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On this episode of KWS Tonight 

KWS Tonight Episode 319: "BEST OF part 1" This episode is a collaboration of events that we have showed on KWS Tonight this season. Re-watch a part of Willie Croft's interview before the racing season had even started and view Willie's wins so far this season. Also, since Sean Becker won at the David Tarter Memorial race at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, we are showing his Championship win back in 2005 in our very first 410 flashback sponsored by Kaeding Performance, this season. Our next race is June 29th at the Placerville Speedway. Don't miss out! Stay tuned for our next episode on June 20th, which will be "BEST OF part 2" which will showcase Kyle Hirst and his win. We will be back on June 27th with an ALL NEW Episode Previewing the race at Placerville and much more!
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Advance tickets can be purchased for KWS events at Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway
by contacting 775-325-8800.


King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series
adds second Stockton 99 Dirt Track event to the schedule on November 2

By Gary Thomas


Rio Vista, CA – June 9, 2013…The King of the West 410
Sprint Car Series is pleased to announce that a second event has been added to
the schedule at the brand new Stockton 99 Dirt Track, with that date being
Saturday November 2, which now represents the season finale for the 2013
campaign. With a couple of recent races lost due to cancelations, this will
luckily make one of those up.


The King of the West 410 Sprint Cars will also compete at the recently opened track on August 3 and everyone involved is excited to include the additional date on November 2. The three-eighths mile clay oval kicked off the season with a successful World of Outlaws event in March and KWS looks forward to bringing Winged 410 Sprint Cars back to the track on two more occasions this year.


“Tony & Carol Noceti have done a great job with the
Stockton 99 Speedway and now the Stockton 99 Dirt Track,” said King of the West
Series operations manager George Hague. “They put in a ton of hard work to make
the Dirt Track possible and everybody that went to the World of Outlaws show saw
that it was a slam dunk. The facility has so much potential and we are thrilled
to be in action at the Stockton 99 Dirt Track twice this season with KWS.”


The Stockton 99 Dirt Track is located on the San
Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, California and is built inside a
one-mile horse track. The lightning fast three-eighths mile clay oval provided
some thrilling moments earlier this year during its grand opening on March 22
with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. The main event saw a couple of
former Golden State/ King of the West 410 champs duke it out for the win, with
Kyle Larson coming out on top of a nail biter over Tim Kaeding.


“The racing between Kyle Larson & Tim Kaeding was
phenomenal back in March at Stockton and we’ll look for much of that same thing
on August 3 and November 2,” commented Hague. “The grandstand and facility is
one of the nicest you will find in Northern California and is a very unique
experience. Mark your calendars for both of these events because you won’t want
to miss them. It’s always nice to see new tracks come into the mix and we hope
that many of the fans who went in March at Stockton will return for our events
as well.”


The King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will next be
in action on Saturday June 29 at the Placerville Speedway in Placerville,
California. Don't forget the inaugural KWS event at the Stockton 99 Dirt Track
is also fast approaching on August 3.

 

Look ahead to a busy stretch of action for KWS starting June 29 in Placerville

Photos by Tim Holland

A look ahead to a busy & exciting summer of racing for the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series beginning June 29 at Placerville Speedway

By Gary Thomas

Rio Vista, CA – June 5, 2013…Despite having the next few weekend's
off from competition the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series is gearing up
for a busy stretch of action that begins on Saturday June 29 at the Placerville
Speedway. The outing at the high-banked red clay quarter-mile oval will
ultimately kick off an exciting string of events over the summer, which features
seven consecutive weekend's of racing at six different facilities in California
& Nevada.

So far in 2013 there have been eight King of the West 410
Series events contested with five different drivers visiting victory lane. St.
Helena, California youngster Rico Abreu has been a consistency machine and leads
the series standings on the strength of two wins and top-five finishes in every
single event thus far. The 21-year-old however, is scheduled to compete in the
Midwest over the summer months in both Sprint Cars & Midgets, which will
hand the point lead over to second generation driver Kyle Hirst when KWS resumes
action on June 29.

