Tim Kaeding gunning to match Brent Kaeding for most Trophy Cup wins in event history this weekend at Thunderbowl Raceway

 

By Gary Thomas

 

Tulare, CA - October 19, 2016...One of the drivers to beat at the Southwest Contractors Trophy Cup will certainly be San Jose, California's Tim Kaeding, who looks for his fourth career cup title this weekend at Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway. If he can do so, it would match his Hall of Fame father Brent Kaeding for the most victories in event history, which enters its 23rd year in 2016. 

The two-time King of the West Series champion has won it all at the Trophy Cup in 2002, ’06 & ’09. He climbs aboard the potent Roth Motorsports No. 83 this year, the same car he captured his 2009 triumph in. That season “TK” started 24th on the grid Saturday night and drove all the way through the field to claim a stunning victory. Last year Kaeding scooped up a World of Outlaws win at the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway, tying Brownsburg, Indiana’s Joey Saldana for the most WOO victories at the facility. 

“The Thunderbowl Raceway has definitely been a track that has suited me well over the years,” Kaeding said. “To be fast there you pretty much have to run the high side and that’s just how I like it. The Trophy Cup is one of the biggest events we run all season and it would mean a lot if I could tie my old man for the most wins. It’s going to be a great weekend with lots of tough cars and lots of action, so we hope everyone comes on out. I’m happy to have the opportunity to drive for Dennis & Teresa Roth once again at the Trophy Cup. Our win back in 2009 was one that I will never forget.”

Kaeding has a had strong season across the country in 2016, which includes winning a preliminary night at the 5-Hour Energy Knoxville Nationals in Iowa and bringing home the 360 track title at Badlands Motor Speedway in South Dakota. Fellow two-time King of the West 410 Sprint Car champion & current series point leader Kyle Hirst will be a teammate with Kaeding at the Trophy Cup, forming a potent one-two punch for car owners Dennis & Teresa Roth. 

Brent Kaeding's all-time leading four Trophy Cup wins occurred in 1996, '98, '99 and 2005. His most recent came during the very first season that the event was held at Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway. After originally starting out at the San Jose Speedway in 1994 this season marks the 12th straight year that the event will be contested in Tulare. 

All cars that start the Saturday A-main are guaranteed at least $2,050 and the overall champion is guaranteed a stout $20,000 in winnings. Everything fires-off on Thursday evening with the opening preliminary night, followed by another prelim on Friday and then championship night on Saturday. The overall champion will be crowned following the 50-lap finale, which caps the event. All drivers compete each night, with the better of their two prelim totals being used going into Saturday’s finale. 

Tickets continue to be on sale for the Trophy Cup, with all seating in the house reserved during the weekend. Grandstand tickets cost $40on Thursday & Friday and $45 on Saturday. Bleacher tickets are $35 on Thursday & Friday and $40 on Saturday. Kids 6-12 are half price and 5 & under are free. A seating chart is available at www.thunderbowlraceway.com and tickets can be acquired by calling 559-688-0909. The pit gate opens at 10am on Thursday October 20, with the drivers meeting at 3:30pm sharp. 

All of the special events that help add to the Make-A-Wish Foundation pot are returning once again, including the Thursday Chili Dog Night sponsored by Taco Bravo, the Taco Bravo Fiesta Night on Friday and the Saturday afternoon spaghetti feed sponsored by La Villa Delicatessen. The post race parties run from 11pm to 1am, while the spaghetti feed goes from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Live music will be featured with drinks available for purchase inside. 

A Friday morning breakfast sponsored by the Tulare County Fairgrounds is also going to occur from approximately 8am to 10:30am. A new twist has been added to the Taco Bravo Friday Fiesta later that night, as a dancing with the stars competition will be held. Current & past racers such as Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding, Andy Forsberg, Ryan Bernal, Howard Kaeding & Craig Smith will take part. As always a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the door during all the special events is appreciated.

