Racing Archives - Page 16 of 76 - NorCal Car Culture

Silver Cup Race of Champions is Season Opener at Silver Dollar Speedway

By Troy Hennig, SDS Media Relations

CHICO, CA – March 9th and 10th, the 2012 Silver Dollar Speedway season will open with the annual running of the Silver Cup Race of Champions. Traditionally, the Mini Gold Cup is the first race of the year. However, this year, the World of Outlaws schedule did not permit the traveling series to have an open date that coincided with our first race weekend. So, to accommodate both races, Promoter Dennis Gage switched the two racing weekends giving the Silver Cup drivers the first chance to test out the new configuration of the famed quarter-mile speedway.

The Silver Cup is set to begin on Friday night, March 9 and conclude on Saturday night, March 10. The Mini Gold Cup is scheduled for March 23 and 24. You can purchase tickets for the Mini Gold Cup by visiting our website and clicking on the buy tickets link on the lower left hand side. The Silver Cup grandstand seating is general admission and tickets can be purchased the day of the events at the track.

The Silver Cup will feature four racing divisions including the 360 winged sprint cars, dirt modifieds, street stocks and wingless sprints. Saturday night will constitute a Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprint Shootout event. Pit gates will open at 2pm while the front grandstand gate will open at 5pm. Racing is slated to start at 6pm for both nights. For pricing and general information please visit the speedway website at www.silverdollarspeedway.com.

Kyle Larson from Elk Grove, CA. — Kyle Larson from Elk Grove will be racing in the Silver Cup. Photo courtesy of Steve LaMothe.

Top teams and drivers are scheduled to compete at the Silver Cup Race of Champions. Big money is on the line once again for the all divisions. The winged sprint car winner will receive $2,000 on Friday night and $3,000 on Saturday night. The wingless and dirt modifieds will boast an impressive overall purse. The Saturday night Street Stocks winner will receive an unprecedented $500.00. A list of the payouts is available by calling the track office at 530-350-7275. Most of the competitors should have received fliers in the mail with the rules and payout information. Camping for the weekend is also available at the fairgrounds for $30.00 a night.

The off season provided the track maintenance staff at Silver Dollar Speedway ample time to flatten and widen and smooth out the racing surface. Fans and drivers alike who have visited the speedway over the winter are enthusiastic and optimistic about the new configuration and looking forward to racing the clay oval in 2012.

Photos Courtesy of Steve LaMothe from Steve’s Racing Photos.

NorCal Driver Highlights in NASCAR for the week ending March 4th.

Our NorCal Driver of the Week in NASCAR is Derek Thorn from Lakeport, CA. Derek earned his 5th Top 5 in 6 starts in the K&N Pro Series West.

Here are the race results for Northern California Drivers competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, Camping World Truck, and the K&N Pro Series during the past week.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Last Weekend’s Race: No racing this past weekend.
Upcoming Race: Saturday, March 31st, the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway.

Matt Crafton from Tulare is currently in 21st place in the points standings.

Mike Skinner from Susanville is 30th in the points standings.

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

Last Weekend’s Race: No racing this past weekend.
Upcoming Race: Saturday, March 17th, at Bristol Motor Speedway.

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West

Last Weekend’s Race: Saturday, March 3rd, the Talking Stick Resort 50 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Upcoming Race: Saturday, April 14th, the Toyota/NAPA 150 at Havasu 95 Speedway.

Derek Thorn from Lakeport, qualified 10th and finished in 5th place.

Eric Holmes from Escalon, the 3-time Champion, qualified 7th but had to start in the back in a backup car and still finished in the 8th spot.

Ryan Philpott from Tracy, started 18th and finished in the 16th position.

Brady Flaherty from Wilton, qualified 24th and came home in 21st.

Dylan Hutchison from Fair Oaks: The 17 year-old rookie qualified 24th but had to start in the back after missing the driver’s meeting. Dylan raced to a 24th place finish in only his 2nd race in the series.

Trevor Cristiani from Ukiah: Another 17 year-old rookie, qualified 25th and finished 25th in his first race in the series.

Justin Funkhouser from Paradise: Justin qualified 29th and struggled to a 28th place finish.

Jack Sellers from Sacramento:The 67 year-old veteran racer and team owner struggled to finish in 29th place.

NASCAR Nationwide Series

Last Weekend’s Race: Saturday, March 3rd, the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Upcoming Race: Saturday, March 10th, the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

T.J. Bell from Sparks, NV started 41st and raced to a 29th place finish. T.J. is now 17th in the Nationwide points standings.

Scott Speed from Manteca: Scott qualified in the 20th position and finished 42nd after having electrical problems.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Last Weekend’s Race: Sunday, March 4th, the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Upcoming Race: Sunday, March 11th, the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

A.J. Allmendinger from Los Gatos qualified 15th and finished in the 18th spot, the first car a lap down. A.J. moved up 6 spots, and is now in 25th in the points.

Jeff Gordon from Vallejo started 30th and raced to an 8th place finish. Jeff moved up 13 spots to 22nd in the points standings.

Note: Please let us know if there are other drivers from Northern California who compete in NASCAR either by leaving a comment or emailing us at tnewey@norcalcarculture.com.

Father & Daughter Set To Compete In The NHRA Gatornationals

By Katie Sullivan

Corning, CA, 2/27/2012. – Katie Sullivan of Kalifornia Katie Racing is staged to be competing alongside a new rider to the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class. This isn’t just any rider however, this new rider hold’s a special place in Katie’s heart. For the first time ever in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle class, a team will be competing with both father and daughter riding.

Charlie Sullivan, 51, owner of Sullivan Drilling Inc., has been racing since he was a teen. In addition to competing on many different drag bikes, Charlie also enjoyed some time behind the wheel of an alcohol funny car. Raising three children, he spent 15 years at local tracks running Jr. dragsters and has said, “I wouldn’t trade the time we spent together as a family at the race track for anything.” Charlie put his racing aside when Katie set her heart on racing drag bikes. They raced together for the first year until Katie moved to a faster bike and a higher competition level, then Charlie took on the role as her crew chief.

“I can’t even explain how much my father has done for me,” says Katie, ” I have worked so hard to get where I am today, but none of this would be possible without my dad and my whole family.” Katie, 21, a full time business student and owner of Tough Girl Designs, goes on to say, ” To watch my dad out there competing with me again is beyond incredible. There isn’t a person in the world I think deserves it more than he does.”
The Sullivan Family Race team also went on to talk about the support they have received from so many people. Katie stated ” The support from our family, friends, and fans has been really amazing. We also are continuing partnerships with MotoWear International, JP’s Paint & Body Works, and Girls For A Change. We owe such a huge thank you to all the people standing behind us.”

The Sullivan Family Racing team is headed to Valdosta, GA to test their equipment and get a few rides down the track in. The next weekend, both Sullivans will compete side by side in the Gatornationals, happening in Gainesville, FL, March 8 – 11. As of now Charlie’s plan is to just run the one race in Gainesville, fulfilling a dream years in the making, and both Charlie and Katie could not be more excited.

About Girls For A Change:

Girls For A Change (GFC) is a national organization that empowers thousands of teen girls to create and lead social change. GFC provides girls with professional female role models, leadership training and the inspiration to work together in teams to solve persistent societal problems in their communities. Explore our web site to learn more about how you can join our movement and how girls are transforming our world and reinventing girl culture through GFC! www.girlsforachange.org