Tribute to Al Hinds initiates Placerville Speedway season on Saturday
2024-04-09 23:41
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Placerville, CA…Placerville Speedway is prepared to open its 59th season of action on Saturday by honoring a man that had a key role in making it all possible, with the 21st annual "Tribute to Al Hinds" taking to the red clay.
Divisions set to usher in the championship season will include the Thompson's Family of Dealerships Winged 360 Sprint Cars, the Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks, the Mountain Democrat Mini Trucks and the High Sierra Industries Wingless Spec Sprints.
Saturday's Winged Sprint Car main event will also hand out $2,000 to the winner.
The Tribute to Al Hinds began in 2004 following the passing of early track promoter and mentor, Al Hinds, a longtime Placerville resident and true race fan that touched the lives of many.
Hinds was the second promoter of Placerville Speedway. He took operation of the track with business partner Richard Hirst from its founder, Bruno Romani, in 1968, three years after it first opened when the facility was built around an existing community football field.
The operator of a local machine shop by trade, Hinds loved the community where he lived. In his final years of life, he enjoyed sitting with some of his best friends every night in the grandstands at Placerville Speedway and loved watching young talent make a name for themselves in the sport.
The inaugural Tribute to Al Hinds was captured by Roger Crockett, while last season saw Andy Forsberg claim his third triumph in the event. It was a special night for the nine-time Placerville Speedway titlist, as it marked his milestone 200th career victory.
Track champions last season with the Thompson's Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks and Mountain Democrat Mini Trucks included Hanford's Michael Faccinto, Oakley's Nick Baldwin and Placerville's Mike Miller respectively.
The High Sierra Industries Wingless Sprints make their first of four visits to the Placerville bullring on Saturday. They'll return for additional outings on Thompson's Fan Appreciation Night in June and both nights of the Nor*Cal Posse Shootout over Labor Day weekend.
Tickets and Details:
Grandstand seating is general admission this Saturday April 13th, except for the reserved seats marked for season ticket holders. Adult tickets cost $18, while seniors 62+, military and juniors 12-17 will be $16. Kids 6-11 cost $8 and those five and under are free.
Purchase tickets online at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/psr-041324 or at the gate on race day. Pit passes can be purchased at the pit gate or via the Pit Pay App to take advantage of the expanded seating area on the hill.
The pit gate will open at noon, with the front gate opening at 3pm. Happy Hour is offered when the gates open until 6pm in the grandstands featuring live music along with discounted Coors Light and Coors Original at the beer booth. The pit meeting will be held at 4:45pm with cars on track at 5:15. Hot laps, ADCO Driveline qualifying and racing will follow.
For those who can't make it to the track, CaliDirt.TV will provide live flag-to-flag coverage of every Placerville Speedway point race this season. The live streaming service also includes each event with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour. Fans can purchase through a cost savings monthly membership or on a per race basis via https://calidirt.tv/
The Placerville Speedway is located on the beautiful 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. For more information on the Placerville Speedway log onto http://www.placervillespeedway.com
Join over 19,000 followers of Placerville Speedway on Facebook, where you can keep abreast of updates for the 2024 season. You can also find Placerville Speedway on X/Twitter by following us https://twitter.com/pvillespeedway - In addition, Placerville Speedway is also on Instagram. Please follow us @PvilleSpeedway.
Upcoming events at Placerville Speedway:
Saturday April 13: Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks and High Sierra Wingless Spec Sprints | 21st annual Tribute to Al Hinds
Saturday April 20: IMCA Sport Mods, Ltd. Late Models, Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks | Tilford Tribute
Saturday April 27: Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Ltd. Late Models, Pure Stocks and Nor-Cal Dwarf Cars