 

To keep track of all the latest happenings from the 23rd annual Southwest Contractors Trophy Cup be sure & follow the official Twitter of the event https://twitter.com/trophy__cup

 

Williams Roofing of Fremont, CA has put up the Royal Fan Draw for all 3-nights at the Trophy Cup. A trivia question will be asked and the fan that answers correctly will pull a random number (1-24) out of a bag. The fan automatically wins $100 and if the driver wins the feature from the starting spot drawn, the driver receives a $1000 bonus. If nobody wins the bonus on Saturday night the $1000 will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

A new event also added to the Thunderbowl schedule is the annual Dirt Nationals on Friday & Saturday October 28 & 29. Divisions racing during the weekend will include the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stocks, IMCA Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. The Dirt Nationals will be the final event of the season at the track, before the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series returns in the spring. Seating in both the grandstands & the bleachers will be general admission at the Dirt Nationals and costs just $12 each night. 

The Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California. From the junction of SR 99 and SR 137, go west on SR 137. At South K go south one-half mile to the Fairgrounds. 

 

Photos courtesy Chuck Fry & John Meirhofer

 

Prestigious Southwest Contractors Trophy Cup fast approaching at Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway
October 8 KRC Safety Fall Shootout also coming next week

 

By Gary Thomas

 

Tulare, CA – September 27, 2016…The biggest event of the season at Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is less than a month away, with the much anticipated 23^rd annual Southwest Contractors Trophy Cup ready to commence on October 20, 21 & 22.  

 

The Trophy Cup has catapulted itself into being one of the premier Winged Sprint Car showcases in the country and the 2016 version is sure to be another can’t miss weekend of racing & fun. The event originally started out at San Jose Speedway in 1994 and was held at the track until its closing in ‘99. It then moved to Ocean Speedway for one year, before heading to the Kings Speedway in Hanford from 2001-2004. In ‘05 the Trophy Cup was moved to Thunderbowl Raceway, where it has been held ever since. 

 

With its unique format the Trophy Cup regularly produces some of the best Winged Sprint Car racing that fans will witness all season. Each time a driver hits the raceway for competitive racing there are points on the line. It’s all a lead-up to the 50-lap feature on Saturdaynight, which features the top-20 in overall points inverted, plus the four transfers out of the B-main making up the final four spots.  

 

This year’s event will also be held on a new & improved surface that is 15-feet wider in each set of corners. The hope is that the action will be as good as ever with the added racing room. All cars that start the Saturday A-main are guaranteed at least $2,050 and the overall champion is guaranteed a stout $20,000 in winnings. 

 

The Trophy Cup is always a type of “All Star” showcase in California, with champions & winners from all over the state on hand. Last season Campbell’s Bud Kaeding scored the overall trophy & money for the first time in his long running career. He was able to narrowly beat out Lemoore’s Carson Macedo to join his father Brent & brother Tim as a Trophy Cup champion. Other past winners entered this year include San Jose’s Tim Kaeding, Clovis, CA’s Jason Meyers, Sacramento’s Willie Croft, Chico’s Jonathan Allard and Fresno’s Craig Stidham.

 

Tickets continue to be on sale for the Trophy Cup with all seating in the house reserved during the weekend. Grandstand tickets cost $40on Thursday & Friday and $45 on Saturday. Bleacher tickets are $35 on Thursday & Friday and $40 on Saturday. Kids 6-12 are half price and 5 & under are free. A seating chart is available at www.thunderbowlraceway.com and tickets can be acquired by calling 559-688-0909. The pit gate opens at 10am on Thursday October 20, with the drivers meeting at 3:30pm sharp. 

 

All of the special events are returning once again, including the Thursday Chili Dog Night sponsored by Taco Bravo, the Taco Bravo Fiesta Night on Friday and the Saturday afternoon spaghetti feed sponsored by La Villa Delicatessen. The post race parties run from 11pm to 1am, while the spaghetti feed goes from 12:30pm to 2:30pm. Live music will be featured with drinks available for purchase inside. AFriday morning breakfast sponsored by the Tulare County Fairgrounds is also going to occur from approx. 8am to 10:30am. 

 

A new twist is being added to the Friday Fiesta Night, as a dancing with the stars competition will be held. Current & past racers such as Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding, Andy Forsberg, Ryan Bernal, Howard Kaeding, Craig Smith & others will test out their dancing skills. 

 

A donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the door during all the special events is appreciated. Two seasons ago Dave Pusateri & the Trophy Cup team went over the $1,000,000 mark for donations to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Fans & teams are all encouraged to attend the special events. More info on the Trophy Cup, as well as an entry list can be found at http://www.trophycup.org/

 

 

 

 

 

Third annual Peter Murphy Classic coming to Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway on July 22 & 23

 

By Gary Thomas 

 

Tulare, CA – June 22, 2016...On July 20, 2013 the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series had one of its toughest nights in recent memory when popular driver Peter Murphy suffered injuries during a main event crash at the Antioch Speedway. 

