To get to the track take take Highway 101 to the Washington Blvd exit. Then go West on Washington Blvd to Ellis St. and turn left into the fairgrounds.
For updated point standings, results and more visit http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com
The John Padjen Motorsports website is the official home of the Golden State Challenge Series, Silver Dollar Speedway, the California Civil War Series and Placerville Speedway.
Next weekend the Golden State Challenge Series will invade the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway for the annual Pombo/Sargent Classic.
Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial- With the annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial coming up in less than four weeks, Dave Durica began taking lap money last Friday in Chico. For those people that would like a lap, see or contact Dave in the coming weeks. The A-main will once again be 40 laps and each lap costs a $100 to sponsor. Once Durica fills up the A-main spots he’ll begin to fill the B-main laps. Durica also stated that there will be brand new Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial shirts this year, so bring some extra cash to the Bradway and pick one up as they’re always a great piece of merchandise. The Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial takes place on May 12 at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway and this year will be the 17th running of the race that officially began in 1991. The defending winner of the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial is Oroville’s Sean Becker.
Former winners of the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial:
2006- Sean Becker - Fisher/Main 35m
2005- Jonathan Allard - Williams 0
2004- Jason Statler - DF Rios 00
2003- Jonathan Allard - Wright 35
2002- Tim Kaeding - Wright 35
2001- Jonathan Allard - Wright 35
2000- Brent Kaeding - Peterson 2m
1999- Brent Kaeding - Peterson 2m
1998- Randy Tiner - Tiner 83
1997- Jimmy Sills - Johnson 14d
1996- Paul Mcmahan - Lamar 3c
1995- Brent Kaeding - BK Racing 69
1994- Randy Tiner - Lamar 3c
1993- Eric Rossi - Family Auto Service 98x
1992- Greg Decaires - Bumgarner 88
1991- Jason Mcmillen - Mcmillen 21
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