Motor sports: Central San Joaquin Valley racetracks host big shows
Big-money racing comes to the central San Joaquin Valley’s tracks this month, starting with shows this weekend in Hanford, Madera and Tulare.
On Saturday night, Madera Speedway hosts the California Gold Classic Short Track Shootout, a $10,000-to-win main event for the track’s LoanMart Open Late Model Series and $5,000 to win the Lucas Oil Modifieds feature.
Also Saturday, Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare welcomes three classes of sprint cars, highlighted by the King of the West series. It’s a warmup for Oct. 15-17, when the third-mile clay oval will host the 22nd annual Trophy Cup, a unique points event that has a $160,000 purse.
This weekend gets started Friday night in Hanford when Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds hosts the final race of this season’s Battle for the Milk Can King of Kings Wing 360s sprint car series. The Hanford track also caps the big racing month with the Oct. 24 Cotton Classic highlighting the King of the West series.
Madera Speedway
The third-mile paved oval’s top two divisions will be featured in a show taped for MAVTV.
Three-time K&N West series champion Eric Holmes took the $10,000 winner’s check last year and plans to do double-duty this year. So does Robbie Knittel, the track’s 2015 Modified champion.
The 125-lap Late Model feature doubles as the season finale, and Bakersfield teen Buddy Shepherd brings a narrow points lead over Madera Speedway veteran Bryan Herzog. Ryan Hart and Rick Thompson are also in contention for the title, and a field of about 40 drivers is expected, drawn by the big purse.
The track’s regular Hobby Stocks, MSTs and Sedans are also on the program.
The track is open 4-9 p.m. on Friday for practice with free admission.
Thunderbowl Raceway
Nearly 100 cars are entered in the Trophy Cup, with many of the drivers planning to get a start on their Valley racing this weekend at Hanford and Tulare.
That includes 57-year-old Jac “Wild Child” Haudenschild, a Sprint Car Hall of Fame member from Ohio. He’s reuniting with the Fresno-based Roth Motorsports team, a combination that has produced two Trophy Cup titles. Haudenschild’s son, Spencer, will also race.
Saturday’s KRC Safety Fall Shootout is the third-to-last race in the King of the West series. Points leader Bud Kaeding in the Oakhurst-based Williams Motorsports car has a one-point lead over Lemoore 19-year-old Carson Macedo in the Easton-based Tarlton & Son car. Hanford’s DJ Netto is third in points, 82 back of Kaeding.
Also racing Saturday are the U.S. Auto Club West Coast 360 Sprints and the Western RaceSaver Sprints. The USAC series is coming off a race Oct. 3 at Hanford won by Visalia’s Jace Vander Weerd. who led all 30 laps of the Jim Evett Memorial for a $4,500 payday – $1,500 to win plus $3,000 in lap money raised by the Evett family.
Mike Spencer of Temecula was second, points leader Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton third, Jake Swanson of Anaheim fourth and Richard Vander Weerd fifth. The Vander Weerd brothers are 2-3 in series points.
Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
The weekend kicks off Friday on the three-eighths mile clay oval in Hanford. Cory Eliason of Kingsburg has a one-point lead over Mitchell Faccinto of Hanford in the Milk Can battle, 442-441. Netto, Craig Stidham of Fresno and Heath Duinkerken of Laton are also within striking distance.
Friday’s feature pays $3,000 to win.
The RaceSaver sprints, IMCA Stocks and Vintage cars are also on the card.
Besides Jace Vander Weerd, other winners on the Oct. 3 card at Kings were Cory Elliott of Bakersfield, scoring his first career USAC Western Midget win by leading all 30 laps; and Monty Ferreira in RaceSavers.
This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 10:54 PM with the headline "Motor sports: Central San Joaquin Valley racetracks host big shows."