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King of the West/NARC
NARC NEWSLINE – October 21, 2018, By Jim Allen
One of the best things about open wheel racing is that it’s almost always unpredictable. Every time you think you’ve got this gig figured out … BAM … the unexpected! Somebody jumps a wheel, somebody else scores a perfectly timed victory, and next thing you know, you’re in the middle of a championship hunt again.
Along those lines, my IM and texts messages have been blowing up since we pulled out of the Kern County Raceway Park parking lot. Tons of questions about what it would take for either Kyle Hirst or Shane Golobic to win the 2018 King of the West-NARC driving championship. You know …, the usual the stuff … Who’s got to finish where and what’s got to happen to claim the deal? So I only have to do this once, here is a breakdown of the possibilities:
Entering the season finale at the Stockton Dirt Track, Hirst owns a narrow 16-point lead over Golobic. Keep in mind that there are just two ways to earn points in the King of the West-NARC series … qualifying and the main event. The top qualifier earns four points, dropping by one for the four fastest cars. The series also pays a premium for winning. For example, parking it in victory lane is worth 42 points. Second place is worth 39, but it drops by one point per position from that point on.
Now … as a public service announcement, we are going to have some fun and share seven possible scenarios with you.
SCENARIO #1: On his way to Stockton, Kyle stops at a random 7-Eleven in Galt, CA and purchases a $20 California Lottery Scratch Off ticket. A few scratches with a screwdriver later, he realizes he’s just won a million bucks. Kyle jumps out of his truck and sets quick time running around the parking lot, hooping and hollering for a few minutes. Once the endorphins calm down some, he flips a U-turn and heads back to Paradise, CA where he proceeds to book a three-week all-inclusive Hawaiian family vacation. Fortunately for Shane Golobic, he only bought a Red Bull at a Chevron station in Lodi. He shows up at Stockton, qualifies, and lays claim to the 2018 title.
SCENARIO #2: Shane Golobic qualifies sixth, but still manages to win the Stockton feature. Hirst earns his ninth ARP quick time award of the season but has motor issues and finishes way back in 19th. Golobic and Hirst are now tied in points, but there are a few tiebreakers in the rule book, because ties are about as unsatisfying as my ex-wife. The first tiebreaker is feature event wins. At this point, they both have five. The second tiebreaker is fast times. Hirst promptly pulls off a classic Tiger Woods-type fist pump, knowing he won that one by a landslide, proving that qualifying plays a key role in determining our champion.
SCENARIO #3: Kyle Hirst decides at the last minute to attend a welding convention in Milwaukee for his new Tiner-Hirst Enterprises business venture. Coincidentally, Shane Golobic decides to leave a day early on his honeymoon and both end up missing the race in Stockton. Bud Kaeding takes the green flag in the Stockton feature and ends up winning back-to-back titles.
SCENARIO #4: It’s a Stockton sweeper night for Golobic. Fast time, heat win, a Bacon victory and his fifth win of the KWS-NARC season. That equals max points for his Tarlton Motorsports team! On the other hand, Hirst qualifies fifth fast and finishes 12th in the finale. Golobic wins the crown by one-point, tying last year’s mark for the closest points race in KWS-NARC history.
SCENARIO #5: Shane Golobic spray paints graffiti all over the Roth Motorsports top wing, keys the Roth hauler, glues a stack of tear offs to Kyle’s helmet, unfriends him on Facebook, and wins a dramatic photo-finish over Kaeding. Hirst drives like a man possessed, with a flipped up visor for 30-laps and finishes a remarkable 10th. Hirst claims his fourth King of the West-NARC driving championship.
SCENARIO #6: Chase Johnson decides to host Shane Golobic’s Bachelor Party and invites Hirst and Kaeding to Vegas for what amounts to be a racing version of the movie Hangover. Somehow … and we really don’t know how this happens …, but everyone not named Chase consumes Rohypnol (roofied) and ends up passed out on the rooftop of the MGM. Chase races back to Stockton, set’s quick time and win the feature, but comes up three points short of winning the title – making it the second closest points chase in the organization’s history.
AND FINALLY … SCENARIO #7: Both teams decide to get their relatives involved to enhance their chances. After all, according to the book Art of War, there’s power in numbers. So, Hirst recruits brother-in-law Willie Croft as a teammate to run interference on Golobic. In return, Golobic enlists the support of younger brother Dustin to slow the way for Hirst. Not wanting to be left out, Brent Kaeding suits up to drive his iconic 69, and Tim Kaeding literally hops one-legged into the 42 car to set a blockade for Bud. At this point, cars are driving wider than Rosie O’Donnell strolling down the cookie aisle at Albertsons.
