Drivers and fans to raise donations, awareness for Food Bank of El Dorado County
PLACERVILLE, CA – It’s all about Hunger at Placerville Speedway this Saturday night as many drivers will be hungry for valuable championship points towards their prospective championship titles. Additionally, hunger will be the theme of Saturday's penultimate championship point race as this event will benefit the Food Bank of El Dorado County as the very first local "Race for Hunger."
The Food Bank of El Dorado County is the area's largest collaborative charity that serves 8,000-10,000 individuals and families each month in communities from El Dorado Hills all the way to South Lake Tahoe. The Food Bank works with over 30 local charities with their Emergency Food Assistance Network. Placerville Speedway's drivers will be reaching out to race fans on Saturday night during intermission with open helmets to collect monetary donations from race fans for this grassroots charity as they prepare for the busy holiday season ahead in our current tough economic times.
"The racing community is always very giving when it comes to events like this," said former track champion Tom Tilford. "We always look forward to coming together and helping for a good cause. I hope we can get every driver we have Saturday night in those stands and make a statement of what the racers bring to El Dorado County."
While raising money for local hunger will be a big topic at Placerville Speedway Saturday night, so will the chase for the 2012 track championships. One division title will officially wrap up this Saturday night while two crowns remain heavily contested. Three divisions are on tap Saturday night, Winged Sprint Cars, Late Models and Pure Stocks and the action in all divisions is sure to be hot as this is the second to last race of the season.
In the Sprint Car division, single digits separate the two top runners. Defending champion Andy Forsberg of Auburn remains at the top of the standings but is in the lead by a mere 9 points. The driver known as Mr. Excitement is going to need to live up to his name in the next two weeks if he hopes to secure another track title as the newest bad boy in the "Placerville Posse," Stephen Allard of Cameron Park, is on heals of Forsberg's season long point lead. Last weekend both drivers had their share of issues during competition and in the end, came out single digits apart once again. To make a long story short, the 2012 Placerville Speedway Sprint Car Championship is coming down to the wire and either driver could claim this title in the coming weeks. The battle between "Mr. Excitement" and "Allard Mania" is by far one of the most exciting championship campaigns for local race fans to watch since the days of Ray Rust and Kevin Urton at Placerville Speedway. It's a classic case of "may the best man win" as both drivers show their competitive edge on the track and leave nothing on the table, yet, they shake hands when the checkered flag waves regardless of who wins the war.
Another driver that remains in the hunt is Greg DeCaires of Elk Grove. DeCaires, known as "The Catfish" is no slouch when it comes to racing for championship titles as well. The former Placerville, Silver Dollar and Civil War Series champion is known for sitting back and letting the scenario unfold and spawning to the front at the opportune moment. Don't count out DeCaires in the next two weeks as this driver could very easily pull off a hat trick and steal the 2012 series championship sponsored by Red Hawk Casino and Hoosier Racing Tires West.
Rounding out the top five in this division is Justin Johnson of Shingle Springs who is having one of his strongest years. C.J. Humphreys of Placerville is one notch out of the top five ahead of Placerville's sole lady racer, Nicole Miller of Elk Grove.
While the sprint car title is now the most closely contested championships in California, the same can be said for the Pure Stock championship chase as well. With a mere two races left in the season, Orangevale’s Matt Tilford hangs on to the point lead in this division by a single point.
A ten time winner this season, Tilford was absent for one week and fell back to third in the division standings. The third member of the brotherly trio that is trying to win his first ever title. For Tilford, the pressure is higher than it has ever been entering Saturday’s penultimate war on the quarter-mile clay oval. Patience have been tested and tempers have been flaring among the competitors in this division in recent weeks an Tilford needs to push through the dust, drama and destruction to secure his title.
Tilford’s closest challenger is former champion Chris Curtiss of Placerville who is just one point behind the leader. Just six points behind the leader is Scott Grunert of Woodland. Dominic Stone of Folsom is only 27 point out of the lead in the fourth position and Chris Van Roekel of Grass Valley. The bottom line in this division, Tilford has dominated this division all season long and with just two races remaining, his championship is still mathematically challenged by three different drivers that are sure to put it on the line Saturday night.
In the Limited Late Model Division, Matt Micheli of Live Oak simply has to start Saturday’s race and he will clinch the 2012 division championship one week early. Micheli enters the second to last race of the year with an outstanding 71-point lead over his father Ken Micheli. Marek Bernert of Orangevale is third in the standings, 76-points out of the lead while Tom Tilford of Citrus Heights is fourth and looking at a potential Rookie of the Year honor in this division. Matt Davis of Auburn rounds out the top five.
Adult tickets are $13 for Saturday and available at the track box office. Seniors and Juniors are $11 while Children are $6. Those five and under will be admitted free. For further information visit www.placervillespeedway.com or call the track office at (916) 783-DIRT. Fans and competitors are also urged to join Placerville Speedway on Facebook where you can network with fellow fans, drivers and staff in a friendly forum packed with information and future contests. Follow us on twitter as well by finding us at: @pvllspeedway.
- Bill Sullivan on Aug 23, 2012
- Article Date: 8/23/2012 by Bill Sullivan/Photo by Donna Peter