Tri-Holiday Sweepstakes returns to the Silver State Raceway

The second leg of the Tri-Holiday Sweepstakes at Silver State Raceway begins Saturday as drivers of the late model stock cars will compete for the first four starting positions of Monday's 150-lap main event.

Drivers from California, Oregon and Nevada are expected to compete for the $2,500 first-place winnings. The race has proven a challenge for each driver to conserve their tires and brakes. The Memorial Day race win went to four-time Silver State Champion Phil Perry of Roseville, Calif.

Perry got the win after race-leader Craig Paulsen of Reno blew his motor on lap 148 of the 150-lap feature. Paulsen is always among the favorites to win the big lap races and is known as the "King of the 100-lappers" at Silver State Raceway. His expertise in tire management and calm, calculated driving are admired by both fans and fellow drivers. Craig returned to competition June 24 with a new motor, and to cheers from race fans.

Twenty-one cars qualified for May's race and more are expected to be in this weekend's race, with most having a four-day holiday for the Fourth of July. Heat races will be held in addition to time-qulifying. The maverick division will also be racing Saturday and Monday, with a 50-lap main event scheduled for Monday.

The mavericks format was a little different from the sportsman. Instead of running one 50-lap main event, they ran "twin-25s." Each race was won by Carson City's Danny Kemp, who is the points leader going into the second leg of the series. Each division's drivers gets points for racing in the Tri-Holiday Sweepstakes races. They include Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends. At the end of the series, each division will crown a champion after compiling points from all three races.

The top five in points for the sportsman are: Phil Perry of Roseville (150), Chet Danburg of Carson City (148), Shane Kline of Carson City (146), Kevin Pugh (144), and Rich Lawlor of Sparks (142). The top five mavericks are: Kemp (100), Randy Bauer of Carson City (94), Mike McMordie of Reno (90) tied with Bill Gould of Carson City (90) and Mike Fuller of Carson City (84).

Gates open at 5 p.m., qualifying is at 6 p.m. and racing begins at 7:30 p.m. each day. For information, call 885-2079 or visit www.silverstateraceway.com.

-- Information left out of June 24 results: Winning the maverick division's trophy dash was Mike Fuller. This was Fuller's first-ever trophy dash win, which left him all smiles and a large contingency of fans cheering in celebration.