Two Champions Join The Sprint Car Revival
At Southern Oregon Speedway
When Mike McCann announced that he was starting a Sprint Car class shortly after taking over the reigns of Southern Oregon Speedway, people began to talk. There are several Sprint Car drivers in the area who would like to have a home track to race at, and the fast three-tenth mile dirt oval was home to a Sprint Car division for over a decade. In recent years, Sprint Car racing was mostly booked for the traveling groups that would stop by.
The ten race schedule booked for the coming season will change all of that, and we have roughly ten drivers who have expressed interest in being a part of it. Two of the latest names come with championship credentials. Patrick Dills won the Extreme Sprint Car Championship last year at Cottage Grove Speedway on the strength of three feature wins. He also finished a strong third in the 360 Sprint Car class.
The Sprint Cars haven't had a championship season at Southern Oregon Speedway since 2010. In an effort to get the cars out there, McCann has made it an open class that will allow the winged and injected 410 and 360 Sprint Cars to race with the carbureted Sprint Cars. The idea is to get cars back out to the track, though its not likely that the 410 Sprint Cars will appear regularly.
When last the division did have a point season, Chadd Noland won the championship. Noland has thrown his hat into the ring to be a part of the coming season. Noland and Dills will be fast, and they join others, including Dwarf Car ace Camden Robustelli, Orland Sprint Car champion Bill Hopper, Jeffery Hudson and Todd Whipple, on the growing roster. Robustelli and Hudson are two of the rising young stars on the scene, and Hudson is coming off of an impressive Pro Stock championship effort.
There have been some amazing racers who have competed in this division at Southern Oregon Speedway through the years, including multi time champions Dan Menne, Bill Nutter and Randy Rodgers. The new era means new stars will have their chance to shine, but it could also mean that Noland or Dills could add more championship hardware to their mantles.
The gates will open for the 21st season of racing at Southern Oregon Speedway on April 30th. When they do, the Sprint Cars will be a part of the show. It's a night that begins a new era for the track and the popular division. For more information, check out the official Southern Oregon Speedway web page at www.sospeedway.com.
