CHICO, CA (9-1-05) - Former Silver Dollar Speedway champion Tim Kaeding of San Jose will celebrate a homecoming next week at Silver Dollar Speedway when he returns with the traveling World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series to compete in the 52nd Gold Cup Race of Champions. Over 80 teams are expected to compete for the more than $160,000 offered by track promoter John Padjen. The giant event will be held Wednesday through Saturday September 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Kaeding has spent the year on the road with the National Tour after capturing the Silver Dollar Speedway Mini-Gold Cup this past March. He already had etched his way into the Silver Dollar record book with track championships in 1998 and 2001. He also scored a statewide championship in Golden State Challenge winged sprint car series before joining the Outlaws. His tenacity in Chico has been widely recognized as a combination of talent and guts. He rides the wild side around the ¼ mile clay oval and rarely flinches at danger. He will ride the same Dennis Roth Beef Packer car that he won the Mini Gold Cup in.

Kaeding’s teammate and second place finisher in the Mini Gold Cup, Jac Haudenschild of Wooster, Ohio has also been known for his flamboyant driving style that earned him the nickname of “Wild Child”. His entry in a second Dennis Roth owned car that will assure race fans plenty of action during the 2005 Gold Cup Race of Champions. Haudenschild has twice won the Gold Cup in 1998 and 1999.

Other former Gold Cup Champions expected include Steve Kinser of Bloomington, Indiana, North Dakota’s Donny Schatz, and Missouri’s Danny Lasoski.

Locally, former World of Outlaw star Jonathan Allard of Chico will join 2005 track champion Sean Becker of Sacramento to uphold the honors of the track regulars. Becker also captured the Golden State challenge title this year, but it was Allard who displayed all the flash winning 5 of the 7 races he ran during the regular season, plus establishing a new all time track record of 11.307 seconds.

Complete race programs will be held each night. Wednesday will feature the Civil War sprint cars and BCRA midget lites. The Outlaws will race Thursday through Saturday. All Wednesday nights seats are general admission on a first come basis. The ticket box office and front gate open at 5 PM on Wednesday. The remaining nights tickets will be available before race day at the track office located behind the main grandstand beginning Monday September 5th. Beginning next week, information may be obtained from the track office at 530-891-6535. Prior to that, tickets or information may be obtained from the track business office at 916-969-7484 or the track website www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com.