AUTO RACING: California drivers eager to race at Silver Dollar Speedway, Stockton Dirt Track
CONCORD, N.C. California natives conquered the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series’ excursion through the Golden State final year and are hoping to copy that success going into this weekend’s races at Silver Dollar Speedway Stockton Dirt Track. Grass Valley native Brad Sweet and St. Helena local Rico Abreu found victory at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. In contrast, Visalia native Cory Eliason claimed his first Series win at the Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton’s final year. For Sweet, it changed into his first win at the area-mile Chico track; however, regardless of whether it was in Chico or Stockton, he said it’s always pleasant to win in front of his family and friends. “The largest thing for me is I grew up right here (in California) racing, so they’re domestic tracks,” Sweet said. “There’s constantly something in which you learned and wherein you grew up racing. This is unique.
You recognize I hadn’t had much luck at Chico in the past few years. However, during the remaining year, I could get a win there, so I felt a little bit more confident going lower back there and excited.” Sweet started the Series’ month-length swing through California sturdy with a pinnacle-five finish at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare. He left him 0.33 in the Series’ points standing — forty-two factors behind leader Daryn Pittman. Abreu hasn’t been as fortunate, unable to qualify for the Feature in Tulare. But like Sweet, he stated he is calling ahead to go lower back to Silver Dollar Speedway — music he has gained twice now with the World of Outlaws. He additionally has one Series win at the three/8-mile Stockton Dirt Track.
He cites the Chico and Stockton tracks as two of his most successful tracks, having grown up racing at them. “I’ve run, in all likelihood, most of the people of my California races at the ones two tracks,” Abreu said. “I’ve just made sure my motors are close every time we get there and wherein it puts the ball in my court wherein I can maneuver my vehicle around. I like going to those tracks.” Eliason has had a solid start to the season, claiming three top-10s and two KSE Hard Charger awards within the first five races, setting him 5th in factors. He is coming off a seventh-location end at Thunderbowl Raceway and hitting his stride just in time for his preferred part of the year.
“The entire California swing is (a self-belief booster) just because this is where I grew up racing,” Eliason said. “I think we completed in the top 5 every time we had been in California for the last 12 months, within the March and the September swings. There’s a variety of confidence just being capable of rolling out here and knowing, although it’s now not ideal, we can still make something of it just due to knowing the race tracks and being from round right here.” Having raced and received on the tracks before, Eliason stated that know-how now facilitates him and his team. He can expectantly relay to his crew what he desires in his automobile, making their process less difficult.
“Every race is difficult with these (World of Outlaws) men, but it ought to at the least degree the gambling subject again to regular with them, in place of going somewhere in which we haven’t been and that they dominate as opposed to us,” Eliason said. Sweet stated that the California swing is difficult to visit from the East Coast to the West Coast and lacks a few drivers. The California drivers have the gain of domestic with their own family approximately every night during the swing. “There’s simply something to be stated about that,” Sweet stated. “I love the start of the 12-month West Coast swing.”
