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Steve Howard Fund Established; To Complement Calistoga's "Louie Vermeil Classic"

A special fund to honor the memory of the late Steve Howard has been established to benefit participants in the upcoming 8th Annual “Louie Vermeil Classic” USAC events at Calistoga (Calif.) Speedway.

The target is to be able to award each night’s feature winners with a $10,000 paycheck. The Midgets currently are slated for $10,000 to win while the Steve Howard Fund hopefully will generate the additional boost to also provide for $10,000 paychecks for the Sprint winners.

Howard, a noted authority on the history of sprint racing in California, passed away last December and his support of motorsports was legendary. It was his impetus which helped create the “Louie Vermeil Classic” and he raised thousands of dollars every year for the Glenn Howard Memorial race, named after his father.

A long-time participant himself, Steve continued his passion for the sport assisting his father at So. Cal Performance in Downey, Calif. supplying parts and advice on setups.

The September 5-6 Calistoga program features both the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars and Honda USAC Western Midgets in two nights of spectacular racing action on one of America’s most exciting half-mile dirt ovals.

All proceeds raised through this Steve Howard Fund will be directed to the event to elevate the sprint car purses and create a “Steve Howard Racer’s Award Bonus.”

Details regarding donations to the Steve Howard Fund will be announced soon and can be found by contacting HMC Promotions at 900 Riverside Avenue, Roseville, Calif. 95678 or by calling HMC at 916-772-8722.

In 2014 Rico Abreu (Sprints and Midgets) and Christopher Bell (Sprints and Midgets) prevailed in the Calistoga races. Previous winners include Abreu and Kyle Larson (2013 Midgets), Bud Kaeding and Larson (2013 Sprints), Evan Margeson and Abreu (2012 Midgets), Ryan Bernal and Kyle Hirst (2012 Sprints), Scott Pierovich and Johnathan Henry (2011 Midgets), Robert Ballou and Mike Spencer (2011 Sprints), Robby Josett and Cory Kruseman (2010 Midgets), Damion Gardner (two 2010 Sprints), Garrett Hansen and Josh Ford (2009 Midgets), Kevin Swindell and Spencer (2009 Sprints), Johnny Rodriguez (two 2008 Midgets) and Tim Kaeding and Kevin Swindell (2008 Sprints).

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