Meanwhile, Paul McMahan takes advantage of a Southwest Airlines Wanna Get Away fare from Tennessee for a double big-Mac attack to get Bobby McMahan back in the top ten. And let’s not forget about the Scelzi’s – Dominic and Gio - who should be sponsored by Lenscrafters, because their matching 41 cars are giving everybody in the grandstands double-vision. But wait there is more … Chase Johnson also decides at the last moment that he wants a piece of this action, so he puts brother Colby in his other car and un-retires his racing father, grandfather, and great grandfather to compete with four generations of Johnson’s. At that point, announcer Bobby Gerould is so confused trying to tabulate points, he falls off his barstool and breaks his other leg. The NARC Benevolent Fund buys him an electric wheelchair with a built-in microphone and we all go to the championship awards brunch the next day not caring about points – just the fun time we had the night before.
So there you have it! Seven likely, but probably unlikely scenarios on who is going to claim the King of the West-NARC championship in 2018. The bottom line is anything can happen and usually does! My advice? Come experience the unpredictability first hand at the Stockton Dirt Track finale on November 3rd. You might find out there's an eighth scenario!
THE DIRT TRACK AT KERN COUNTY RACEWAY PARK: Willie Croft was the only driver in the 12-second bracket and earned his third ARP Quick Time award of the season. He also claimed the Sunnyvalley Bacon dash. He ended up giving the nine pounds of bacon to an overly-enthusiastic race fan who flipped up his shirt to show Willie how much he loved bacon. I’m not exactly sure what the correlation is there? … The HydrochemPSC NARC Coloring Books made their debut and they are a hit with the kids (and adults.) … Dominic Scelzi registered as “Bondo Johnson” during the pill draw. The roost was still in the bag when the announcer informed the crowd that "Bondo" was piloting the Scelzi Motorsports 41S during qualifying. What’s next for Dominic? Richard Cranium? … By the way, the battle between Scelzi and Bud Kaeding for the runner-up spot midway through the 30-lapper was a racing classic. Too bad they took each other out. … DJ Netto – Swift Metal Finishing hardcharger. Sixteenth to fourth. Just think what DJ could do with a better starting position. …
… Jace Vanderweerd finished 10th. … Rookie Dustin Golobic posted his only DNF of the season. Think about that for a second. That’s impressive. … Kyle Hirst’s violent crash into the first turn on the original start was of the scary variety that totally destroyed the Roth Motorsports KPC. A deep sigh of relief watching Kyle crawl out of the carnage. The car literally had to be dragged into the hauler. He was scored in 18th, which is 14 positions worse than his next worst finish of the 2018 season. Yup, that is a real stat! … On the other side of the coin, Shane Golobic couldn’t have picked a better night to pick off his fourth Tarlton Motorsports win of the KWS-NARC season. He sliced Hirst’s once daunting 34-point lead down to only 13 in one night. For those of you at home taking notes, Golobic won both KCRP events this season. … Once again, thank you to promoter Larry Collins and your staff for the great accommodations and racy track. This is a great facility! It was fun and we will do it again next year.
COTTON CLASSIC AT KELLER AUTO SPEEDWAY: Mitchell Faccinto won last year’s Cotton Classic for his first King of the West-NARC career victory. How do you back it up? You win this year’s Cotton Classic for your second career “W” with a thrilling last corner pass of Kyle Hirst. Faccinto was stellar as he took no prisoners bouncing along the cushion to score the very popular victory in front of his hometown crowd. Car owner Stan Greenberg was a happy camper. … And how about Nathan Rolfe? The kid drove like there was a fire under him and scored a season-best seventh place finish in the Dennis Rolfe sprint car. He was elbows up the entire distance. … Golobic was third and obviously gassed in victory lane. That's reasonable considering he just spent 35-laps battling Rico Abreu in the SCCT main and then swapped cars for another 30-lap slugfest. …
… Our compliments go out to promoter Bubby Morse who dished up an excellent racing surface for the 82 cars in the pits. It was a fantastic show, even though the Racesavers main was a little rough around the edges. … “Bondo” Scelzi – hardcharger – 13th to fifth. … Chase Johnson “quietly” posted his 10th consecutive top ten finish in the Shawn Thomas Maxim. … Faccinto became only the third dash winner this season to go on to win the A-Main. … One race fan – this one a woman – offers to flip up her shirt to get a NARC coloring book. Not sure about the correlation on that one either – but she got a couple of coloring books – and crayons! … The $1100 Double Duty Challenge rolls over to the season finale as no driver “double-downed” with both a King of the West and SCCT victory. Thanks to ace photographer Joe Shivak for getting that promotion started.
