California's most prestigious Sprint Car event of the year has arrived. The 71st Mike Curb Gold Cup Race of Champions presented by NOS Energy Drink takes over the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds starting Thursday as Chico, Calif., hosts Kubota High Limit Racing.

Before Saturday's 40-lap, $100,071-to-win finale, split-field preliminaries run Thursday and Friday among the 67 pre-entered drivers.

Corey Day enters as the reigning two-time event champ, trying to join Steve Kinser (1986-88) as the only driver to win the Gold Cup three times in a row.

A split-field event not only means show-up points for the Kubota High Limit Racing championship chase, but also a unique format for the Gold Cup where points are awarded on prelim night. 

Qualifying awards 100 points for fastest overall with a one-point reduction per position, heat races award 100 points to the winner with a two-point reduction per position, and the A-main awards 200 points to the winner with a three-point reduction to the winner.

Prelim nights feature six-car inverts in the heats with only the top-five finishers transferring to the A-main. Of those transfers, the fastest eight cars among qualifying times are inverted at the front of the lineup with spots ninth through 20th set by points among transfers. Four B-main transfers complete the starting lineup.

The top-eight in overall points lock in to Saturday’s Gold Cup finale. Everyone else splits into four qualifiers, straight-up by points, with the top-three finishers moving to the main event behind lock-in cars. 

Thursday's Kubota High Limit Racing Gold Cup Roster

Friday's Kubota High Limit Racing Gold Cup Roster