BAKERSFIELD, California -- For the second time in 2004, Mesa Marin Raceway will host Thursday Night Thunder. Thursday Night Thunder will be a full night of NASCAR sanctioned racing featuring Mesa Marin’s three main racing series; Late Models, Street Stocks, the 911 Race for Youth Series and the annual Mesa Marin “Gold Rush”.
The “Gold Rush” is one of Mesa Marin’s favorite annual events for children twelve and under. Over 100,000 coins will be dropped on the Mesa Marin front straight-away for the kids to pick up as many as they can before the coins are all gone.
“The “Gold Rush” is truly a favorite event for everyone,” stated Mesa Marin owner, Marion Collins.
“The kids love it, and it is a lot of fun for the adults to watch the kids make 100,000 coins disappear in a matter of minutes.” Collins added
In NASCAR Late Model competition at Mesa Marin, there have been five different drivers with feature wins in the first six races of 2004. Rookie David Mayhew leads the championship points chase with 275, followed by Josh Horn at 272, defending series champion Brain Richardson is third with 234, Doug Foos and Eric Richardson round out the top five in the standings with 231 each.
In the NASCAR Street Stock Series, just eleven points separate the top four drivers in the series standings. Shane Thomas is on top of the championship chart, with 330 points, followed by Greg Puskarich, David Hutchins, Jr. and Paul Ebersbacher. Each of the top four drivers has at least one main event win in 2004, with Hutchins leading a series high three.
The Kern County Parks Department team leads in the overall standings of the 911 Race for Youth Series. Kern County Fire and the Bakersfield Fire Departments are second and third respectively.
The NASCAR points system at Mesa Marin is broken down with 50 points going to the main event winner, 48 for second, 46 for third and so on. Bonus points are awarded to the top four in the Trophy Dash, and top three in the heat races. The Mesa Marin Late Model and Street Stock drivers compete in a national NASCAR points championship which matches them up against the other NASCAR sanctioned short-tracks across America. The national short-track champion will claim over $170,000 in year end bonus.
Spectator gates open at 5pm, with racing at 7:30pm tomorrow night.
