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Big night of racing slated Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway after two-month break
It’s also Back to School Night, and kids get in free.
During a two-month break, Keller track officials have been making improvements to the facility. The old back straightaway scoreboard and guardrail have been removed. Track officials think this will help make a safer racing surface. A new scoreboard will be positioned in the infield.
The King of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Car Series has scheduled events at both Hanford and Tulare. Mitchell Faccinto currently leads the sprint battle by just four points, just ahead of DJ Netto. Faccinto is a three-time winner while Netto has won twice.
Reigning IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car champion Grant Duinkerken and Danny Faria Jr are deadlocked for third, just 22 points out of the lead, while Watsonville point leader Bud Kaeding is fifth. It’s likely that fans will see all five of these competitors Saturday night. Others to watch for include Steven Kent, Landon Hurst and one-time winners Scott Parker and Tucker Worth.
The IMCA 305 RaceSaver Sprint Cars have had four events in Hanford, and Brooklyn Holland won two of them. Holland finds herself leading a close four-car battle for the championship. Grant Champlin is the only driver with all four finishes in the Top 5, and he trails Holland by just two points. Michael Pombo is seven tallies behind, while one-time winner Kyle Rasmussen is eight points back. It's a wide-open battle between these four competitors for track championship honors.
Champlin, meanwhile, leads Pombo by four points in the state championship battle. Holland is only 14 points back in that race. Some of the other stars to watch for this Saturday include Brandon Emmett, Lance Jackson, Mauro Simone, Rob Solomon, and Ryan Delisle.
The IMCA stock car battle is equally close. With two victories to his credit, Chad Johnson leads Larry Thompson by just one point. Thompson is the only driver with four Top 5 finishes this year at Hanford. Cody Johnson is only three points out of the lead, Troy Patee is six points back and reigning champion Brock Hamilton is trailing by just eight points. Chad Johnson leads Cody Johnson by nine points in the State Championship race with Thompson 12 points back in third. Hanford is where the IMCA Stock Car effort in California started, and other notables to watch for this week include Renn Bane, Rod Bane, Tanner Lorenzo, Eric Hamilton, and Ron Hurt.
With support from the House of JuJu Central Valley Mini Stocks, the track has been overrun with more than 20 competitors in each of the three previous events. CVMS point leader Dan Myrick leads Gene Glover by five points at Hanford and Jason Cook by 10. Cook is a two-time winner, while Myrick has one Hanford victory to his credit. The CVMS has a $5,000 championship point fund thanks to House of JuJu of Clovis and Morro Bay. Myrick leads that race by 61 points, coming in ahead of Darren Wilson and Clint Massey, Jeff Durant and Glover make up the balance of the Top 5. All of those drivers are expected for this race, and other Mini Stock stars to watch for this week include Ryan Blank, Randy Brown Jr, Brent Myrick and 2017 CVMS champion Danny Myrick.
Saturday night promises to be an exciting show from start to finish, and kids get to watch all of the excitement for free. For further information, go to www.racekingsspeedway.com.