When the King of the West 410’s last competed at
Placerville Speedway in late-April it was Hirst that made a late race pass of
Shane Golobic for victory in the main event. The 25-year-old Sacramento resident
goes into the upcoming Placerville outing sitting 39-markers up on his
brother-in-law Willie Croft, who ranks third in the series standings.
“Placerville Speedway is always one of my favorite places to race at,” said
Hirst. “When it gets slick & has that big cushion there aren’t many places
more fun to drive a Sprint Car at. Hopefully on June 29 we can park this Roth
Enterprises 83jr on the front stretch again.”

The front grandstand gate
on Saturday June 29 will be open at 5pm. Hot laps are scheduled for 6pm, with
qualifying at 6:30pm & racing anticipated to start around 7pm. Adult tickets
will cost $20, seniors will be $16, juniors $12 & children $6. All seating
is general admission & fans are encouraged to get there early. Placerville
Speedway is located on the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville,
California. Take Hwy US-50 to Forni Road/Placerville Drive exit. Then go north
on Placerville Drive to the Fairgrounds. The physical address is 100 Placerville
Dr., Placerville, CA 95667. More information on the track can be found at http://www.placervillespeedway.com

Following
the Placerville event the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will then make
a return engagement to the Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway over 4th of July Weekend
for the “Cherry Bomb Classic” on Friday & Saturday July 5 & 6. The
previous outing at the blazing fast Fernley, Nevada based three-eighths mile
oval saw Rico Abreu & Jonathan Allard score victories, with Abreu’s being a
final corner thriller over Hirst. Now that drivers have gotten a taste of the
high-banked speedway, the 4th of July Weekend double-header will be an
anticipated visit.

The pit gate at the Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway will
open up at noon on Friday and Saturday July 5 & 6 with the front gate for
spectators opening at 3pm. Racing is anticipated to get underway around 7pm. The
Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway is located just off Highway 95a in Fernley, Nevada.
From Sacramento take I-80 East to exit 46 towards West Fernley, Nevada. Follow
the road to Highway 95a and then make a right turn into the Reno Tahoe Fernley
Speedway Motor Sports Complex. The physical address is 1965 US 95a Fernley,
Nevada 89408. Adult general admission tickets will cost $25, Kids under 6 FREE
& Children 6-16 are $10.00.

On Saturday July 13 the King of the West

410 Sprint Car Series will be in action for the only time this season at Ocean
Speedway in Watsonville during the third annual “Howard Kaeding Classic.” The
event has been a very successful one over the last two years and will be another
much anticipated night on the schedule. The Ocean Speedway is located on the
Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, two miles east of Watsonville, California on SR
152. The physical address is 2601 East Lake Ave, Watsonville, CA 95076. For more
info on the track & ticket info log onto http://www.oceanspeedway.com

Howard Kaeding
was a multiple-time California state super-modified champion, a four-time Johnny
Key Classic winner and once captured 17-straight races at the San Jose Speedway,
which is a record. The driver known as the "Campbell Comet" claimed over 300
main event victories in his career and even raced into his 60's, before retiring
in the 1990's. The “HK Classic” has been a great weekend of re-living memories
from the past and will be so once again in 2013. The two-night show features
USAC Sprints & Midgets Friday July 12, before the fire breathing KWS 410’s
invade the bullring on Saturday July 13.

The King of the West 410 Sprint
Series will then get ready for its second event of the season at John &
Donna Soares’ Antioch Speedway on Saturday July 20. The night of competition
will also be the final visit of the year to the one-third mile clay oval that
always provides thrilling moments. The KWS Winged Warriors kicked off the season
at Antioch on April 20 with Willie Croft coming out on top over Rico Abreu &
Kyle Hirst.

On Saturday July 20 the front grandstand gate of the Antioch
Speedway will open at 5pm. Hot laps are scheduled for 6pm, with qualifying at
6:30pm and racing anticipated to start around 7pm. Tickets will be available the
day of the race with adults being $20, children 6-12 $10, seniors 65 & older
$10 and children 5 & under free. A family pack with two adults & two
children will also be available for $50.

