Bay of Plenty Sprint Car Championship at Baypark Speedway this weekend

Speedway crowd pleaser Graeme 'Skinny' Colson in action at Baypark Speedway. Photo / Supplied

The Daltons Bay of Plenty Sprint Car Championship at Baypark Speedway on Saturday carries an extra title and a big payout to say farewell one of the sport's most entertaining champions.

The BOP Championship and Salute to Skinny feature event will be the final Baypark appearance for Tauranga's Graeme 'Skinny' Colson, as he prepares to bow out of the sport at the end of the season.

Originally from Taranaki but more recently residing in Tauranga, Colson's racing career stretches almost 40 years and includes success in both super saloons and sprint cars.

He announced his retirement in January and has planned the final weeks of the season as a farewell tour.

Colson's long-time sponsor Daltons is boosting the winner's purse to $6,600 – a tribute to Colson's race number, 66.

"I first made the trip across from Taranaki to race at the original Baypark back in 1986," Colson said.

"I was hooked by the fast competition at Baypark and lost count of how many trips between Taranaki and Tauranga we made over the years before we decided to move here in 2015.

"I've had some of my biggest wins at both the original Baypark and the very first super saloon feature when the new track opened in 2001.

Graeme 'Skinny' Colson will race at Baypark Speedway for the last time this weekend. Photo / Supplied

"It will be really special to line up at the BOP Sprint Car Champs this weekend and for our team to have one last chance to fly the flag at Baypark for the Daltons family and their staff before calling it a day."

The big payout will make the BOP Champs more lucrative to the winner than any other sprint car race in New Zealand this year. Baypark Speedway is expecting a strong field to contest the title headed by two-time NZ Champ Jonathan Allard, from California, who makes another appearance for the Daltons Racing team.

Sharing the spotlight on Saturday night – and also with an important title up for grabs - will the hard-hitting stock cars.

A big field including visiting drivers will battle for the Harry Fredrickson Memorial Gold Cup.

It's Baypark's annual flagship event for the class and celebrates the contribution the Fredrickson family has made to speedway in the Bay of Plenty – in particular, the stock car class.

Also on the programme are the open-wheel six shooters and the teenage talents of the youth mini stock category.