by Geoff Rounds
AVALON Raceway goes into overdrive on Boxing Night with the running of the annual Sprintcar Gold Cup presented by Sharp Cranes.
Nearly 60 cars from six states will compete, which also doubles as round six of the Eureka Garages and Sheds Series helping kick-off a the busiest time of year at the venue with three race meetings in just 10 days for fans. 
Sprintcars will be the headline act also on December 30 when the fourth round of the travelling World Series Sprintcars hits town, and the annual K-Rock Cup for Super Sedans brings in 2014 with door-to-door racing on January 4.
This Thursday night though is all about the 900-horsepower sprintcars and will be the second round of the Essendon Ford Track Championship which is currently lead by Steven Lines who will be away on World Series duty giving the main title contenders a big chance to close up his lead.
Tasmanian hard charger Shaun Dobson could be the driver to watch again.
Dobson, 21, currently lies in fourth on the Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria (SRA) series standings and his season has included a fourth at Moama in round one and a second at Avalon in round four.
“It’s been really good. We’ve had a bit of bad luck with motor troubles but we’ve had some good car speed, which has been positive,” Dobson said.
Californian visitors Kyle Hirst and Geoff Ensign have been very strong of late also and look to be big dangers. Hirst has been so impressive since landing in Australia and has finished inside the Top 10 of the three races he’s competed including a close second to Ensign, in the 360 Gold Cup at Hamilton recently.
Dubbo’s Jeremy Cross currently leads the Eureka Series by nearly 200 points from Lines and has a good opportunity to accumulate more valuable points in the 12-rounds championship.
Former SRA champions, JohnVogels and Mike Van Bremen are right in the hunt for the Series as is Terang’s Jack Lee, James Hennessey, Brett Milburn and Geelong’s Domain Ramsay.
The annual Christmas Cup for Modified Productions has attracted 17 entries that will also be hotly contested in another epic Ford Vs Holden battle.
Public gates will open at 3.30pm and racing is from 7.00pm.
Admission:
Adults $25
Child 12-16 $15
Child Under 12 Free
Website: www.avalonraceway.com
For more info contact Jeff Drew 0418 160 985 / Geoff Rounds 0413 024413.