The Antioch Speedway is located
at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds on the corner of 10th & L Streets in
Antioch, California. Take SR-4 East (Highway 4) to the Somersville Road North
Exit. Follow Somersville Road to 10thStreet. Turn Right on 10th Street. The
address for the track is 1201 W. 10th Street Antioch, CA 94509 & for more
info visit http://www.antiochspeedway.com

On Saturday
July 27 the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will then make its return to
the popular Santa Maria Speedway for the first time in two years. With its
coastal climate the track is always a favorite stop among teams and fans alike,
especially during the heat of summer. In the 2011 season the King of the West
Series competed at the Santa Maria Speedway on two occasions, with the first
being captured by Andy Gregg and the second won by Jonathan Allard. The victory
for Gregg marked his first career Golden State/ King of the West 410 triumph.


Doug Fort built the Santa Maria Speedway in 1964 and helped mold it into
one of the top dirt tracks in the country as the owner/promoter until his
passing in 1999. The unique one-third mile clay oval has been named "Best Short
Track Operation West of the Mississippi" on two separate occasions and is
nestled in a semi amphitheater of natural terrain, sheltered by dense eucalyptus
trees at the top and to the back of the bleacher area.

The Santa Maria
Speedway is located 12 miles inland from the Pacific coast, three miles north of
the city of Santa Maria and is located a 1/4-mile north of the US 101/166
interchange on Hutton Road. The facility is one hundred seventy miles north of
Los Angeles and 260 miles south of San Francisco. Information on the track &
ticket info can be found at http://www.racesantamariaspeedway.com

On
Saturday August 3 the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will make its
anticipated debut at the brand new Stockton 99 Dirt Track. After a very
successful World of Outlaws event, everyone is eager to see Winged 410 Sprint
Cars return to the venue on August 3. The Stockton 99 Dirt Track is located on
the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, California and is built inside a
one-mile horse track. The grandstands are some of the nicest we will see all
season long with KWS & makes a unique experience for Sprint Car racing.


The lightning fast three-eighths mile clay oval provided some thrilling
moments earlier this year during its grand opening on March 22 with the World of
Outlaws Sprint Car Series. The main event saw a couple of former Golden State/
King of the West 410 champs duke it out for the win, with Elk Grove’s Kyle
Larson coming out on top of a nail biter over San Jose’s Tim Kaeding. Contact
info for the Stockton 99 Dirt Track can be found at http://www.stockton99.com/index.html

The
busy stretch of racing will then be capped off with another double-header at the
Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway on Friday & Saturday August 9 & 10.

----------------------------

Willie Croft has captured two main event victories with the King of the
West 410's so far this season and currently ranks third in the series standings,
while driving the Clyde & Marion Lamar owned Tri C Manufacturing No. 3c Sprinter.

Jason Meyers sweeps Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway

Photo by S and S Pics

Jason Meyers gets out the broom & sweeps the “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial Weekend” at the Tulare Thunderbowl with KWS 410’s


By Gary Thomas


Tulare, CA – May 26, 2013…One night after coming out on top of a torrid battle for the
lead in the feature Clovis, California’s Jason Meyers came back Sunday evening
and left nothing on the table to dominate the later stages of the main event and
sweep the “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” with the King of the West 410
Sprint Car Series in Tulare.


The victory for Meyers was the 14th of his Golden State/ King of the West
410 Series career, which places him into a tie for sixth on the all-time list
with Los Angeles wheel-man Tyler Walker. It was also the second time in his
career that he has captured the event that is held in memory of the late Chris
& Brian Faria at Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway. Meyers certainly
showed and reminded everyone over the weekend why he is a two-time World of
Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion.


