PLACERVILLE, Calif. \u2014 June 13, 2025 | By Staff Reporter<\/p>\n
It was a humbling start under the golden light of an early summer evening as drivers rolled into Placerville Speedway for one of the West Coast\u2019s most challenging dirt track events\u2014the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial, featuring the fire-breathing 410 Sprint Cars under the NARC King of the West series.<\/p>\n
The driver of the Charlton Motorsports #21 car offered a firsthand account of the notorious Placer County track, known among locals as Old Hangtown.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis place literally builds a curb every night,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
he said, gesturing to the edge of the oval.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not just saying a cushion\u2014I\u2019m talking a curb… rough, choppy, and absolutely unforgiving.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Placerville\u2019s unique layout, without an outside retaining wall, means that tilled-up clay builds up along the top groove, forming a lip that racers either ride or wreck on. \u201cIt\u2019s the only track I know where you either hook the edge or you hug the infield, and both lines are completely different animals,\u201d the driver added.<\/p>\n
Despite meticulous preparation and optimism for a top finish, his qualifying run fell flat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a game plan and just completely missed,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
he admitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t execute, missed my marks, didn\u2019t carry enough momentum.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The driver qualified late in the order, when the surface had already<\/p>\n
\u201cgotten more technical,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
as sun and tires dried the once-soggy clay.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s just Placerville,\u201d he sighed. \u201cWith a 410 under you, it\u2019s easy to feel out of control.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Still, the stakes are high at the Bradway Memorial. While the exact winner\u2019s purse remains unofficial, drivers estimate upwards of $5,000 plus bonuses for performance metrics like Quick Time, Hard Charger, and more. The money matters, but for most drivers, it\u2019s about more than the purse. It\u2019s about proving you can run with the best on one of the gnarliest bullrings in California.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fans love this place, and so do we,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
he said while cleaning red clay off the car between sessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut man… it doesn\u2019t love you back.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As the field heads into heat races and features later in the evening, drivers will attempt to claw their way back from early missteps\u2014a story as old as dirt racing itself in the Sierra foothills.<\/p>\n