And finally, the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series championship banquet is on Sunday, November 4th. Yes, the day after the Tribute to Gary Patterson finale at Stockton. It’s a brunch that kicks off at the Brookside Country Club at 11:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 each and are going fast. Dean Mills has promised some great videos and there is a whole lot of money and prizes being distributed! If you want to join us, call me at 714-397-7417 … like yesterday!
Coming to you live from Auburn, California. See ya!
10/13/18, Hanford, CA – By Jim Allen … Mitchell Faccinto pulled off a dramatic last corner pass of King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series championship point leader Kyle Hirst to score a thrilling Cotton Classic victory at Keller Auto Speedway.
Piloting Stan Greenberg’s TSG Waste Disposal-Western Metals KPC, Faccinto scored his second consecutive Cotton Classic win, which also happened to be his second KWS-NARC victory of his career.
Faccinto led the first 17-laps from the pole and maintained a healthy lead until the fourth starting Hirst reeled him in as the pair negotiated slower traffic. The two raced side-by-side for several laps until Hirst used the low line to skate under the cushion-riding Faccinto on the frontchute on lap 18.
Hirst made several stellar moves in traffic and earned a 12-car length advantage in the Dennis Roth-owned Roth Investments KPC. But that effort was all for naught when Bud Kaeding brought out the red by flipping over the second turn with only three-laps remaining. Kaeding had been battling in the top five. He walked away unhurt.
On the restart, Hirst favored the low side and Faccinto up top as the pair continued to battle wheel-to-wheel for the point. With the white-flag waving, Hirst front wheels went skyward as he accelerated out of turn two, as Faccinto stutter-stepped slightly on the cushion. Faccinto recovered faster and continued to ride the treacherous high-line, eventually motoring around Hirst as they powered out of the final corner to score the popular victory. The margin was .709 seconds.
“Nothing beats winning in front of a hometown crowd,” said Faccinto, “especially stealing one on the last lap like that from Kyle. He is the best, if not one of the best to ever come out of California. It’s fun racing with him and he always races hard, but is a very respectful driver.”
Faccinto also thanked his dad and crew chief Monte Faccinto and car owner Stan Greenberg for providing a perfect race car.
Shane Golobic, who started on the outside of the front row, got passed by Hirst on lap 12 and remained in the hunt shadowing the two frontrunners. He slipped as far back as fifth with 10 to go but rebounded to score third at the checkered aboard the potent Tarlton Motorsports KPC.
Hirst point lead over Golobic was extended from 13 points entering the event to 16 (1363-1347) with only one race remaining.
Eighth starter DJ Netto was fourth in the Netto Ag KPC. He was pursued across the line by 13th starter Dominic Scelzi, who was driving the Gary Scelzi Motorsports Schnee. Scelzi’s efforts earned him the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award.
The second five to cross the line were Willie Croft, 11th starter Nathan Rolfe, 14th starter Colby Copeland, Chase Johnson and Jason Statler. Rolfe’s efforts were a season best.
Eli Deshaies was injured when he took a nasty tumble down the front straightaway on the second lap.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Mitchell Faccinto, Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Dominic Scelzi, Willie Croft, Nathan Rolfe, Colby Copeland, Chase Johnson, Jason Statler, Justyn Cox, Jace Vanderweerd, Dustin Golobic, Sean Watts, Jenna Frazier, Bud Kaeding, Cole Macedo, Richard Brace, Craig Stidham, Gary Paulson, Eli Deshaies.
Lap Leaders: Faccinto 1-17, Hirst 18-29, Faccinto 30
ARP Fast Qualifier (3/8 mile clay oval): Kyle Hirst – 13.163 seconds
BMRS First Heat (10 laps): Chase Johnson, Mitchell Faccinto, Kyle Hirst, Dominic Scelzi, Jason Statler, Richard Brace, Jenna Frazier.
Hydrochem PSC Second Heat (10 laps): Willie Croft, DJ Netto, Colby Copeland, Cole Macedo, Nathan Rolfe, Gary Paulson, Jace Vanderweerd.
The Cushion/Mills Video Promotions Third Heat (10 laps): Shane Golobic, Dustin Golobic, Bud Kaeding, Justyn Cox, Craig Stidham, Sean Watts, Eli Deshaies
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Mitchell Faccinto, Shane Golobic, Willie Croft, Kyle Hirst, DJ Netto, Chase Johnson.
10/6/18, Bakersfield, CA – By Jim Allen … Shane Golobic outdueled Willie Croft at the Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park and went on to earn his fourth King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series 30-lap feature event of the season.