“This car was perfect tonight and I can’t say enough about Paul Baines and this whole
Tarlton & Son Inc. team,” commented an excited Meyers after leaping from his
car. “To get the chance to come out and race for Tom Tarlton this weekend was
great and to be able to sweep both nights is just awesome. There are some great
drivers out here in California so it’s pretty special to run so strong. I love
racing in Tulare because this track is so much fun and I really want to thank
everyone that supports this team. Without all of them we couldn’t do this.”

The 30-lap main event came to the line with Meyers & Sacramento’s Kyle Hirst on
the front row after the pair continued their battle from the night before during
the six lap dash. Hirst was able to claim victory in the dash to earn the pole,
but when the green flag waved in the feature it was Meyers getting the jump to
lead the field. Over the first few laps Hirst & Campbell’s Bud Kaeding would
please the crowd by throwing slide jobs at each other on both ends of the
speedway, prior to the caution flag waving on lap four. After this the final
26-laps were clicked off caution free and the action throughout the field
remained intense.


Once going back green Chico’s Jonathan Allard made some nifty moves to get up into
the third spot after starting from the fifth row. As Meyers sat out front
though, Hirst was able to get close to his bumper a couple times over the first
half of the race, but with about 10-laps remaining Meyers kicked it into
overdrive. The man known as “Hotfoot” pulled away to a sizeable advantage and
took the checkered flag by nearly four seconds to earn his second King of the
West 410 Sprint Car Series win of the season. It was also the second time in his
career that Meyers won the Memorial Day weekend finale with the series, as he
also performed that feat in 2002 at Calistoga Speedway.


Some of the most excitement in the main event came from the battle for second between
Hirst and Allard, as the pair ran closely together for much of the race while
riding the high-scary side of the one-third mile clay oval. Allard tried his
hardest to get by Hirst, but the 25-year-old driver of the Roth Enterprises No.
83jr did a solid job to earn his fourth runner up finish of the season. “I tried
to get up there and race with Jason Meyers for the lead again tonight, but he
was definitely the class of the field so I want to congratulate him on the win.
I really have to thank Dennis & Teresa Roth and this whole team for working
so hard. We’ve been really consistent and that’s what you have to do to win a
championship.”


Allard crossed the stripe in third for a nice end to the weekend that had some
adversity to it at times. On Saturday night the three-time King of the West
champ got upside down in the main event and then came back to set fast time on
Sunday, but contact while racing for position in turn three during his heat race
resulted in him having to come through the LCQ. “We kind of got forced into the
wall there in the heat race, but all my guys did a great job and we got rolling
good there in the feature. This place is always fun to race at and it was great
racing with Kyle Hirst like that tonight. I want to thank everyone for coming
out and we’ll look forward to the next race.”


Peter Murphy of Sydney, Australia had a strong run in the main event to earn his best
King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series finish of the season in fourth. The
veteran driver made some great moves in the feature and looked fast all night
long in the Dalton’s Landscaping No. 1nz mount. Current King of the West point
leader Rico Abreu rounded out the top-five in the main event to score his eighth
top-five finish in the first eight races of the season. The consistency that the
21-year-old has put together has been ultra impressive and we’d like to wish him
the best of luck as he heads back to the Midwest to compete for Keith Kunz
Racing over the next handful of weeks.


Completing the top-10 in the main event were Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs, Grass Valley’s
Jason Statler, Campbell’s Brent Kaeding, Fresno’s Carson Macedo and Medford,
Oregon’s Roger Crockett. Capturing the 12-lap Last Chance Qualifier was Jonathan
Allard and winning the six-lap dash was Kyle Hirst. Kaeding Performance heat
race wins went to Bud Kaeding, Peter Murphy and Evan Suggs. Allard became the
first repeat fast time qualifier to begin the night in BR Motorsports qualifying
by ripping the one-third mile oval in 13.492 seconds.


The King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will now have some time off before
resuming action on June 29 at the Placerville Speedway in Placerville,
California.