 

The result of the accident ultimately forced Murphy to retire from Sprint Car racing as a driver, having suffered a traumatic brain injury, ligament damage in his neck, shoulder and knees, along with a compressed T-3 vertebra. 

 

Despite that however, he has said time & time again that he has no ill feelings towards the sport. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find someone that has a bigger passion for the sport of Sprint Car racing than Peter Murphy. With that in mind the last two season’s he has worked extremely hard to put on the Peter Murphy Classic at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway. It has certainly turned out to be a huge success and this year for the first time it expands to a double header weekend on Friday & Saturday July 22 & 23. 

 

Murphy’s goal is to once again make the weekend a special one that people will remember, along with getting as many cars & fans to come out as possible. 

 

“I really want this weekend to be a special one for all the fans & teams,” Murphy said. “The King of the West Sprint Car Series has seen some of the best drivers & teams you’ll find anywhere come through it and Tulare is a great place to host an event like this. I still can’t thank everyone enough for all that they did for me after my accident. It’s been so humbling to have the support from people all over the world. This is a way for me to give back and show how much I appreciate the sport we all love. I couldn’t be happier to have the Peter Murphy Classic as a two-day event and I hope everyone can come out to support both nights.” 

 

Along with the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series also competing on July 22 & 23 will be the wingless warriors of the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series. It makes for a perfect tie-in, as Murphy spent time running both with and without the wing in his career. The Murphy Classic gives Sprint Car fans the best of both worlds at one of the most exciting race tracks in the country. The weekend as a whole will also benefit the NARC Benevolent Fund, which aided Murphy following his accident. 

 

“The Northern Auto Racing Club Benevolent Fund is something that I definitely hold close, because it really kept my family & business going following my accident,” he commented. “We’re getting event shirts made once again and all the proceeds will be going to the benevolent fund. We’ve been fortunate enough to raise over $14,000 the last couple years, so I really want to thank everyone for supporting it all. I also want to encourage everyone to bring a friend to the races that hasn’t been before. The best thing we can do is bring new people into our sport and I hope the Classic is an event that can get them hooked.” 

 

Murphy will again have a victory podium made up with champagne to help celebrate the winners in style. It will surely be a victory lane presentation that fans want to stay for. The Australian/ New Zealand style Pole Shuffle will also return both nights, with the top-four inFriday’s feature locked into Saturday’s shuffle. We will have numerous fan giveaways during the weekend, along with the Williams Roofing of Fremont, CA Royal Fan Draw both nights. 

 

Friday night following the races on the fairgrounds there will be a post race party with a live band, plus food & drinks available. Everyone is encouraged to stop by and enjoy the evening with us. Camping is available on the fairgrounds with info found by calling 559-686-4707or at www.tcfair.org

 

Reserved grandstand seats for the Peter Murphy Classic on July 22 & 23 cost $20 each night, with general admission bleacher tickets $18. To reserve your seats contact (559) 688-0909. The front gate will open at 4pm with racing expected to get underway around 7pm. 

 

The Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California. From the junction of SR 99 and SR 137, go west on SR 137. At South K go south one-half mile to the Fairgrounds. More info can be found at http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com

 

By Gary Thomas

 

Tulare, CA – May 14, 2016…After coming oh-so-close to a King of the West 410 Series win at the Thunderbowl Raceway in the past Sacramento’s Willie Croft was able to finally check it off his resume Saturday night, by claiming the 30-lap Chris & Brian Faria Memorial.

 

The victory was also sweet redemption for Croft, who was taken out in lapped traffic while leading the KWS season-opener in Placerville. It marked his seventh career series triumph, moving him into a tie for 16^th on the all-time list with Jimmy Sills, Kyle Larson, Greg Decaires & Randy Hannagan.

 

“It feels so good to get a King of the West win at this place,” commented Croft, who nearly won the Faria Memorial in 2014, before running out of fuel just prior to the finish. “That race was a workout tonight and I feel pretty drained after that one. Felt bad for Rico Abreu because he was really fast, but I’ve definitely had some bad luck in Tulare myself before. I want to thank all my crew and the people that support this race team. We’ve had a great start to the year and hope to keep building on this momentum.”

