Summer is officially upon us and to celebrate the occasion Madera Speedway will be hosting its 3rd Annual Summer Kick off Party & Hawaiian Shirt Night, presented by Midland Tractor, this Saturday night June 27th. In addition to a huge eight division racing program the festivities will also include contests, prizes and live music.
This Saturday’s NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series program will feature the Western Late Models plus the American Limited Stock Cars (ALSC), Modified Super Toyotas (MST), Toyota Sedans and Hornets. In addition, the always exciting Legends of the Pacific and the WSRA Mini-Cup & Baby Grands will be taking on the “Fastest 1/3 Mile in the West.”
With the 2009 racing season now in high gear the championship battles at Madera are heating up faster than a molten lava flow.
The Western Late Models will be trading paint in a 50-lap feature in which Stockton’s Ross Strmiska will be attempting to notch his fourth consecutive win and fifth overall at Madera this year. His recent hot streak has enabled the 22-year-old, third generation driver to punch a sizable dent in the advantage held by Modesto’s Kyle Gottula in the Western Late Model standings. Gottula, who has four wins himself this year, will be looking to reverse the trend and rebuild his now tenuous 13 point (205-192) edge over Strmiska.
The ALSC class continues to be one of the most competitive of all the regular divisions at Madera. Atwater’s Jason Aguirre holds a 20 point (161-141) lead over Modesto’s Dennis Saunders while Coulterville’s Matt Erickson holds down third with 114 points after picking up wins in two of the last three races. Defending division champion Howard Holden, of Clovis, lurks in fourth place with 101 points after earning his first victory of the season in the last ALSC event on June 6th.
The Toyota Sedans have provided wheel to wheel, fender bender racing all season long. Sanger’s Chris Lewis holds a comfortable though hardly insurmountable lead in the Toyota Sedan class by a 181 to 142 point margin over Fresno’s Jason Kerns. Cody Stout, of Clovis, sits in third with 123 points and two-time defending division champion Stan Hankins of Fresno, who remains winless this year after visiting victory lane eight times last season, sits in fourth at 104 points.
The championship battle in the Modified Super Toyotas remains virtually a dead heat as Stockton’s John McCollum Jr. continues to cling to a two point (136-134) lead over Chowchilla’s John Bowersox. There will be some added intrigue in this Saturday after the two tangled in the previous race while fighting for third place on the final lap.
As usual there is always something interesting going on in the wild and wacky Hornet division and the emergence of 67-year-old racing rookie, Dean Davison of Kingsburg, has become one of the most compelling stories in the first half of the season. Never having raced a competitive lap in his life prior to this year, Davison has emerged as a force to be reckoned with under the able guidance of two-time defending class champion Miles Humphreys of Clovis. After struggling in the first three races of the season, Davison has suddenly found the Midas touch by posting impressive wins in the last two events. His recent hot streak has moved him up to second place in the Hornet standings, trailing Modesto’s Richard Hull by a 121 to 107 margin.
The Legends of the Pacific always produce large fields, wheel-to-wheel action and wild finishes when they visit Madera. Once again, a field of 20 plus cars is expected to take the green flag this Saturday’s Legends main.
Rounding out Saturday’s program will be the WSRA Baby Grands and Mini Cups, where the young racing stars of tomorrow hone their driving skills in 2/3 and 1/2 scale replica stock cars.
In addition to all of the action on the track, there will be plenty of entertainment off the track this Saturday as well. The first 100 fans entering the grounds will receive free leis, the Madera Speedway Hawaiian dancers will be performing, Joe’s Grill will be featuring genuine Luau cuisine all evening and when the racing concludes the action will move to the Madera Speedway music stage behind the main grandstands for some live music. Also track announcer extraordinaire Wayne Pierce will be overseeing men’s and women’s Hawaiian shirt contests that will include prizes for the winners.
So pull out your favorite Hawaiian shirt and start the 2009 summer out right with a little “Saturday Night Short Track Thunder” - Hawaiian style - this Saturday, June 27th, at the Madera Speedway.
Regular ticket prices for this Saturday’s June 27th program are only $15.00 for adults, $13.00 for seniors 65 years of age or older, $10.00 for students, active duty military and juniors age 13-17, $5.00 for kids age 6-12 while kids 5 and under are free when accompanied by a paying adult. A family pack ticket (two adults and up to two kids, 12 years old and under) is also available for the bargain price of just $35.00. VISA and MasterCard are welcome at window #3.
Madera Speedway registration will begin this Saturday at 10:30 AM, the grandstands open at 2:30 PM, heat races and trophy dashes will commence at 4:30 PM and the evening’s opening ceremonies will begin at approximately 6:00 PM.
There will be an open practice session at Madera Speedway on Friday, June 26. The pit gates will open at 3:00 PM and the track will be hot from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. Admission is free to the grandstands and the pit concession stands will be open. For additional information on the test session contact Track Manager Pat Patnaude at (209) 983-1689 (track), (209) 479-0056 (cell), (209) 983-0967 (fax) or email to ppatnaude@racemadera.com.
Also circle Saturday night, July the 4th, on your racing calendars when Madera Speedway will help celebrate our nation’s birthday with the “Firecracker 110” for the SRL SouthWest Tour in round #2 of the Holiday Classic, presented by Performance Electrical. The birthday bash will also include the NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series Western Late Models, American Limited Stock Cars, Modified Super Toyotas, Toyota Sedans and Hornets plus a spectacular FIREWORKS show sponsored by Pacific Mobile Structures Inc.
The Madera Speedway is conveniently located at the Madera County Fairgrounds just off to the west side of Highway 99 at the Cleveland Avenue exit.
For more Madera Speedway information visit the track’s website at www.racemadera.com or call the Info/Race Line phone number at (559) 673-RACE and for information on the Madera Speedway Spectator Racing Series program go to www.spectatorracing.com on the web or call (209) 476-8123.