In fact, it was a season sweep of the two races at Kern County for Golobic and the Tarlton Motorsports Tachi-Palace & Casino-backed, Paul Baines-wrenched KPC team. This combination also claimed the KWS-NARC season opener on April 7th.
The victory allowed Golobic to dramatically tighten up the championship point standings after series leader Kyle Hirst took a nasty tumble on the original start. Luckily, Hirst walked away from his destroyed race car unhurt, but his huge lead in the standings didn’t fare so well. With only two-races remaining, Hirst now leads Golobic by a very slim 1270-1257 margin (unofficial.)
Polesitter Croft, who also set quick time and won the Sunnyvalley Bacon dash, was the class of the field on the initial green until Golobic closed in when the leader got slowed in traffic on lap five. Golobic catapulted past Croft as they split a lapped car motoring down the back straightaway on lap seven. Bud Kaeding followed suit a lap later.
Kaeding started to pressure Golobic at the midway point and actually passed the leader, only to lose the advantage two turns later. Dominic Scelzi moved into contention and the top three raced only a few feet apart. However, Golobic made a couple of stellar moves while negotiating lap cars and moved out to a 10-car length advantage.
Scelzi and Kaeding put on a war for the runner-up spot that was worth the price of admission, swapping the position on a corner by corner basis. Unfortunately that would also be their undoing as the duo got together with only four laps remaining. Scelzi end up spinning out exiting the second turn and Kaeding sported a shredded a left rear tire shortly thereafter.
On the ensuing restart, Croft made a couple of runs at the leader but was unable to make it stick, having to settle for second in his Holey Smokes BBQ/Amerikote EMI.
“I made some pretty good moves that got me through lapped traffic tonight,” said Golobic. “I can’t say enough about this entire Tarlton Motorsports team who gave me a fantastic race car to get the job done.”
Eighth starter Mitchell Faccinto ran a very steady race and posted a very workmanlike season-best third place finish aboard Stan Greenberg’s TSG Recycling sprint car.
DJ Netto earned with Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award aboard the Netto Ag/Rotella Shell sprint car. He started 16th and blasted through the field to score fourth.
Twelfth starter Chase Johnson rounded out the top five aboard Shawn Thomas’s Safecraft Safety Equipment Maxim.
The second five included Craig Stidham, Scelzi, Mathew Moles, Kaeding, and Jace Vanderweerd.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Shane Golobic, Willie Croft, Mitchell Faccinto, DJ Netto, Chase Johnson, Craig Stidham, Dominic Scelzi, Mathew Moles, Bud Kaeding, Jace Vanderweerd, Cole Macedo, Jason Statler, Sean Watts, Nathan Rolfe, Jenna Frazier, Dustin Golobic, Colby Copeland, Kyle Hirst
Lap Leaders: Croft 1-6, Golobic 7-30
ARP Fast Qualifier (1/3 mile clay oval): 12.817 seconds
BMRS First Heat (10 laps): Sean Watts, Bud Kaeding, Mathew Moles, Willie Croft, Dustin Golobic, Cole Macedo
Hydrochem PSC Second Heat (10 laps): Kyle Hirst, Dominic Scelzi, Craig Stidham, Colby Copeland, Jenna Frazier, Jason Statler
The Cushion/Mills Video Promotions Third Heat (10 laps): Chase Johnson Jace Vanderweerd, Shane Golobic, Mitchell Faccinto, DJ Netto, Nathan Rolfe
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Willie Croft, Shane Golobic, Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding, Dominic Scelzi, Sean Watts.
NARC NEWSLINE, August 5, 2018, By Jim Allen … Auburn, CA … Don’t you hate when you’ve got everything going really good, and all of your hard work is really starting to pay off and then BAM … nothing? Although that reminds me of my first wife, that’s not what I’m talking about here. After enjoying a very entertaining stretch of six-races in 36 days, the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series has essentially power-braked for a 70-day recess. While some might look at this as a scheduling snafu, it’s just the reality of today’s ever changing open wheel scene. First off, this allows at least a dozen California-based teams to load up both 360’s and 410’s for a pair of Knoxville Nationals. Then throw in the Louie Vermeil Classic and some Outlaw shows in September and BAM … our next race is on October 6th at Kern County Raceway Park. In fact, there are only three rounds remaining on our schedule. Besides the KCRP show, there is the October 13th KWS-NARC/SCCT Cotton Classic doubleheader at Hanford, and the November 3rd KWS-NARC/SCCT championship night finale in Stockton.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Before I get into the recaps, consider this a major announcement (a press release will follow.) The King of the West-NARC series is going to do something a little different this year as far as the championship awards banquet goes. As stated earlier, our Stockton Dirt Track season finale is on Saturday, November 3rd. Our 2018 championship banquet will take place the following afternoon on Sunday, November 4th at the regal Brookside Country Club (3603 St. Andrews Drive, Stockton). This is a plush first class facility and offers up a nice way to put a wrap on a successful King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series season while it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind.
