PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Russell Motorsports Inc. has released the 2026 schedule of events for the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour.
The California based Winged Sprint Car series is set to contest its ninth overall season, which offers another exciting slate of races up and down the West Coast.
“The Sprint Car Challenge Tour looks to be in for another entertaining season,” commented President Scott Russell. “When you look at it from April to November fans and teams have plenty of great racing to choose from. We want to send a huge thank you to Elk Grove Ford, Hoosier Tire and all the partners that make this tour possible.”
All main events are once again $3,000-to-win/ $400-to-start this coming season.
The Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour will compete in a total of 16 events, which gets underway with the April 4th running of the “Thrill on the Hill,” marking the first of three appearances at Placerville Speedway.
The tour returns to Placerville on May 30 for the second annual “Davy Thomas Memorial,” which moves to a Saturday date this coming year. SCCT will also compete at the red clay on July 18 as part of Western Sprint Tour Speedweek.
Continuing to rise in popularity among fans and teams is Merced Speedway, which is back on the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour schedule. California’s top winged 360 sprint car teams will invade the high-banked quarter mile on Saturday April 25.
The Petaluma Speedway hosts a pair of Sprint Car Challenge Tour events in 2026. Those dates will occur on June 13 with an event dubbed as “Wings Over Wine Country” and October 17, as SCCT sanctions the $5,000-to-win “Adobe Cup” for the fifth consecutive season.
The Sprint Car Challenge Tour will again be part of the 26th annual “Mel and Marlyn Hall Memorial” held on Memorial Day weekend at Marysville Raceway. This coming year’s event takes place on May 24 and has provided several thrills over the last handful of seasons.
The always challenging and popular Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare also hosts the SCCT 360s on Saturday October 3.
For the third consecutive season the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour will embark upon Western Sprint Tour Speedweek, which mirrors that of the schedule last year.
The overall Speedweek champion will claim $4,000 with the runner up receiving $2,500 and third place getting $1,500. Redding’s Max Mittry claimed the title this past season by just two points over Oregon’s Kinzer Cox.
All the action launches at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico on Friday July 17, followed by the “Gold Pan Rampage” at Placerville Speedway on Saturday July 18.
A travel day will be held on Sunday, before action resumes at the Douglas County Dirt Track in Roseburg, Ore., on July 20. Speedweek heads for the coast on Tuesday with a date at the beautiful Coos Bay Speedway on July 21 and continues north to Cottage Grove Speedway on July 22.
Another travel day with a Fan Fest/ Kick-Off Party on Thursday sets up the second SCCT appearance at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., for the two-night “360 Summer Nationals” highlighted by a $26,000-to-win/ $600-to-start main event on Saturday.
Speedweek all culminates with the “Hall of Fame Tribute-360 Battle Royale” on July 26 at Gray’s Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash.
“I really want to thank the staff at Skagit Speedway for coming on board and working with us again on Western Sprint Tour Speedweek,” said Russell. “They are offering a fantastic purse for the racers at the 360 Nationals, which should make for an outstanding weekend of racing. It was great to see a lot of California fans make a vacation out of it last year and travel north with us.”
As is the norm, the Stockton Dirt Track wraps up the SCCT campaign with the 43rd annual “Tribute to Gary Patterson” on November 7.
Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour 2026 Schedule
April 4 Placerville Speedway Placerville, Calif.
April 25 Merced Speedway Merced, Calif.
May 24 Marysville Raceway Marysville, Calif.
May 30 Placerville Speedway Placerville, Calif.
June 13 Petaluma Speedway Petaluma, Calif.
July 17 Silver Dollar Speedway Chico, Calif.
July 18 Placerville Speedway Placerville, Calif.
July 20 Douglas County Dirt Track Roseburg, Ore.
July 21 Coos Bay Speedway Coos Bay, Ore.
July 22 Cottage Grove Speedway Cottage Grove, Ore.
July 24-25 Skagit Speedway Alger, Wash.
July 26 Grays Harbor Raceway Elma, Wash.
October 3 Thunderbowl Raceway Tulare, Calif.
October 17 Petaluma Speedway Pataluma, Calif.
November 7 Stockton Dirt Track Stockton, Calif.
