Mitchell Faccinto snags Sprint Car Challenge Tour opener in front of sold out Placerville Speedway crowd
By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA – Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto won twice last season with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards and opened 2018 in stellar fashion, claiming victory in front of a sellout crowd at the Placerville Speedway on Saturday.
Faccinto put together a near perfect night aboard the Western Metal Company/ TSG Recycling No. 37, after winning the BR Motorsports heat race, the Race Punk dash and earning the Metal Works fastest lap in the A-main. The victory was a career first in Placerville for Faccinto and awarded him $4500 thanks to extra money from Elk Grove Ford and Kyle Larson Racing. Adding in the contingency prizes it bumped that number up to a solid $4800 in winnings.
“It feels great to get our first win at Placerville Speedway tonight and even better to do it on opening night with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour,” Faccinto said on the front stretch. “This place hasn’t always been our best, but my guys gave me an outstanding car tonight, so I can’t thank them enough. We had a really good year last season and hope this is a sign of things to come in 2018. We’ll use this momentum and hopefully do it again with SCCT in Stockton on April 14.”
The 35-lap feature began with Faccinto jumping into the lead ahead of fellow front row starter Michael “Buddy” Kofoid. A couple of cautions early on slowed the pace, but once lapped traffic came into play things became interesting. As Faccinto caught traffic it allowed Kofoid and Grass Valley’s Brad Sweet the opportunity to close in and make it a three-car fight for the lead. A caution on lap 21 brought the party to a stop however and gave the leaders an open track.
The remainder of the race saw Faccinto put together smooth and consistent laps and even despite catching traffic towards the end, was able to keep the field at bay and cross under the Ron Stahl checkered flag by 0.737 seconds in front of Kofoid. Faccinto also becomes the first driver to reach three career wins with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards.
Kofoid’s runner up finish capped off a solid night in the Van Dyke Motorsports/ Gary Silva Ranches No. 5H machine. The 16-year-old last season finished fifth in the tour standings, ironically one position behind Faccinto. The podium in the feature was rounded out by Sweet, who made a cameo appearance in the Rod Tiner Racing/ Shark Engines No. 83SA. The World of Outlaws regular battled defending SCCT champion Kyle Hirst for much of the race and was able to make the pass with a few laps remaining.
Hirst and Fremont’s Shane Golobic completed the top-five. The remainder of the top-10 was round out by San Jose’s Tim Kaeding, who earned the Pit Stop USA Hard Charger Award by carving way from 16th to sixth, Auburn’s Andy Forsberg, Lemoore’s Carson Macedo, Roseville’s Willie Croft and Penngrove’s Chase Johnson.
A-main finish: 1. 37 Mitchell Faccinto, 2. 5H Michael Kofoid, 3. 83SA Brad Sweet, 4. 83JR Kyle Hirst, 5. 22 Shane Golobic, 6. 42X Tim Kaeding, 7. X1 Andy Forsberg, 8. 21 Carson Macedo, 9. 29 Willie Croft, 10. 5V Chase Johnson, 11. 33T Jimmy Trulli, 12. 56 Justin Sanders, 13. 88N DJ Netto, 14. 41 Gio Scelzi, 15. 75 Sean Becker, 16. 7C Tony Gualda Jr., 17. 97 Shane Hopkins, 18. 55 Cody Hodgson, 19. 57 Dustin Golobic, 20. 5C Colby Copeland, 21. P37 Matt Petersen, 22. 31C Justyn Cox, 23. 3C Tanner Thorson, 24. 47 Mason Moore
The Finley Farms B-main was captured by Cameron Park’s Shane Hopkins, while Lemoore’s Cole Macedo won the C-main. As noted Mitchell Faccinto claimed the Race Punk Dash and the BR Motorsports heat race. Brad Sweet scooped up victory in the Allstar Performance heat, with Tanner Thorson winning the A.R.T. Speed Equipment heat and Carson Macedo taking home the King Racing Products heat.
Shane Golobic opened the evening by setting the Quick Time Mortgage/ ADCO Driveline and Custom Exhaust fast time with a lap of 11.114 around the quarter-mile. It marked his fifth fast time with the tour in 11-starts.
The Placerville Speedway returns to action next Saturday April 7 with the opening Red Hawk Casino championship point race. Divisions set to hit the track for “First Responders Night” will include theWinged 360 Sprint Cars, Pure Stocks, IMCA Sport Mods and Mini Trucks. More info can be found at www.placervillespeedway.com
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards will return to competition on Saturday April 14 at the Stockton Dirt Track. The night of racing will honor National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Jimmy Sills with the third annual Jimmy Sills Classic. More info can be found at www.stocktondirttrack.com
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is proudly sponsored by Elk Grove Ford, Abreu Vineyards, Hoosier Racing Tires, Bianchi Farms, Kyle Larson Racing, All Star Performance, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Pit Stop USA, Auto Meter, ADCO Driveline & Exhaust, Bullard Construction, Chris Kenner Racing Specialties/ Security Race Products, CLT Logging, CRV Carbon Solutions, D&D Roofing, Driven2SaveLives, Dynachrome, Finley Farms, Garner Heat Treat Inc., Garth Moore Insurance and Financial Services, Jockos Sprint Parts, Keizer Wheels, Kevin Sharrah Designs, Light Up the World Beverages, Moto Wear, Metal Works, Naake Suspension, PT Shocks, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Quick Time Mortgage, Race Punk, R&R Racewear, Saldana Racing Products, Team Ford of Woodland, Walker Performance Filtration.
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour is operated under the Russell Motorsports Inc. banner, which also manages the Placerville Speedway in Placerville, California. For sponsorship opportunities and inquiries, RMI can be reached at 530-344-7592 or office@sprintcarchallengetour.com
More information on the Sprint Car Challenge Tour presented by Elk Grove Ford and Abreu Vineyards can be found at our official website www.sprintcarchallengetour.com – Be sure to also like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter for the latest breaking news regarding SCCT.
Photos courtesy of Jason Tucker and Joe Shivak