Drivers sprint into festive double at Avalon

A CRUCIAL stage of the Eureka Sprintcar Series heads to Avalon Raceway tonight as part of a post-Christmas double-header.

Avalon will host Round 7 of the series before it heads to Simpson Speedway on Wednesday, with strong fields in both rounds.

These rounds are important to the regular drivers that will see valuable points gained heading into 2018 and give a clearer picture of the drivers’ standings.

Current points leader 18year-old Rusty Hickman will lead the charge, along with Tim Hutchins, who is sitting in second place from the current series champion Brett Milburn.

While both Milburn and Hutchins have been series round feature winners, Hickman is yet to claim his first round win. But consistent top placings in the rounds conduc- ted so far have him at the top of the table. Corey McCullagh, who took his first round win at Simpson last season, will be tough to beat and former Victorian Title champion Tim Rankin will be hoping for a trouble-free run.

Crowd favourite and fivetime series champion John Vogels had a late start to this season, but is entered in both events and a podium finish is not beyond him.

Two drivers nominated for both events that could nearly call Simpson Speedway home are Grant Stansfield and Rhys Baxter. Both are sprintcar racing rookies this season but their performances have been nothing short of sensational.

A little home track advantage will be helpful.

Other drivers nominated for both rounds include Rod Matthews, Daniel Newnham, Bobby Daly, Steven Spark and Michael Tancredi.

Also tonight, sedans race for the Christmas Cup, with Torquay youngster Kye Wal- ters one to watch. Walters has shown maturity above his years and he looms as a favourite for the clash. Another young gun, Brad Atkins, continues to impress as a former Australian junior champion. Atkins could well be the one to stop Walters’ run.

The Eureka Garages and Sheds Sprintcar Series kicks off at Avalon Raceway tonight, continuing at Simpson tomorrow. Racing starts tonight at 6.30pm. Gates open at 3pm.