Celebrating the Dedication of the West Capital Raceway Monument

located on a 40 acre site at 4200 West Capitol Avenue; and

WHEREAS, the speedway was originally developed by John Pistania as a ¼ mile racing oval for

Bay Cities Racing Association for hardtop and midget racing. The track was subsequently operated

by such racing luminaries as Abdo Allen, V.C. “Mac” McGowan, Ed Wallace, Don Tognotti, Leo

Wyrsch and John Padjen; and

WHEREAS, from its very beginning until the last race West Capital Raceway was known far and

wide as one of the best quarter mile, banked dirt tracks in the racing world; and

WHEREAS, in the beginning, the track was home to mostly home-built jalopies pieced together

from old cars, junk yards and local auto parts stores. They were assembled by mostly home-schooled

mechanics with little cash and lots of imagination and hopeful enthusiasm; and

WHEREAS, these early efforts, while long on power and short on looks, were the forerunners of the

evolution to hard tops, super modifieds, midgets, sprint cars and ultimately the completely

professional racing beauties of the World of Outlaws; and

WHEREAS, West Capital Raceway was the home of many great short track race drivers like Wally

Baker, Larry Burton, Jimmy Gordon, Johnny and Billy Anderson, Al Pombo, LeRoy Van Conett,

Gary Patterson, Chuck Webb, Joe Giusti, the Tiner Boys, Gene Welch, Gary Coster, Wayne Sue, the

Wasinas, Cliff “Pappy” Ramos, Kenny Wingo and many, many more; and

WHEREAS, through the years hundreds of thousands of people came through the turnstiles to enjoy

one of the Sacramento area’s greatest weekly sporting events.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors recognizes and applauds

the efforts of the West Capital Raceway Alumni Association to honor the memory of the West

Capital Raceway with its dedication of this monument.

AYES: McGowan, Thomson, Sieferman, Rosenberg, Pollock.

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Mike McGowan

Yolo County Supervisor, District One