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12-14-11 A look back at the
2011 King of the West 410 Sprints Royal Court Driver Number 15- “The
Mongoose” Doug Gandy
By Gary Thomas
Rio Vista, CA – December 14, 2011…With the holiday season upon us we’ll
be taking a look back at the 2011 season for the Golden State King of
the West Sprint Car Series from the drivers perspective, as we feature a
glimpse at the year for each of the “members in good standing” from the
inaugural KWS campaign.
This past season saw a total of 15 drivers/teams finish the year as
“members in good standing,” meaning they didn’t miss more than two
events throughout 2011. The impressive loyalty earned those entrants the
chance to be eligible for the point fund at the awards banquet and also
the opportunity to take part in the drawing for a complete sprint car
and engine.
Number 15 on the list was none other than a living legend in the
Northern California dirt track scene, Oakhurst’s Doug Gandy. The
67-year-old veteran returned to winged sprint car racing for a couple of
events in 2010, before making the jump back to full-time competition
this past season.
“When I came back last year it was the first time I had driven a winged
sprint since 1993,” said Gandy, who spent six-years driving for
well-known Nor Cal car owner Morrie Williams. “I was unsure what kind of
schedule I’d run this year, but after talking to Ashley Smith it made
for an easy choice to decide on running the King of the West Series.”
In his career Gandy has won over 100 main events and is a three-time
track champion at the Placerville Speedway, which is located on the El
Dorado County Fairgrounds. The driver known as the “Mongoose” also
captured the Silver Dollar Speedway track title in 1976, etching his
name in the record books at the famed quarter-mile oval in Chico.
“The King of the West Series was a lot of fun this year and I’m really
excited about coming back next season,” commented Gandy. “I noticed it
was like a family traveling down the road with KWS and it hasn’t been
that way for a while, so it was a great thing. I want to thank my team
of Doug, Brandon, Scott Adelsbach and everyone that pitched in like
Ashley Smith and Williams Motorsports, as well as Dan Simpson and DES
Racing.” Gandy would also like to thank Scott Brown of MRO Inc.,
Oakhurst Tire and Lemire Tractor Inc.
To learn more about the “Mongoose” Doug Gandy please take a look at his
appearance on “KWS Tonight” at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16159861
The Golden State King of the West 410 Sprints would like to thank the
following companies for their support this season: Goodyear Racing
Tires, Pit Stop USA.com, Kaeding Performance, Hoseheads.com, Grant’s
Fine Art, Auto Meter Products Inc., Contingency Connection, Maxim
Chassis, Amerikote, Abel Chevrolet, Bully Dog, Red Horse Performance, JE
Pistons, KSE Racing Products, Hunt Magnetos, Weld Racing, Racing Optics,
Butler Built Performance, HoservilleCA, Angellos ATV Rental, Rogue
Regency Inn, Williams Motorsports, DES Inc. and Simpson Percherons.
Don't forget to “like” the Golden State King of the West Series on
Facebook and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kws410s for
the most timely and up to date information on the series.
Also check out our official website at http://www.kwssprints.com for the
latest news, results, history and more on the Golden State King of the
West 410 Sprint Cars.
Be sure to catch archived shows of “KWS Tonight,” along with special
highlight clips from the 2011 season at http://vimeo.com/user5784994/videos
and http://www.ustream.tv/channel/king-of-the-west-today/videos
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