2008 Season Schedule Results Driver Roster Driver Standings Owner Standings Contingency Awards Seasons: |'07|'06|'05|'04| |'03|'02|'01|'00| |'99| Rule Book History Points System Former Champions Cars Tracks Personnel Silver Dollar Speedway Placerville Speedway Golden State Challenge - King of California Series GOLD CUP Race of Champions HELP MENU Site Map Contact Us Search the Site Sponsor Index

Civil War Series to open 55th Gold Cup with crown jewel Pacific Sprint Cup Invitational
by Bill Sullivan

CHICO, CA (9-1-08) - It's the crown jewel of the traveling Hoosier Racing Tires Civil War Sprint Car Series, the annual Pacific Sprint Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. This Wednesday, this classic invitational event that showcases the states' best 360 sprint car drivers will open the 55th running of the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway.

The Hoosier Racing Tires Civil War Race Series is California's exclusive series for 360 cubic powered sprint cars. It takes competitors to five different tracks for 15 different races bringing record car counts to each facility it visits and treating fans to high caliber wheel to wheel racing. Wednesday night the series will showcase its top 32 drivers when it takes to the lighting fast banks of John Padjen's Silver Dollar Speedway to kick start the richest, fastest four days of open wheel racing in California.

Points leader, Sean Becker. JPM Photo Steve Lamothe

Entering Wednesday's event, former Silver Dollar Speedway and Golden State Challenge Champion Sean Becker of Sacramento will headline the roster as he leads the point standings in the traveling series aboard his Scott Miller #2sb sprint car. Becker will be looking to hold off Elk Grove's Kyle Larson, the winner of every Civil War Series event to take place at Silver Dollar Speedway this season Entering Wednesday's race Larson is just 23-points out of the lead.

Defending four time champion Andy Forsberg of Auburn sits third in the standings. Forsberg will be looking to return to victory lane in this annual fall classic as a previous winner and will look to cash in on the $3000 prize once again. Most recently, Forsberg won his second Silver Dollar Speedway track championship

2008 Silver Dollar Speedway track champion, Andy Forsberg. JPM Photo Steve Lamothe

Herman Klein of Sacramento is lurking in the fourth position in the point standings as he pilots the competitive Dale Wondergem owned #91 for the 2008 campaign. Trailing Klein is Calistoga resident Mike Benson who rounds out the top five,

Rookie sensation and 2008 Petaluma Speedway track champion, Alissa Geving.

In the chase for the 2008 Rookie of the Year honors, Penngrove's Alissa Geving continues to charge her way forward in the standings. Geving was recently crowned the 2008 Petaluma Speedway track champion and became the youngest female in the nation to win a sprint car title. Myles Bishop of Escalon continues to pursue Geving in the hunt for the Civil War Rookie honors. Bishop, the winner of the recent American Valley Speedway event in Quincy, is 11-points behind Geving in seventh place. Sacramento's Willie Croft is eighth in the ranks followed by Placerville's Andy Gregg who will be in contention along with Colby Wiesz of Colfax. Wiesz ranks ninth in the standings as is the defending champion of this race, winning is last year while driving the FnF Racing #x1.

This year, Wiesz will defend his victory aboard the John Taylor Motorsports #35 Sprint Car. Wiesz is the third current racing champion in Wednesday's event. After being crowned the 2008 Placerville champ, Wiesz joins with Forsberg and Geving in the trio of championship titlist on hand in Chico. All three drivers will also be competing in the three day World of Outlaws portion of the program behind 410 cubic inch power plants.

For further information on John Padjen Motorsports or the Civil War Sprint Car Series visit www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com.