PLACERVILLE, California — Saturday night will be one of the most anticipated nights of championship point racing in recent history at Placerville Speedway. In season’s past there have been solo championship titles up for grabs late in the year but it has been decades since all three weekly titles have remained up for grabs entering the final of competition.
While all three weekly classes at Placerville will not have a named champion until the final race of the night Saturday the closest battle of the year remains in the Pure Stock division. It’s a battle between two veteran champions, between boy and girl and between two rivals that have displayed true sportsmanship to one another throughout the entire Red Hawk Casino Championship campaign.
Entering tomorrow night only one thing is certain, either former Placerville Speedway champion Tom Tilford will earn his second career title or recently crowned Silver Dollar Speedway champion Heather Bartlett of Chico will become the first female driver to ever score a championship at the foothill speedway since it opened in 1965. The answer will not be known until the checkered flag waves for the final time Saturday night as both drivers enter Saturday a mere 8-points apart in a competition where as many as 45-digits can be awarded in one night.
“I knew this year was going to be competitive but I never imagined it was going to come down to this,” said Tilford, who currently leads the standings over Bartlett with a record breaking 8 wins this season. “This thing could go either way, anything can happen in this sport. We will do like we have done every week and go through this entire car and make sure it is perfect. I have a great crew and family supporting me in this, everybody works hard and they deserve another championship. It’s not going to be easy, Heather is going to be on me the whole time. I have to make sure I finish in the top three and I know I’m good.”
For Bartlett, this season is her first at Placerville Speedway. Since she began chasing her first championship here the rivalry between she and Tilford has developed one of the the most incredible fan followings. Many fans adore the pretty in pink driver known as “Pretty in Pink” while others like to cheer against here and root for Tilford, a driver whose name is rich in the history of Placerville Speedway with fellow family members such as former Pro Stock champion Jon Tilford and longtime Super Stock ace Donnie Tilford, both whom assist the latest member of the hierarchy in his quest for a second title.
“This season has just been incredible for me here, no matter how it ends,” said Bartlett, during a track interview last Saturday. Bartlett is a four-time winner at Placerville who has been in the top two positions of the standings all year long. “Tom Tilford and I have had a great year today. He is a great racer and we both have so much respect for one another. We can race side by side out here hard for a win every week. Hopefully I can get another win and make a run at this championship. Whichever one of us does it is certainly deserved.”
Saturday night, Tilford and Bartlett will return to Placerville for one final battle and it will be down to the wire as the best man, or woman will win the 2009 season championship.
In the Late Model division, Heather’s father Jerry Bartlett leads the standings. Last week Bartlett suffered a damaging crash in the opening lap of the feature event that left him with a last place finish in the event. Bartlett, fortunately, took the initial green for the race but was out for it’s remainder which left him with an 11-point margin over defending champion Dan Brown Jr. of Nevada City.
All season long Bartlett and Brown have dueled for the championship in a battle that has been extremely heated all season long. In 2008 Brown was the dominator of this division, Bartlett commited to racing at Placerville at the start of the season and quickly lived up to his name of “Mr. Controversy” as he gained fans. Many fans love his aggressive nature and his controversial and often witty statements. Others don’t like him and the majority of fans are those who just love to dislike the newest villain to the division that is filled with much drama.
“I set out this year to come up here and win this championship and that’s what we’re e going to do,” said Bartlett. “I got a little impatient this last race and that really cost me some points and this thing is going down to the end but that’s good for fans. I’m confident my crew and I will get the job done and I’m sure in the end that old controversy is going to be following me.”
For Bartlett, battling with Brown for the title has been enjoyable but watching Heather compete has been his true love all year long. Like any father, Bartlett is proud of his high speed offspring.
“Eliminating some of Dan Brown’s front stretch bows has be truly a pleasure, rivalry is always good,” he added. “But seeing Heather do what she has done at this place has truly been rewarding. Both she and Tom Tilford are excellent drivers and both deserve that championship.”
Saturday night the title will be down to either Bartlett or Brown and the battle between the two all night long is sure to be all but lackluster like it has all season long where trading paint, slide jobs and hard side by side racing has been common place.
In the sprint car division, defending champion Colby Wiesz of Colfax continues to lead the standings in a season that has been one of challenging lengths for the Bullet Racing Team and defending owner champion John Taylor. Despite the lack of a feature victory, Wiesz has had six top five finishes this season and has held the lead position for much of the year.
This Saturday night, Wiesz leads the division by 23 points and must make the A-feature to clinch that championship title. C.J. Humphreys of Placerville has moved into the second position in the point standings. Humphreys overtook Placerville’s Scott Russell this past Saturday night after both drivers had their share of misfortune through the night. Should Wiesz have any ill luck blow in his direction Humphreys or Russell are poised to become the first El Dorado County resident champion since 1995 when Ray Rust of Garden Valley won the title.
“We figured this championship was over with the luck both Scott and I had,” said Humphreys. “But now it’s down to the end and that’s good, it’s what the fans need. Realistically, Colby and Taylor have this thing in the palm of their hand as long as nothing goes wrong but we will give it everything we got one last time and try to bring it home.”
Humphreys is 23-points out of the lead while Russell is 28 digits from the top spot. Andy Forsberg of Auburn is fourth ahead of Shingle Springs’ Justin Johnson. Saturday’s event will be another heavily contested battle as a veteran driver and team look for their second consecutive championship together and two local favorites seek to dethrone him in the closing moments.
The Nor Cal Dwarf Cars will join Saturday’s event to produce an exciting night of racing for this final race of the year. The evening will also mark the first season since Placerville Speedway underwent the management of Handy Racing Promotions Incorporated. Track promoter Alan Handy and his management team are grateful for all of the strong support this season from race teams and race fans despite a struggling economy; all of the strong support is greatly appreciated. Gates open at 5 p.m. followed by qualifying at 6:30. Further information can be found at www.placervillespeedway.com
