Just wanted to let everyone know that we will not be providing Live Updates from Huset's for about 3 weekends. I will be heading down to Florida for the July 4th week and won't be back until July 7th. Enjoy the races!

Thanks

PICTURE OF THE DAY

The look of intensity in Fred Rahmers eyes before the All Star dash at North Florida Speedway back in February.

Friday, July 4th, the All Stars will invade the Terre Haute Action Track! Hope to see you there.

Saturday, July 5th, at Lake Ozark Speedway, ASCoT takes on the WOW and we will be there to provide live updates for those who can't make it. Should be a great night of racing!

Press Release, Golden State Challenge Series

For Immediate Release

Golden State Challenge Series invades Silver Dollar Speedway this Saturday

By Gary Thomas

Chico, CA – July 2, 2008…The final month of the season for the Golden State Challenge 410 Winged Sprint Car Series will get underway this Saturday night July 5 with a trip to the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Including this weekend’s event there are just six races left until the King of California is crowned at the end of the month.

The month of July at the Silver Dollar Speedway will be a busy time for Northern California 410 teams and drivers as the Golden State Challenge Series will return to the track next Saturday night July 12 for another event. Then two weeks following that, the series will make its way back to the high-banked quarter-mile for the final weekend of competition on July 25 and 26.

The final night of racing on July 26 will pay tribute to fallen sprint car racer Gary Patterson for the first time ever at Silver Dollar, as the event has moved to Chico after a number of years being held in Calistoga. It should be a great month at the Silver Dollar Speedway as we finish off the Golden State Challenge Series in style with a total of four races in July at the home track for the traveling tour.

Leading the King of California points coming into this weekend is a driver who cut his teeth racing at the Silver Dollar Speedway, with that being Chico native Jonathan Allard. The 31 year-old driver of the Williams Motorsports No. 0 finished third last weekend in Tulare to give him a 44 point lead heading into the final month of racing.

Just a couple years ago Allard stood on the front stretch in Chico as the King of California and this month he’ll be aiming to join Brent Kaeding and Steve Kent as the only drivers to have won multiple championships with the Golden State Challenge Series. In addition to the driving title car owner Morrie Williams is looking for his third GSC owner’s title in the last four years.

The always exciting Tyler Walker has been giving it his all this season trying to take the championship during his first season back in California following a number of years on the road. Walker has raced the NMI Industrial Contractors No. 24 to three victories on the season and will look to chop away at Allard’s lead this Saturday at a track he’s still looking for his first win at. Last weekend in Tulare he finished runner-up in the main event and took seven points off Allard’s lead in the series standings.

Thirteen-time and defending King of California Brent Kaeding won his first Golden State Challenge Series main event of the season last weekend and will look to make it back-to-back this Saturday in Chico. The Campbell veteran dominated all 30 laps of the feature last week aboard his Al’s Roofing Supply Maxim, en route to his 79^th career GSC victory and first in over a year. The Hall of Fame driver will look to become the first driver to reach 80 wins in GSC competition this weekend at a track he’s been very successful at throughout his storied career.

Two-time USAC Silver Crown champ Bud Kaeding goes into this weekend ranking third in the Golden State Challenge Series point standings. The 28 year-old Campbell driver sits 22 points behind Walker for the runner-up spot and goes into Chico after a fourth place finish last Saturday in his Alviso Rock No. 29. Kaeding finished sixth at the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial in May and will look to improve upon that result on Saturday.

Currently fourth in the GSC standings heading into the final month of racing is first year full-timer Mike Henry of Sacramento. The former two-time Civil War Series champion has gained a wealth of experience during his first season at the helm of the Royal Lagoon Pools No. 93 and will look to pick up another win before the series concludes at the end of the month. Last weekend Henry drove to his best career Thunderbowl Raceway finish with a fifth place effort at the 1/3 mile clay oval.

Rounding out the top five in the Golden State Challenge Series points is second-year winged sprint car driver Evan Suggs. The Scotts Valley driver has had a tough time during the last month, but did bring home a seventh place finish at the Thunderbowl Raceway last Saturday, which is a track that he always seems to be snake-bitten at. Suggs has always been fast at the Silver Dollar Speedway however, shown by a pair of quick time efforts at the track last season, with one of them coming at the Gold Cup Race of Champions.

2004 King of California Jason Statler ranks sixth in the standings and will look to move closer to the top five on Saturday. “The Big Guy” has one victory on the Golden State Challenge Series season in what has been a year filled with tough luck for the Los Gatos veteran. Statler has always done well at Silver Dollar Speedway though and will be a certain threat this weekend aboard his familiar DF Rios Construction No. 00.

Former Grass Valley driver and current Indiana resident Brad Sweet will make his California return this weekend to wheel the always potent Rod Tiner No. 83 sprinter. The 22 year-old full-time USAC National Sprint Car & Midget racer recently swept the two-night Knoxville Raceway Midget Nationals and has gained much knowledge in his first year racing for Kasey Kahne Racing. Sweet currently ranks fifth in the National Midget standings and has also scored runner-up finishes at Silver Dollar Speedway during opening night of the Mini Gold Cup, as well as the final night of the Silver Cup.

Other entrants expected for this weekend will include Loomis’ Kyle Hirst, Princeton’s Mason Moore, Sacramento’s Willie Croft, Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson, Fremont’s Shane Golobic & Brent Bjork, Chico’s Stephen Allard, Jason York, Brett Miller and Johnny Gray, Rio Vista’s Dan Simpson and many more.

