Buzzin' off the speed demons
SIlver Dollar Speedway offers good old fun
By Zuri Berry
You don't have to travel to Florida or Indiana to get a taste of good ol' motorsports.
Down Hwy. 99, nestled between newly sold homes and the Chico Mall, sits the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico at the Fairgrounds.
Here, you can watch as local drivers compete in the 410 sprints, ride in modified dirt cars, pure stocks and go wingless. Racers come from as far Indianapolis to New Zealand and Australia but the majority are from Northern California.
To the city of Chico, riding at the speedway is definitely not small time.
"We get close to 2,000 (fans) every Friday and Saturday and during the Gold Cup we get up to 12,000 and 13,000," said John Padjen, owner of Silver Dollar Speedway and the Placerville Speedway.
Any given race has between 40 and 80 drivers with the majority competing in the sprints. The Silver Dollar Speedway is a noted attraction in Chico, being featured in the promotional magazine "101 things to do in Butte County."
The cost effect also helps the local economy. According to an estimate given to Padjen, for every dollar spent at the speedway, seventy cents is rolled over into the community at motels, restaurants and grocery stores. Final estimates say almost $6 million pumped into the economy during the Gold Cup race, which is billed the "Race of Champions."
It helps that Chico is an attractive place.
"(The drivers and fans) like the town and community," Padjen said. "And they like the track itself."
The Silver Dollar Speedway is well kept track, Padjen said. The black cape of the track makes it a good race for whatever event.
Chico State student and Chico native Jennifer Scholtes has been to the track before and said mainly local residents go to watch the races.
"I think students are turned away because of the crowd," Scholtes said.
Padjen does not disagree.