 

The 30-lap King of the West feature was a rough & tumble affair, showcasing drama & excitement at times like we’ve been accustomed to at Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway. Croft started on the pole by way of winning the night’s dash and had his way out front, until Rutherford’s Rico Abreu stepped up challenges for the top spot. Abreu had taken the lead from the outside of row two on a lap 11 double file restart, only to have the red flag wave for an incident involving Coarsegold’s Scott Parker.

 

After that the two-time Chili Bowl champ re-grouped and got around Roseville’s Colby Copeland for second on the ensuing single file restart. He then worked hard to close in on Croft for the lead and took his opportunity on lap 21. As the pair raced into turn three Abreu performed a massive slide job to get ahead of Croft, but couldn’t hold the exit of turn four and looped the car, resulting in him tipping over to bring out the red flag. Damage was too much him to continue on, but as always Abreu certainly gave the crowd a great show.

 

With Croft up front for the restart he clicked off the final nine-laps without worries to take the Ed Entz checkered flag aboard his Holey Smokes BBQ/ Amerikote No. 29 machine. It was his second ever win at the track, with the first coming at Trophy Cup in 2014.

 

Copeland crossed the stripe in second to match his best career King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series finish. It was also his best ever 410 Sprint Car result at Thunderbowl Raceway. Copeland also did an outstanding job to take evasive action when Abreu got upside down, spinning the car completely around and keeping the engine lit to continue on. Fremont’s Shane Golobic had a strong run to round out the podium on Saturday. The past Civil War Series champ has now finished on the podium at the last three Faria Memorial’s in Tulare.

 

Campbell’s Bud Kaeding & Chico’s Jonathan Allard completed the top-five after having an entertaining battle over the course of the race. Two-time KWS champ Kyle Hirst rebounded nicely to earn a sixth place finish, after going to the rear early in the race following contact that left him stopped on lap nine. The remainder of the top-10 was filled out by Hanford’s DJ Netto, Fresno’s Cory Eliason, Campbell’s Brent Kaeding and Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto.

 

As noted the dash was claimed by Croft, while the three 10-lap heat races were picked off by Bud Kaeding, Colby Copeland and Croft. Kyle Hirst paced the 23-car field in qualifying with a lap of 13.241. Full results will be available at www.racepmg.com

 

A-main finish: 1. 29 Willie Croft, 2. 18w Colby Copeland, 3. 22 Shane Golobic, 4. 0 Bud Kaeding, 5. 3c Jonathan Allard, 6. 21x Kyle Hirst, 7. 88n DJ Netto, 8. 00jr Cory Eliason, 9. 69 Brent Kaeding, 10. 37 Mitchell Faccinto, 11. 41 Dominic Scelzi, 12. 25 Bobby McMahan, 13. 31c Justyn Cox, 14. 12 Jarrett Soares, 15. 98 Sean Watts, 16. 22a Cori Andrews, 17. 24 Rico Abreu, 18. 00 Jason Statler, 19. 3 Craig Stidham, 20. 17 Justin Sanders, 21. 73 Tyler Walker, 22. 12p Scott Parker, 23. 09s Geoffrey Strole

 

The King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will return to action this coming Saturday night May 21 at the Stockton Dirt Track for the Salute to LeRoy Van Conett. The event also features the season debut of the Wingless Sprint Car Series presented by Hunt Magnetos. More info can be found at www.stocktondirttrack.com

 

The King of the West 410’s will be back at the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway on Friday & Saturday July 22 & 23 for the third annual Peter Murphy Classic. Stay glued to the PMG website and www.thunderbowlraceway.com for updates on the event.

 

Collin Markle Photo

King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series ventures to the Central Valley for annual Chris & Brian Faria Memorial this Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway 

By Gary Thomas

Tulare, CA – May 10, 2016…The traveling King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series is ready to invade the Central Valley for the first time in 2016 this Saturday night, with the annual Chris & Brian Faria Memorial on tap at Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare.

 

Competing alongside KWS for the first time this year will be the always exciting USAC West Coast Wingless 360 Sprint Car Series, along with the Western RaceSaver Sprints & the new All Star Modified Tour. Following last week’s rainout in Petaluma Saturday marks round three in the fight for the King of the West championship and is held to remember brothers Chris & Brian Faria, who both lost their lives far too soon.

