Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox, Oakley’s Nick Baldwin, Auburn’s Ray Trimble and Lotus’ Shawn Whitney snagged Placerville Speedway victories on Saturday during Red Hawk Resort + Casino Night.
Cox ended up leading flag to flag in the Thompson’s Family of Dealerships Winged 360 Sprint Car finale aboard the Berco Redwood No. 42x mount.
It marked his initial triumph of the season, and the 13th of his Placerville Speedway Winged 360 career, giving him sole possession of 14th all-time. Extra money was on the line for the top three finishers in the race in memory of Don London, who we paid tribute to in opening ceremonies.
The 25-lap Winged Sprint Car finale took a total of five attempts to complete one lap. When things finally got going, Cox moved out front and scooted away, while the action behind him turned out to be particularly entertaining.
Several drivers fought it out including championship contender Tony Gomes, who did exactly what he needed to do in the battle for the title. The Modesto competitor moved into third on lap 13 and then snagged second a few laps from the finish.
The runner up result gives Gomes a three-point lead atop the standings heading into the Forni-Humphreys Classic championship finale on September 13th.
Placerville’s Shane Hopkins motored his way from 12th to third to earn the Hard Charger Award, with Auburn’s Andy Forsberg and Sacramento’s Austin Wood rounding out the top five.
It was a marvelous rebound for Wood, who went to the rear at one point after being in a turn four collision. His charge back forward keeps him just three markers behind Gomes going into the finale. Completing the top 10 in the feature were Cole Schroeder, Dylan Bloomfield, Chance Grasty, Kenny Wanderstadt and Steel Powell.
The Red Hawk Resort + Casino Pure Stock feature saw Placerville’s Tyler Lightfoot jump out front and set a quick pace over the early stages. Point leader Nick Baldwin carved his way into second after not too long and began to hound the leader.
Lightfoot had captured the Carnett Clash during the previous week and looked to fend off Baldwin to make it back-to-back wins in the division. With just a handful of laps remaining however, Lightfoot slowed with issues down the back stretch.
Baldwin had nowhere to go and contacted the rear of the No. 23j machine but was able to continue. Following that the six-time Placerville Speedway champion cruised away to collect his 38th career Pure Stock win, putting him one shy of tying Dan Jinkerson.
Kevin Jinkerson, Ryan Peter, Michael Murphy and Colton Arbogast finished second through fifth respectively.
The Nor-Cal Dwarf Car Association put on a tremendous show in the main event, during what could be described as an instant classic. Multiple different leaders and side-by-side racing was prevalent during the 20-lapper.
Shawn Whitney moved out front at the waving of the Ed Entz green flag, with the action behind him as hot as the blistering summer weather during the day. Several movers and shakers were seen as positions changed regularly.
Lincoln’s Dylan Shrum then marched to the front with he and Whitney putting on a show for the fans on hand. The pair split a lapped car with eight laps remaining, but Whitney got sideways and stalled to draw a caution.
After restarting at the tail Whitney proceeded to blast all the way back to the front and challenge Shrum over the final circuits.
The thrilling finish saw Whitney beat out Shrum by 0.002 seconds at the scoring loop. Ben Wiesz, Brenden Shrum and Brandon Aylesworth completed the top five. The Dwarf Cars also went home with extra money in memory of Don London.
The Kings Meats Ltd. Late Model main event was all about Ray Trimble, who snagged the win over Tyler Lightfoot, Chris Mcginnis and Rod Oliver.
Placerville Speedway returns to action this coming Saturday with the 49er Gold Rush Classic featuring Kubota High Limit Racing and BCRA Lightning Sprints. Tickets can be purchased at www.placervillespeedway.com
Results
Placerville Speedway
Red Hawk Resort + Casino Night
August 9, 2025
Thompson’s Dealerships Winged 360 Sprint Cars:
1. 42X-Justyn Cox[1]; 2. 7C-Tony Gomes[10]; 3. 21-Shane Hopkins[12]; 4. 92-Andy Forsberg[8]; 5. 2A-Austin Wood[7]; 6. 3-Cole Schroeder[6]; 7. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield[2]; 8. X1-Chance Grasty[17]; 9. 5-Kenny Wanderstadt[11]; 10. 00-Steel Powell[15]; 11. 7-Jett Barnes[5]; 12. 56-Taylor Hall[20]; 13. 24K-Koa Crane[4]; 14. 17-Anthony Snow[18]; 15. 15-Michael Sellers[3]; 16. 9L-Luke Hayes[9]; 17. 14R-Andy Gregg[16]; 18. 85-AJ Alderman[13]; 19. 76-Jennifer Osborne[14]; 20. 12J-John Clark[19]
Red Hawk Casino Pure Stocks:
1. 17-Nick Baldwin[4]; 2. 30-Kevin Jinkerson[3]; 3. 83-Ryan Peter[2]; 4. 47-Michael Murphy[6]; 5. 08-Colton Arbogast[10]; 6. 54-Anthony Vigna[11]; 7. 48-John Evans[9]; 8. 23J-Tyler Lightfoot[1]; 9. 46-Roy Fulmer[8]; 10. 74-Russell Murphy[5]; 11. 77T-Jason Armstrong[13]; 12. 64-Jaeger Ruckman[7]; 13. (DNS) 91-Jonny Walsh
Kings Meats Ltd. Late Models:
1. 37-Ray Trimble[1]; 2. 23J-Tyler Lightfoot[3]; 3. 22-Chris Mcginnis[2]; 4. 57-Rod Oliver[4]
Dwarf Cars:
1. 15N-Shawn Whitney[1]; 2. 31N-Dylan Shrum[4]; 3. 57N-Ben Wiesz[3]; 4. 50N-Brenden Shrum[2]; 5. 41N-Brandon Aylesworth[7]; 6. 99N-Gage Meyers[9]; 7. 508N-Steve Costello[10]; 8. 42N-Isaak Geil[13]; 9. 69N-Cody Shrum[16]; 10. 29N-Corey Eaton[5]; 11. 410-Chris Durden[6]; 12. 7N-Jace Badeker[12]; 13. 22N-NaRyan Shores[14]; 14. 05N-Tim Dodson[18]; 15. 98N-Roger Shores[20]; 16. 49N-Allan Kordik[19]; 17. 12N-Mike Grenert[8]; 18. 32N-Dan Geil[11]; 19. 3N-Anthony Estrada[15]; 20. 174-John Durden[17]Images courtesy of Gary Thomas and Tim Holland
