By Troy Hennig
(Chico, CA)…Chico’s Shane Scott, a seven-time sprint car track champion at Silver Dollar Speedway, has been named this weekend’s Grand Marshall for the heavily anticipated Spring Nationals April 30th and May 1st. Scott, originally from Honolulu, moved to Chico when he was just a year old. Hence, his famous nickname, the Flyin’ Hawaiian, was synonymous throughout his racing legacy.
Scott amassed 59 career wins at Silver Dollar Speedway to go along with the seven track titles. He currently sits in the fifth spot when it comes to all-time wins at Chico. His first win was April 17, 1982 and his final triumph came on August 28, 1998. Scott, now 65, retired from sprint car racing in 2001 but is still supports the track as a fan and sponsor. Scott hangs out in the pit area with fellow friends who still have a passion for dirt track racing.
In 2005, Scott was inducted into the Chico Sports Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted into the Northern California Auto Racing Alumni Hall of Fame. “His presence in the Chico community has been tremendous,” said track manager Dennis Gage. “He is an ambassador for auto racing and this community that he has lived in for the majority of his life.”
“When I greet Shane, I don’t call him by his name,” said track announcer Troy Hennig. “To me he is the archetype of what our sport should be. He was electrifying as a driver but off the track he was even a better person than driver. In my book that makes you a champion in life. So, I always just refer to him as ‘Champ’ when we say hi to each other.”
In 2008, Scott started the Bill Brownell Memorial, honoring his late friend. As we enter the 13th edition, the event itself is still as popular today as it was in 2008. “Bill meant a lot of things to a lot of people in Chico,” said Scott. “To me, he was not only a mentor but a best friend.”
Bill Brownell was a motorcycle pioneer and auto racing enthusiast. Brownell was a fixture at Silver Dollar Speedway and loved seeing the sport flourish with young drivers who moved up out of the go-karts at Cycleland Speedway. Brownell was one of the founding fathers of Cycleland Speedway and spent his entire life involved in either racing on two wheels or supporting drivers on four wheels. His love for motorcycles, outlaw karts and sprint cars were infectious.
Scott, along with Care Free Pools, is adding extra money for the winged 360 sprint cars on Friday night April 30. As of now, the feature event winner will receive $2500. Other incentives include heat race win money and a fast time bonus award. “I can’t think Care Free Pools enough for helping sponsor the Brownell with me,” said Scott. Fry’s Metal is also helping sponsor this weekend.
Former Winners of the Bill Brownell Memorial; 2008 – Mason Moore, 2009 – Kyle Hirst, 2010 – Sean Becker, 2011 – Dan Menne, 2012 – Tyler Wolf, 2013 – Willie Croft, 2014 – Keith Bloom Jr., 2015 – Rico Abreu, 2016 – Jonathan Allard, 2017 – Kyle Hirst, 2018 – Kyle Hirst (3), 2019 – Justin Sanders.
All fans will be directed to purchase your tickets on-line. Please visit www.silverdollarspeedway.com and click on ticket or next event. All prices are listed on our website for next weekend’s event. We strongly recommend buying these tickets soon.
Camping will be allowed for both nights of racing. Please stop by the fair office to pay.
Friday night, April 30th, is the 13th Bill Brownell Memorial. It will feature winged 360 sprint cars, Street Stocks and Dwarf Cars. Pit gate opens at 3 PM. All teams need to come through the Costco side entrance of Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy. Grandstands are set to open at 5 PM.
Saturday night is the 8th Running of the David Tarter Memorial. The race will also mark the first appearance by the popular traveling Sprint Car Challenge Tour (SCCT). The Dwarf Cars will also be on hand. Pit gate opens at 3 PM. All teams need to come through the Costco side entrance of Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy. Grandstands are set to open at 5 PM.
Further updates will be available at www.silverdollarspeedway.com or at https://www.sprintcarchallengetour.com/. We will also have information posted on our Facebook and twitter pages.
Stats provided for this article were provided by www.nwsprintcarhistory.com and www.norcalracinghistory.com
Photo credit: Tear-Off Heaven Fotos
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