[i By Bill Sullivan/Sullivan Images Media]
[b PETALUMA, CA (4-5-10)] – For Elk Grove's Billy Strange, Petaluma Speedway is a track where he has experienced very little in the way of success in his racing career. This Saturday, the second generation open wheel driver is looking to change the history of his statistics at the North Bay oval as he begins his 2010 racing season in the California Sprint Car Civil War Race Series.
"Petaluma hasn't been too kind to me," mused Strange. "It was where I had my very first flip and the last time I raced there I blew a motor. So I figure I can only up from there."
Now known as the "Wine Country's Center of Speed," Petaluma Speedway is a 50-year-old 3/8 mile dirt track on the Sonoma-Marin County Fairgrounds that is the site of the weekly All Pro Sprint Car Series and numerous visits from the Civil War Sprint Car Series in 2010. Its flat, tacky surface that produces top speeds and some of the closest side by side racing in Northern California.
The Hoosier Racing Tires Civil War Series will rarely let an avid open wheel race fan down and is a fierce program when it makes a visit to Petaluma. The latest version of California's premier series for 360 cubic inch powered winged sprint cars has already begun to produce a stellar chase for the coveted statewide championship title and Strange is ready to get in on the action of the 15-race series.
The Civil War Series competes for more than $240,000 over the year and nearly $25,000 in championship funds. Additional contingency sponsors throughout the year are expected to exceed $30,000 in product awards as well. With each feature win worth $2000 and the lucrative payoff, the series draws the top drivers in California to nearly every event on the schedule.
Following a rain out for last week's Placerville Speedway opener, Strange is geared up and ready to race the #28x sprint car for his first time behind the wheel in 2010. In 2009, Strange competed in the Civil War Series in just two events during the year and hopes to race with the series more in the year to come. In those two Civil War events in 2009, Strange scored one top ten finish.
In 2009, Strange made 11 starts at Placerville Speedway for the weekly championship where he finished 16th in the overall point standings despite several absences and garnered a solo top ten finish during the year. For Strange, the statistics don't illustrate the competitive year the team had last season. On many occasions he was well on his way to a top finish when he simply became a victim of circumstances in lapped traffic which cost him several positions when the checkered flags flew.
Following Saturday's Civil War Series event in Petaluma, Strange Motorsports will return to their home track of Placerville Speedway on Saturday, April 17 for the opening of the 2010 weekly championship season. Strange plans to continue competing at Placerville on a regular basis in the weeks to come. He hopes his efforts will gain him eligibility to compete in the Mark Forni Classic in July. The $5,000 to win event requires that a driver compete in five previous races.
In addition to competing in the Civil War Series and at Placerville Speedway, Strange is also planning to run a handful of Golden State Challenge Series events in the year to come. To learn more about Billy Strange and his plans for the upcoming racing season visit his official website at www.billystrangejr.com.
Strange Motorsports has a number of marketing partners that they are thankful for. Among their supporters are ART Enterprises, Rex Hutchison Racing Engines, Kevin Sharrah Designs, Swepco Lubricants, MotoWear International, America's Tire, High Country Painting and Amerikote.
- Bill Sullivan on Apr 06, 2010
- Article Date: 4/6/2010