PETALUMA SET TO HOST POWERFUL CIVIL WAR SERIES

Source: Bill Sullivan
Date: 07/23/2008

PETALUMA, California – From mid July until mid August, the Hoosier Racing Tires Civil War Race Series is amidst its busiest segment of the annual campaign, four events in four straight weeks at four different tracks. This Saturday, California’s premier series for winged 360 cubic inch powered sprint cars heads to the North Bay to compete on the lighting fast Petaluma Speedway.

The Hoosier Racing Tires Civil War Race Series is California’s exclusive series for 360 cubic powered sprint cars. It takes competitors to five different tracks for 15 different races bringing record car counts to each facility it visits and treating fans to high caliber wheel to wheel racing. Saturday night the series will showcase California’s top drivers when it takes to the lighting fast 3/8 mile track located on the Sonoma-Marin County Fairgrounds.

Entering Saturday’s event, former Silver Dollar Speedway and Golden State Challenge Champion Sean Becker of Sacramento will headline the roster as he leads the point standings in the traveling series aboard his Scott Miller #2sb sprint car. Becker will look to being the rebuilding of his once healthy point lead after suffering complications last Friday night in two different motors during round 8 at Silver Dollar Speedway.

While Becker fell out of contention in the most recent Civil War feature event, Kyle Larson of Elk Grove capitalized, winning his second series feature event and closing in on the point lead aboard the Vertullo Racing #83v sprint car. Entering Saturday’s race Larson is just 15-points out of the lead. In the last visit to Petaluma Speedway, Larson charged to a second place finish in one of the most exciting Civil War events of the year to finish behind Napa driver Richard Bailey.

Defending four time champion Andy Forsberg of Auburn sits third in the standings. Forsberg will be looking to improve his Petaluma performance this Saturday night. During round six the driver known as Mr. Excitement lived up to his name in a not so positive fashion when he went upside down, falling victim to Petaluma Speedway’s characteristic rough and tacky track surface.

Herman Klein of Sacramento is lurking in the fourth position in the point standings as he pilots the competitive Dale Wondergem owned #91 for the 2008 campaign. Trailing Klein is Calistoga resident Mike Benson who rounds out the top five, just 96-points from the lead.

In the chase for the 2008 Rookie of the Year honors, Penngrove’s Alissa Geving continues to charge her way forward in the standings. Following last Friday’s event in Chico, Geving advanced another position into sixth overall in the standings. Myles Bishop of Escalon continues to pursue Geving in the hunt for the honors. Bishop, the winner of the recent American Valley Speedway event in Quincy, is 11-points behind Geving in seventh place. Sacramento’s Willie Croft is eighth in the ranks followed by Placerville’s Andy Gregg and Colby Wiesz of Colfax rounds out the top ten in the standings.

While Saturday will track nearly 40 or more of California’s top competitors to Petaluma Speedway, among the entries will be several track regulars who are eager to strut their skills in front among the best of the west before a record crowd that will travel to the North Bay to witness this professionally managed showcase of speedway known simply in conversation as “Civil War.”

While Geving will top the list of locals, she will be joined by many of her Saturday night counterparts including Bailey who shares his time with the Civil War and the weekly All Pro Point Series. Bailey will look to defend his most recent memorable win at Petaluma Speedway in round six when he charged to the front on the final lap.

Second place point runner Art McCarthy of San Jose will be in competition with the likes of Ricky Wright Jr. of Morgan Hill. Local fan favorite Roberto Kirby of Santa Rosa is expected along with of Sebastopol who rounds out the top five in the weekly Petaluma Speedway All Pro Point standings. In addition to the event being a Civil War event, points are awarded for the weekly Petaluma Speedway track championship in this event so to performances for drivers like Geving, McCarthy and Wright are crucial to maintain their status in the weekly track series.

Two other locals that will be in action include Brett Rollag and Cameron Mendes of nearby Rohnert Park. Rollag is a former Civil War Rookie of the year with three career wins at his home track of Petaluma Speedway. Mendes is in his first full year of sprint car racing. The 16-year-old currently competes at Placerville Speedway on a regular basis and will have the opportunity to perform his hometown crowd and sponsors this Saturday as Placerville goes dark to permit the Civil War event. Pope Valley’s Jeff Parady will be I contention as well as fellow wine country residents Bill Cornell, Sparky Howard and Brandon Davis to name a few.

So far in the 2008 Civil War series, eight events have produced seven different winners. Larson is the only driver with multiple wins and single feature events have been claimed by Becker, Bishop, David Robinson Jr., Bailey and Kyle Hirst.

The Civil War Sprint Cars will be joined by the Nor Cal Dwarf Cars on Saturday night. The grandstands will open at 5 p.m. with qualifying starting at 6:30. Adult tickets will be $16 according to the Petaluma Speedway website. Ages 6 to 11 will be $12, Seniors 65 and over will be $10 and those under five will be admitted for free.

The Hoosier Racing Tires Civil War Series is promoted by Roseville based John Padjen Motorsports in cooperation with the promoters of each participating track. Each Civil War event is officiated and publicized by representatives of Padjen’s staff in collaboration with staff officials from each of the participating speedway. The combination of staffing and teamwork routinely results in a night of action packed racing that keeps fans on the edge of their seats and drivers at their competitive best.

The Civil War Sprint Car Series is expected to draw near record crowds to Petaluma Speedway for round nine this Saturday night.

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