A look back at the 2011 King of the West 410 Sprints Royal Court
Driver Number 15- “The Mongoose” Doug Gandy
By Gary Thomas
Rio Vista, CA – December 14, 2011…With the holiday season upon us we’ll be taking a look back at the 2011 season for the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series from the drivers perspective, as we feature a glimpse at the year for each of the “members in good standing” from the inaugural KWS campaign.
This past season saw a total of 15 drivers/teams finish the year as “members in good standing,” meaning they didn’t miss more than two events throughout 2011. The impressive loyalty earned those entrants the chance to be eligible for the point fund at the awards banquet and also the opportunity to take part in the drawing for a complete sprint car and engine.
Number 15 on the list was none other than a living legend in the Northern California dirt track scene, Oakhurst’s Doug Gandy. The 67-year-old veteran returned to winged sprint car racing for a couple of events in 2010, before making the jump back to full-time competition this past season.
“When I came back last year it was the first time I had driven a winged sprint since 1993,” said Gandy, who spent six-years driving for well-known Nor Cal car owner Morrie Williams. “I was unsure what kind of schedule I’d run this year, but after talking to Ashley Smith it made for an easy choice to decide on running the King of the West Series.”
In his career Gandy has won over 100 main events and is a three-time track champion at the Placerville Speedway, which is located on the El Dorado County Fairgrounds. The driver known as the “Mongoose” also captured the Silver Dollar Speedway track title in 1976, etching his name in the record books at the famed quarter-mile oval in Chico.
“The King of the West Series was a lot of fun this year and I’m really excited about coming back next season,” commented Gandy. “I noticed it was like a family traveling down the road with KWS and it hasn’t been that way for a while, so it was a great thing. I want to thank my team of Doug, Brandon, Scott Adelsbach and everyone that pitched in like Ashley Smith and Williams Motorsports, as well as Dan Simpson and DES Racing.” Gandy would also like to thank Scott Brown of MRO Inc., Oakhurst Tire and Lemire Tractor Inc.
To learn more about the “Mongoose” Doug Gandy please take a look at his appearance on “KWS Tonight” at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16159861
The Golden State King of the West 410 Sprints would like to thank the following companies for their support this season: Goodyear Racing Tires, Pit Stop USA.com, Kaeding Performance, Hoseheads.com, Grant’s Fine Art, Auto Meter Products Inc., Contingency Connection, Maxim Chassis, Amerikote, Abel Chevrolet, Bully Dog, Red Horse Performance, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, Hunt Magnetos, Weld Racing, Racing Optics, Butler Built Performance, HoservilleCA, Angellos ATV Rental, Rogue Regency Inn, Williams Motorsports, DES Inc. and Simpson Percherons.
Don't forget to “like” the Golden State King of the West Series on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kws410s for the most timely and up to date information on the series.
Also check out our official website at http://www.kwssprints.com for the latest news, results, history and more on the Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Cars.
Be sure to catch archived shows of “KWS Tonight,” along with special highlight clips from the 2011 season at http://vimeo.com/user5784994/videos and http://www.ustream.tv/channel/king-of-the-west-today/videos
Photo by "Tailgate" Rodriguez
- Gary Thomas on Dec 14, 2011
- Article Date: 12/14/2011 by Gary Thomas