Jason Meyers wins thriller over Kyle Hirst Saturday night in Tulare

Get out the brooms- Jason Meyers sweeps KWS Round 7


 

Two-time Outlaw champ Meyers fends off Kyle Hirst to win a thriller on opening night of the King of
the West Sprint Car Series “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” in Tulare


By Gary Thomas


 

Tulare,
CA – May 25, 2013…Clovis, California’s Jason Meyers showed the form that made
him a two-time World of Outlaws champion on Saturday night at the Merle Stone
Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway, fending off the relentless challenges of Kyle
Hirst and others to complete a clean sweep during the seventh round of action
for the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series.


 

It
was the 13th Golden State/ King of the West 410 Series victory of
Meyers’ career, giving him sole possession of seventh place on the all-time list
and putting him within one win of tying Tyler Walker for sixth. The evening
couldn’t have gone better for Meyers, who set fast time, won his heat race, won
the dash and then claimed an immensely entertaining 30-lap main event to cap the
night. The triumph came aboard the Tarlton & Son Inc., Corporate America
Investments No. 21m KPC machine and was the first clean sweep in series
competition since 2010.


 

“Wow
is all I can say right now,” said an exuberant Meyers on the front stretch. “I
hope all you fans enjoyed that because it sure was fun from my seat. Kyle Hirst
gave me everything I could handle there and I really had to get up on my toes
and work for it. I love racing out here in California when I get the chance and
there is no better place than the Thunderbowl. This place is awesome. I really
have to thank the whole Tarlton family for the chance to drive this car and all
the sponsors that support our efforts.”


 

The
30-lap feature went green with Meyers getting the advantage into turn one, but
the pack of 22 cars strong immediately began to dice it up throughout the field.
Sacramento’s Willie Croft, who married long time fiancée Samantha last Sunday,
had his elbows up early on and closed in on Meyers quickly. Rounding turn four
to complete lap three “Double Down” charged to the high scary side and zoomed
around the No. 21m sprint car to take the lead as the crowd came to their feet.
Croft was able to maintain the lead as lapped traffic came into play and did a
terrific job navigating the slower cars with Meyers breathing down his neck.


 

Croft
was in search of his third victory of the KWS season aboard the Tri-C Machine
sprinter and sat out front as the midway point was reached, but at that same
time had Meyers, Kyle Hirst and current point leader Rico Abreu right there
within striking distance. Racing through thick and heavy lapped traffic Croft
would make one minor slip up and allowed Meyers the chance to retake the lead
off turn two on lap 17, with Hirst following along in second. Three-time &
defending KWS champ Jonathan Allard was also beginning to pick up steam and got
by Abreu for fourth, but shortly after would bring out the red flag when he got
upside down in turn three on lap 19.


 

When
racing got back underway it soon became a fight for the lead between Meyers and
Hirst up front. With just under 10-circuits remaining Hirst got a big run down
the back stretch and pulled a crowd pleasing slide job to get by Meyers through
turns three and four, but the two-time Outlaw champion crossed over and sliced
back into the lead heading into turn one. The 25-year-old Hirst wasn’t done just
yet however, as a couple laps later pulled off the same maneuver through three
and four, but once again Meyers was able to use his veteran prowess to cut back
to the inside and reclaim the lead.


 

With
the crowd buzzing with excitement Hirst remained glued to Meyers’ back bumper as
the laps ticked off and when Willie Williams waved the white flag, Hirst gave it
one more shot. The driver of the Roth Enterprises No. 83jr mount railed the high
side through turns one and two and got another big run down the back stretch.
Going into the final set of corners Hirst charged to the low line to get side by
side with Meyers and as the duo came off turn four it was Meyers just hanging on
by 0.165 seconds for the thrilling victory.


 

Hirst
gave it all he had over the final half of the race but came up just short of
winning his second King of the West 410 main event of the year. “That was a
great race there with Jason Meyers and I had a lot of fun tonight racing on this
track,” Hirst commented. “Those final few laps were some of the best racing
you’ll see and I really wanted to give Dennis & Teresa Roth a win at their
home track. I want to congratulate Jason on the win because he did a great job.
We’ll come back here tomorrow and try to put this Roth Enterprises car into
victory lane. Big thanks to this whole team for all their hard work.”


