COTTAGE GROVE, Oregon — With the biggest race on the West Coast occurring last weekend at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California Roger Crockett of Medford was just looking to make the twenty-four car field last Saturday. Every year dozens of teams travel to Northern California for the annual Gold Cup Race of Champions hoping to take home the prize money and join the exclusive list of winners.
The weekend started off for the SKS Racing #11C KPC Chassis running the Friday night preliminary. In time trials Crockett was able to post seventh fastest out of forty one entries, even with the water line in the motor breaking, and did well enough in heat race action to earn a spot in the thirty lap feature. Starting in the fourteenth place position where he ran for the majority of the race until he made his move. On lap nineteen he would move into the ninth place position and finish in the top ten and gain valuable points for the weekend.
When all the points were tallied for both preliminary nights Crockett was seventeenth overall in the table. By the time the consolation main events were over it was time for the forty lap feature to decide who would take home the $50,000 prize money. The year previous Crockett was able to make the feature but had to retire early.
At the start of the feature Crockett would get involved in an early race incident that would put him in the back of the field on the restart. By lap thirty he had rebounded from twenty-first to fourteenth with the best 410 c.i. drivers in the world visiting California. In the last ten laps of the race Crockett was able to move up to twelfth after having to come from the back of field early and a great car all weekend.
With the Gold Cup Race of Champions wrapped up the SKS Racing team now focuses back to the 360 c.i. engine. The first of three straight weekends of racing action begins with Welt & Welt Inc. Championship Night at the Cottage Grove Speedway where Crockett is currently the point leader.
The last time he contended for a track championship was his first year in a 360 Sprint Car in 1995 at the Eugene Speedway where he tied for the title. The team is also looking for their twenty-second victory of the season and his eleventh at the Cottage Grove Speedway.
Additional Information:
2009 Sponsors
SKS Racing
Omlid & Sweeny Fire Protection and Security
BC Motorsports
Rocket Designs
Advanced Racing Suspensions
Weld Wheels
Kent Performance Chassis
Cottage Grove Speedway 360 Sprint Point Standings
1. Roger Crockett 653
2. Dale Smith 508
3. Chadd Noland 419
4. Colin Baker 311
5. Garen Linder 292
Upcoming Schedule
When: Saturday September 19th
What: Local/Unsanctioned
Where: Cottage Grove Speedway
Cottage Grove, Oregon
.250-mile clay oval
www.cottagegrovespeeway.com
