FORTY-FOUR cars had yesterday entered what promises to be a bumper Victorian Sprintcar Championship at Warrnambool's Premier Speedway on Saturday.
Premier Speedway general manager David Mills said he was delighted with the quality and quantity of entrants with some of the Australia's sprintcar stars taking on Victorian blue-collar drivers, with the title doubling as the rescheduled washed out third round of the SRA series.
He said the format involved time trials, two heats per car and then a C main, B main and a 30-lap A main final.
Defending state champion Matthew Reed heads the entries, which include World Series Sprintcar contenders Robbie Farr, James McFadden and Ryan Farrell and SRA series leader John Vogels.
There is plenty of depth with David Murcott, Steven Lines, Grant Anderson and Luke Dillon also likely frontrunners.
The SRA charge will be led by Warrnambool's Jamie Veal, Mike Van Bremen, Brett Milburn and Domain Ramsay.
McFadden will be pushing for a podium finish after the pilot on the rise managed two top-five finishes at Premier Speedway this year.
He finished fourth in the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic and fifth is a round of WSS on January 26.
Farr will also be keen to do well after leading the majority of the New Year's Day A main at Premier only to be pipped in the dying stages.
Reed finished eighth in the Classic, to show he is in good enough form to defend his title against a class line-up.
Hometown favourite Veal and two drivers who have not been regular speedsters this season - Stephen Bell and Darren Mollenoyux - will spearhead the Warrnambool title tilt.
Veal is second on points in the SRA series, while Bell will strap into the Matt Eastham-owned V88. Interstate invaders include leading Tasmanian driver Jason Redpath, two-time 360 Australian champion Ryan Jones and prominent NSW woman pilot Taylor Johnson.
Mills said the support class of junior sedans had attracted 37 entrants to contest the Yeoman Williams Memorial with Allansford's Peter and Mark Kenna, Laang registered Peter Doukas, Warrnambool's Dylan McCutcheon and a couple of South Australian invaders likely to be in the mix.
Gates open at 4pm and racing is from 6pm.