 

Abreu
was able to cross the stripe in third aboard the Abreu Vineyards No. 24 and did
another great job to earn his sixth podium finish in the first seven races of
the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series season. “I just love racing here in
Tulare and it’s nice to be back up here again on the podium,” said Abreu. “We
were a tick free in the feature, but Jason Meyers and Kyle Hirst were really
good tonight and that was a great battle there over the last few laps. I want to
thank Paul Silva and all my guys and hopefully we can come back tomorrow and put
this thing in the winner’s circle.”


 

Medford,
Oregon’s Roger Crockett made the trip down for Memorial Day Weekend and had a
strong run in the feature to come from 10th to fourth in the SKS
Racing No. 11 machine. It’s always a pleasure to have the multiple-time NW
Sprint Car Champion on hand with the King of the West 410 Series. After leading
a number of laps in the main event Croft came home in fifth to score his fourth
consecutive top-five finish. Completing the top-10 in the 30-lapper were Dominic
Scelzi, Peter Murphy, Craig Stidham, Carson Macedo and Brent Kaeding. Full
results are available at www.kwssprints.com


 

Racing
continues tonight at the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare to
cap the “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial Weekend.” It will mark the eighth
round of action for the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series.

King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series announces tow money & hotel package for Northern Nevada events

By Gary Thomas

Fernley, Nevada – March 5, 2013…The anticipation continues to mount for the upcoming 2013 King of the West Sprint Car Series season and the already lucrative events in Northern Nevada just got even that much better, with the announcement of a tow money & hotel package for the seven KWS 410 weekends in the Silver State.

As previously announced the amount of money on the line for teams this year with the King of the West Series during the Northern Nevada dates will be inflated as well, with each event at Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway & Rattlesnake Raceway paying $3,500 to win the A-main and a very stout $1,000-to-start each night. All teams are eligible for the beefed up nightly purses in Nevada.

For King of the West Sprint Car Series teams that compete on a full time basis in 2013, there is also an extra incentive for the Northern Nevada events, with tow money and complimentary hotel rooms being offered.

To be eligible for the extra benefits a team must be in the top-25 of points & also be a “Member in Good Standing,” which specifies you can’t miss more than two races at any point during the season. The “Member in Good Standing” system has been used for the end of the season point fund payout the last two years and will once again be used in 2013.

At each of the seven Northern Nevada weekends for the King of the West Series this year, the top-25 “Members in Good Standing” will receive a complimentary hotel room on Friday & Saturday night.

In addition to the free hotel rooms, tow money will also be handed out for the top-25 “Members in Good Standing” during the Nevada weekends. A team will earn $100 if they attend the race on Friday night & another $100 for Saturday to make for a total of $200 a weekend.

“The community support has been just phenomenal up here in Northern Nevada and we’re excited to get the season started,” said KWS Managing Director & RTF Speedway Promoter Dan Simpson. “Many of our events in Nevada are held in conjunction with major festivals & that will give all our great supporters something fun to do when they visit Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway and Rattlesnake Raceway.”

The first weekend of competition in Northern Nevada for the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series is slated for May 17 & 18 at the Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway in Fernley. The double-header outing will mark round’s five and six in the battle for the KWS crown in 2013. The series is set to compete on five weekend’s at the RTF Speedway, along with a pair at the Rattlesnake Raceway in Fallon.

The two-night weekends in Nevada for the King of the West Sprint Car Series are evenly spread throughout the season and in addition to the May 17 & 18 event at RTF others include June 7 & 8 at Rattlesnake, July 5 & 6 at RTF, August 9 & 10 at RTF, August 31 & September 1 at Rattlesnake, September 13 & 14 at RTF and KWS championship weekend on October 25 & 26 at RTF.

The 2013 season for the King of the West Sprint Car Series will officially kick off on Saturday April 20 at the Antioch Speedway in Antioch, California.