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McDaniel eyes Modified title tonight

CHICO, CA - For the final time this season the dirt modifieds will race at Silver Dollar Speedway on Wednesday night, September 4. Along with the California Sprint Car Civil War Series, the two divisions will prelude the 49th annual running of the Gold Cup Race of Champions. The top 22 drivers in the point standings will be on hand for this invitational only race.

Seating will be general admission during this night of racing and adult prices are $15.00. Juniors are $11.00 with children being $4.00. Front grandstand gates will open at 5 pm with sprint car qualifying slated to start at 6:30 pm. Racing for the dirt modifieds will start at 7 pm.

It could also possibly be the final appearance for driver Randy McDaniel. The former three-time track champion and current point’s leader is selling his operation and plans on racing at other track with other organizations next year. McDaniel has dominated every stat this year at Chico. He leads the division in wins with seven. He has the most heat race wins at nine, more top five finishes than anyone else at 15 and has the most top ten finished with 19. With those kinds of numbers it’s no wonder that he holds a 32-point lead over Durham’s Mike Sohnrey going into the final night.

"I guess you could say it was just time for me," said McDaniel. "The points battle up here is just so tough and it takes so much time out of your life to get up here every Friday night. Next year we are still going to race up here a lot, but we will not run for the points title." McDaniel’s operation consists of numerous complete cars with spare motors, the truck and trailer and whatever else he can find. "The trailer is actually Andy Hillenburg’s first trailer he took out on the World of Outlaws back in the mid-nineties." He added by saying, "we as a family are not done racing by any means, we just want to race other tracks and possibly other divisions, we’ll just regroup over the winter and see what happens."

Sohnrey come into the contest as the second best driver in the series. With five wins and 17 top-ten finishes, Sohnrey has had an excellent year. Sitting in third is track veteran Ken Micheli. This Live Oak driver is winless on the year but has steadily been up near the front the last three weeks. Marysville’s Ryan McDaniel, Randy’s son, is the top rookie this year at the track. Winless so far this year, McDaniel has 16 top-ten finishes.

Rounding out the top five is Paradise’s Bob Funkhouser. He is also a rookie to the division and has 11 top-ten finishes. Other main event winners in the top ten in points are Yuba City’s Duane Cleveland, sixth in points, with two wins and Chico’s Richard Papenhausen, ninth in points, with one win.

Gold Cup Daily News
Published daily during the annual Gold Cup Race of Champions in Chico, CA
Published by John Padjen Motorsports
Design and Production - Bill Sullivan
Assistants/Contributors - Troy Hennig, Dennis Gage, Richard Day, WoO
Photographs supplied by Aron Jones, JohnPadjenMotorsports.com

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