The Northern California Racing Association and the North State Racing Association have agreed to run a “King of the Hill Challenge Series” between the Lakeport and Ukiah speedways for the 2009 racing season.

Regular season points races will be run alternatively between the two tracks from April 4th through  Labor Day weekend (September 6th). Championship points will be accumulated in the same manner at both tracks, and a “King of the Hill Challenge Series” champion will be awarded for each racing class at the end of the season.

This is an evolution of the wildly successful first “King of the Hill Challenge Series” run during the 2007 season. The series was originally created to help each speedway adapt to the rapidly changing economy that has devastated local racetracks nationwide.

Racers and fans are looking forward to a much higher car count with competitors from both racing communities. Last time, as many as 23 Modifieds showed up to race, and Bombers topped out at 30.

This year, events will regularly include our local classes: Modifieds, Mini-Stocks, Street Stocks, and Bombers. Also appearing will be a variety of touring classes including the Airport Auto Brokers Late Models, Legends, B.C.R.A. Midgets and Vintage Midgets, and the sleek Thunder Roadsters.

Fans will be able to follow their favorite racers back-and-forth over the hill, joining together with fans and families from both racing communities, to see them compete at two vastly different tracks.

Lakeport Speedway is a ¼ mile asphalt slightly-banked D-shaped track with short straights and four distinct turns. Historically known as “The Equalizer”, it emphasizes handling, traction management, and split-second decisions. Lakeport will run a variety of novelty races including Demolition Derbies and the ever-popular Boat Races. Lakeport is also introducing a new entry-level easy-to-build-and-run class of four-cylinder cars called the “Jammers”.

Ukiah Speedway is a ¼ mile asphalt moderately-banked hairpin track with long straights. It emphasizes power and responsiveness from the high-speed straights to the single 180° turns at either end. Ukiah will run novelty events like the rollover contest, Boat Races, and Demolition Derbies. Ukiah will also run several Slider races. Sliders are front-wheel-drive cars with skidplates instead of rear wheels, making turns anything from challenging to loopy.

This season, both tracks will open up their infields to run, for the first time ever, their own versions of the heart-stopping Figure-8 races, where demolition-derby style cars race not only around the track, but also through infield cross-traffic.

Racers looking for that championship trophy and points fund will be significantly challenged by more and different competitors, two tracks that take completely different setups and skills, and the requirement that they race at least 70% of the events at each track.

Each racing event will be run independently by the management team for each track with a common set of class rules and series guidelines. Arbitration between tracks will be handled by Noel McCormack Sr., and event continuity will be overseen at both tracks by Nadine Strauss helping with Race Direction, and Curtis Clauson as Head of Technical Inspection.

Both associations, their managements teams, and their respective fairground boards are looking forward to the boost this series is expected to give the racing communities by providing larger and more challenging events, a greater fan turnout, and the advertising opportunities they can offer to the economically beleaguered businesses in both Lakeport and Ukiah.