Trophy Cup to Thunderbowl Raceway in 2005. Tulare becomes fourth host in race history - By Bobby Gerould - Tulare, CA. 08/18/05 …The Trophy Cup is on the move. For the fourth time in the 12-year history of the storied winged 360 sprint car event, the Trophy Cup will change venues. Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, CA for will host the popular races in 2005. The dates are set for October 28-29th. Originally contested at the now defunct San Jose Speedway from 1994-99, the event made a one-time appearance at Watsonville Speedway in 2000. Most recently Kings Speedway in Hanford, CA was the host track (2001-04).
The two-night Trophy Cup benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation boasts a purse of $80,000 and features the best winged 360 sprint car teams from across the United States, and Canada. The date of the race is scheduled to accommodate those drivers that are running for points with the World of Outlaws. Their season wraps up the weekend prior in Las Vegas.
The Trophy Cup features a unique points system that entertains fans to no end with inverted starts on the 1/3-mile clay oval. Points are tallied every time a driver hits the racing surface. The payout is equally divided between racing finishing positions, and a separate points kitty. The norm is for the Trophy Cup champion to walk away with over $10,000 for the two nights of racing. But perhaps the biggest reason for the success of the event is the payout to those further down the line. For instance, the 24th place team can expect to make over $1,000 themselves. To add fun to the event, a Friday night spaghetti feed will take place. All proceeds from the Trophy Cup go directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Race team entrant fees are $150 per car through October 15th. Those who do not enter by the October 15th deadline will pay $200 entry at the Pit Gate on Friday October 28th. All entry monies are donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Spectator tickets are priced at $18 (Bleacher - General Admission), $22 (Grandstand - Reserved) for Friday, and $22 (Bleacher - General Admission), $26 (Grandstand - Reserved) for Saturday's final. Fans may purchase tickets by credit card over the phone. Call 559-688-0909 for more information.
Past Trophy Cup winners:
- 1994 Ronnie Day
- 1995 Kevin Pylant
- 1996 Brent Kaeding
- 1997 Mark Kinser
- 1998 Brent Kaeding (2)
- 1999 Brent Kaeding (3)
- 2000 Tommy Tarlton
- 2001 Craig Stidham
- 2002 Tim Kaeding
- 2003 Steve Kent
- 2004 Jac Haudenschild
- 2005 ???????????