Merchandise: Also don't forget to head into the pits following the races to meet the drivers and teams, as well as check out their merchandise that is available for purchase. A number of drivers have very cool looking T-shirts this year so be sure and pick one up to help support their effort.

The front gate will open at 5 pm on Saturday with adult tickets costing only $16, juniors $11 and kids $5. Racing is expected to kick off sometime around 6:30 pm. The Silver Dollar Speedway is located at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico. For the full Golden State Challenge Series points, information about Silver Dollar Speedway and more log onto the award winning John Padjen Motorsports website located at http://www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com

Coming up- The Golden State Challenge Series will return to the Silver Dollar Speedway next Saturday night July 12 for the 18^th race of the season. Following that the series will head for a double-header weekend beginning on Friday July 18 with an event at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville. The next night will find GSC making its way to always interesting Antioch Speedway on Saturday July 19 before ending the season at Silver Dollar Speedway on July 25 and 26.

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Photo by Johns Racing Photos

Jonathan Allard puts on great drive at Pombo/Sargent Classic

By Gary Thomas

Tulare, CA – June 28, 2008…Forced to start from the fifth row in the feature following a heat race crash at the annual Pombo/Sargent Classic, current Golden State Challenge Series point leader Jonathan Allard didn’t give up and charged to a podium finish, scoring his 13th top five of the GSC season. The result also marked Allard's second straight third place finish in the annual event that honors legend's Al Pombo and Marshall Sargent.

Coming into the event at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway Allard held a 51 point edge over Los Angeles driver Tyler Walker and looked to maintain that mark with just seven races left till the King of California is crowned. A very warm day greeted competitors to the track, but the racing surface held up well all night and made for some great racing during the feature.

Despite coming out late in the qualifying order Allard was able to rip off a 13.198 to give the K & N Filters, Sharp Insurance No. 0 fast time in the 20 car field. It set him up to start from the sixth position in the opening heat race and the initial start saw him get up to a transfer spot, but a spun car in turns three and four created a complete restart. When the green lights came back on he fell into sixth and as he was trying to make a pass in turn three, the hole closed up and it ended with him getting upside down into the wall in turn three.

With no B-main being ran it allowed the Williams Motorsports crew a little more time to work and Allard was able to start behind the dash cars in the main event. Lining up ninth in the 30 lap feature he was able to move up a couple spots by the time a caution came out on lap four. After this a long green flag run was seen and Allard diced it up with the drivers running third through sixth. Just around the midway point he was able to charge around Jason Statler and Mike Henry to move up into the fifth position.

A caution then appeared on lap 23 and Allard sat in the fifth spot with just seven laps remaining in the race, but on the restart the driver sitting second slowed to a stop and it bumped him up to fourth. When flagman Willie Williams waved the green again “JA” stuck the Red Line Oil, Platinum Powder Coating Maxim to the bottom of the speedway and was able to get under Bud Kaeding off turn four to take over third.

Allard stayed to the bottom and went after Tyler Walker for the runner-up spot in turns one and two, but couldn’t get the drive he needed and settled for a third place finish at the checkered. “I have to thank my whole team for working hard tonight and to get a third place finish is great for us. My car owners Morrie & Katie Williams, my guys Ashley Smith, Bob-Oh, Shawn and even my little bro helped out tonight and to win a championship we need night’s like this,” Allard said in post race interviews.

When asked about going back to Chico so much in July Allard sounded excited about the opportunity. “I’m always excited to go home and race and I think it’ll be fun racing at Chico a lot in July and hopefully we can keep these great runs going and bring home a title. I’m pretty sore right now though and am going to go to the doctor next week to get checked up and get my back looked at. But hopefully we’re alright and can go and try to get some wins during this upcoming month,” he concluded.

Allard also competed at the Silver Dollar Speedway on Friday night where he charged forward late in the race to finish a close second to first time Chico winner Andy Gregg. The 31 year-old put on a show as he methodically closed in on Gregg over the last handful of laps and missed out on the win by less than a car length.

This coming weekend will find the Golden State Challenge Series in competition at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico and Allard will go into the night holding a 44 point lead over Tyler Walker in the point standings. Including this coming Saturday there are just six races remaining until the season comes to a conclusion at the end of the month. Please stop by the rig following the races to check our T-shirts and pick up a hand out card. "JA" will also be in action on Friday in Chico during the annual 4th of July special at the track.

For news, pictures and more on Jonathan Allard and Williams Motorsports visit http://www.allardmotorsports.com

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Driver Profile: Marlon Jones Harrisburg, SD

Marlon Jones drives the #9M Outlaw Sprint Class car. His home track is Husets Speedway. He lives in Harrisburg, SD.
   Marlon started racing in 1977 at the age of 16 in the Modified Class at Husets Speedway because he wanted racing to be his job. His first win was that same year. Career highlights include Jackson Speedway and Husets Speedway 1988 Track Championships, 20 - 2nd's at Knoxville Raceway, leading several times only to have mechanical break downs.
   The thrill of racing for Marlon is helping fellow racers with his knowledge and expertise. His most exciting racing moment was winning at Manzanta at North Dakota National from the back 12, Cheater Day Champion twice, finished 2nd to Steve Kinser at WOO at Knoxville Speedway. He's most proud of seeing the look on his wife and kids faces when they won on a
night when they weren't expected to.
Marlon's racing heroes are Doug Wolfgang and Rick Mears.    Of racing, Marlon says, "If you think it matters, it does!".

www.empireautoracing.com