 

Chris Faria was an up and coming driver who was the youngest of five children to Danny Sr. & Arlet Faria. He grew up on their farm in Tipton and was known as the prankster of the family. Chris unfortunately lost his life at the age of 21 during a farming accident and his memory has been kept alive with a memorial race at the Thunderbowl Raceway ever since. 

Brian was the oldest of the five Faria children and was taken from us in January of 2006 during an accident while driving on a highway. Brian enjoyed helping out with the track preparation at the Thunderbowl, as he drove the water truck and the grader among other things. The Chris & Brian Faria Memorial has become a cornerstone of the track schedule and is always a special night for everyone with the Thunderbowl Raceway.

 

Last year’s Faria Memorial saw Hanford’s DJ Netto dominate the feature to scoop up his first career King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series victory. The now 20-year-old would go on to claim the Pombo/Sargent Classic later in the season and will be gunning for good things on Saturday, following back-to-back 10^th place finishes to open the 2016 campaign.

 

Two-time King of the West champion Kyle Hirst goes into Tulare on Saturday with momentum after his big victory at the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial on April 30. The 28-year-old captured the Faria Memorial in 2014 and will compete at the Thunderbowl this weekend for the first time in the potent Tarlton Racing with support from Roth Motorsports No. 21x mount.

 

One of the favorites on Saturday will certainly be Sacramento’s Willie Croft, who brought home a third place finish at the Thunderbowl in March with the World of Outlaws. The 2014 Trophy Cup champion came oh-so-close to claiming the Faria Memorial that same season, only to have fuel issues a handful of laps from the finish. 

 

Campbell’s Bud Kaeding raced to victory during the King of the West opener in Placerville on April 23 and will be looking for more of thaton Saturday at the Thunderbowl. Last October the veteran scored one of the biggest wins of his career by capturing the 22^nd annual $20,000-to-win Trophy Cup at the one-third mile clay oval.

 

More drivers set to tackle the Thunderbowl on Saturday will include Chico’s Jonathan Allard, Los Angeles’ Tyler Walker, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi, Craig Stidham & Cory Eliason, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Watsonville’s Justin Sanders, Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox, Grass Valley’s Jason Statler, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Campbell’s Brent Kaeding, Cobble Hill, BC‘s Robbie Price, Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares, Atwater’s Sean Watts, Murrieta’s Cori Andrews and others.

 

Reserved grandstand seats for the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial on Saturday cost $20 with general admission bleacher tickets $18. To reserve your seat contact (559) 688-0909. The ticket booth & will call at the track will open at 1:30pm. The front gate will open at 4pm.

 

With four divisions running the pit meeting will be held at 4:30pm sharp and we are asking teams to arrive a bit early to be ready to go as soon as the meeting is over.

 

Saturday is also the second Williams Roofing of Fremont, CA Royal Fan Draw night, which works as follows. A trivia question will be asked from the announce booth and the fan that answers correctly will pull a random number (1-22) out of a bag. The fan automatically wins $100 and if the driver wins the feature from the starting spot drawn, the driver receives a $1000 bonus. The Royal Fan Draw is taking place at nearly half of the KWS events in 2016. 

The Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California. From the junction of SR 99 and SR 137, go west on SR 137. At South K go south one-half mile to the Fairgrounds. More info can be found at http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com

 

The King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series is held under the management of Prentice Motorsports Group, which also operates the Civil War 360 Sprint Car Series presented by Flowmaster, the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo, the Wingless Sprint Car Series presented by Hunt Magnetos, the All Star Modified Tour and Ocean Speedway.

Info on the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series can be found at http://www.racepmg.com 

Be sure to like the KWS Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints and become a member of our Twitter community at https://twitter.com/KwsSprintRacing for all the latest breaking news regarding the series

 

Upcoming King of the West Series events following Tulare

Saturday May 21: Stockton Dirt Track – Stockton, CA (Salute to LeRoy Van Conett) 
Saturday June 4: Silver Dollar Speedway - Chico (David Tarter Memorial) 
Saturday June 18: Stockton Dirt Track – (Jimmy Sills Classic) 
Friday June 24: Ocean Speedway - Watsonville (Pombo/Sargent Classic) 
Saturday June 25: Calistoga Speedway (Wine Country Classic)