[b Following Chico visit, Geving is geared up for upcoming World of Outlaws’ Gold Cup event]
[i By Bill Sullivan]
[bPENNGROVE, CA (8-29-09)] – Just one week after claiming her second consecutive Petaluma Speedway All Pro Series Sprint Car Championship, Penngove’s Alissa Geving is already looking ahead to bigger events in the world of winged sprint car racing. Following a visit to Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico this past weekend, the nations’ youngest female two-time open wheel champion is ready to join with the World of Outlaws’ Sprint Car Tour in next week’s Gold Cup Race of Champions.
“We came to Chico to gear up for Gold Cup,” said Geving, now in her first year as a student at nearby Chico State University. “ I didn’t do as well as I would have liked. The track was really greasy for qualifying and I wasn’t use to the banked track. It hurt me in qualifying but once I ran my heat race I figured it out. I think we finally have the 410 sprint car dialed. I want to thank everyone who got the car up to Chico and made this happen. Now I feel ready for the Gold Cup next week.”
After appearing on television the day before on the “Silver Dollar Minute” news program, Geving returned to the famed banked oval track for the first time since early this season. For much of the year the team has focused on the local Petaluma Speedway Championship in a current tough economy and has saved travel costs in doing so to prepare for high caliber events such as next week when the national tour hits California.
Geving was the third driver out for qualifying. The slick track conditions were somewhat unexpected to the 17-year-old who has raced both dirt and pavement this season. Geving’s first lap of the night aboard her Tillett Tool, Matt Cordeiro Enterprises, Pit Stop USA #3x Maxim Sprint Car was a 13:475. Her second circuit netted improvement with a 13:244, placing her 22nd in the field for the evening.
The Chico point race program featured three eight lap heat races which transferred the top five drivers directly in the 25-lap A-main. Geving was in the first heat race of the evening and started dead last in the eighth starting position. By the time the checkered flag waved it was apparent Geving had found her line once again at Silver Dollar. She maneuvered her way up the sixth position to finish just shy of one spot for a direct transfer in the A-main.
In the 12-lap B-feature, Geving started in the seventh place position. She was closing in on sixth place driver Robert Stice and fifth place Stewart Krum in the waning laps of the race but time simply ran out in the event to gain additional positions to advance into the A-main. In the end, the evening provided a good deal of track time and preparation for the upcoming Gold Cup.
Last season, Geving competed in her first ever Gold Cup Race of Champions. In her debut aboard a 360 sprint car, During the Thursday night preliminary event, Geving qualified 44th in the field dominated by 410 cubic inch powered sprint cars. She later finished 3rd in the C-main which placed her in the E-main event for Saturday’s Gold Cup Race of Champions Finale where she finished 6th.
This year, Geving looks to be a competitive force and one of very few female racers in the Gold Cup field with a Gary Geving build 410 motor beneath the hood. The team is seeking additional sponsorship dollars to compete in the upcoming race, one which provides much national attention through television, internet and print media. Anyone interested in partnering with the Chicko Motorsports Team for this event can contact Gary or Melissa Geving at ggeving@aol.com.
Alissa Geving’s title sponsors include Tillett Tool ,Matt Cordeiro Enterprises, Pit Stop USA, and Auto Repairs Unlimited. Additional sponsors include Hushpower by Flowmaster Mufflers, Allstar Performance, A1A Performance Muffler, Rossi Auto Body, Afex Graphics, Simpson Racing Product, 21st Century Health Club, Butler Specialtys, Vanlare Steering Repair, DefNder Neck Restraints, Pro Shocks, DirtHead.com, Molecule Labs, Jeremy’s Chair Repair, ALC Machine, JW Web Design. Public relations services for Alissa Geving are provide by Sullivan Images, www.sullivanimages.net. Media photos are furnished by Steve Lamothe, www.stevesracingphotos.com.
To learn more about Alissa Geving, her sponsors or how to become involved with the team as a sponsor visit her official website at www.chick-o-motorsports.com. For information on Petaluma Speedway check out www.petaluma-speedway.com. Alissa Geving is a premier driver for Dirthead Graphics. Dirthead gear can be purchased at www.dirthead.com.
- Bill Sullivan on Sep 03, 2009
- Article Date: 9/3/2009