It kicks off at 11:00 a.m. with brunch, followed by awards and checks and trophies and videos and NARC Benevolent Fund raisers at high noon. More details to follow shortly, but the point of this post is for you to mark your calendars. We will provide local hotel info and hauler parking info. Race fans are also invited once race teams finalize their reservations. We are limited to 150 people. NOTE: If the Stockton Dirt Track race rains out and gets postponed a week, the banquet will still take place on the November 4th. At that point, the finale will award a flat 75 points to all KWS-NARC teams that qualify and participate in that show. Let’s hope for clear skies.
PETALUMA SPEEDWAY (7/14/18) NOTES: After racking up four podium finishes in a row, Shane Golobic picked off his third KWS-NARC win of the season at P-luma. This broke the Kyle Hirst/Roth Motorsports stranglehold on victory lane. Hirst had won four of the previous five races. Bud Kaeding took a shot at Golobic late, but Golobic was on a mission and it wasn’t going to stick. … The initial start stumbled down the backstretch with Colby Copeland getting up in the wall and reeling in what seemed to be half the field. Before the metal carnage ended, Dustin Golobic, Marcus Dumesny, Jarrett Soares, Willie Croft, and Jenna Frazier were stopped with an assortment of issues. However, one by one, the cars began to reappear on the track – even the 16A of Copeland - as pit crews scrambled to make repairs. They earned their money on this night. Dustin Golobic determined that his car was toast after accessing the extensive damage to the number 57 on the track. A few minutes later, he was pushed off again. When asked about the turnaround, he responded, “I thought we were done, but when I got back to the pit area, they told me to get back in the car.” We could chalk that up to being a rookie mistake, but it was basically just a minor set-back for the crew of the Golobic Construction sprinter. Only Dumesny was unable to return. …
... Bud set quick time. Kyle Hirst was second quick, and Bobby McMahan third. … Sean Watts, who admittedly has been befuddled by his lack of success this season, claimed his heat race. Looks like the mojo is returning as he finished a season best ninth in the feature. … There was only one 360 in the 19-car field and that belonged to Bert Lathrop with Geoff Ensign behind the wheel. Most of the Petaluma regulars were up in north chasing the Oregon 360 Speedweek title. Along those lines, congrats to DJ Netto who laid claim to those honors and the $1000 bonus. Back to Ensign, who was putting together a Top 10 Cinderella type performance, until dropping out in 15th. Will someone give this guy a full time 410 ride? By the way, the team pocketed a $200 bonus. … Colby Johnson made his 410 debut driving his brother’s Chase Johnson 24. He finished an impressive sixth, right behind Chase in the main. (I wonder if he was holding back? It’s probably not good business to show up your car owner!) … Nathan Rolfe took the Dennis Rolfe 28 for an unscheduled flight test, vaulting down the heart of the front straightaway midway through the feature. This one ended with an abrupt crash landing. Said Nathan immediately upon exiting in the car, “It seemed like I was in the air for five-seconds. I just crossed my arms across my chest and held on.” I think it was more of an adrenaline rush than a flight test! …
OCEAN SPEEDWAY (7/21/18) NOTES: For the second year in a row, the Howard Kaeding Classic was captured by a first-time King of the West-NARC winner. Colby Copeland picked up where Buddy Kofoid left off in 2017 with an impressive run in Larry Antaya’s Maxim. And trust me on this one, there is no better way to score your first victory than with a $5000 paycheck. I’m not sure who was sporting a bigger smile in victory lane - Colby or Larry! This team is really starting to gel. … Speaking of first timers, Sean Watts claimed his first career dash win in the “Powered by Bacon” dash. … Kofoid outpaced the 31-car field in qualifying to earn his first ARP Fast Time Award of the season. He tangled with Tanner Thorson while running fourth with two laps remaining. … More than $6000 was raised for the NARC Benevolent Fund at the Howard Kaeding Luncheon. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! We also can’t say enough to thank Myles McAtee for his contributions to the success of this event. He donates the food, the tent, and his hardworking “Catering by Five” staff to put it all together. … I hope I have as much energy and charisma as Howard Kaeding when I’m 85 years old. This man is enjoying life to the fullest! … How did the Kaeding’s do at the Kaeding race? Bud Kaeding finished in the runner-up spot for the third time in three-races. He started 11th. Brent, making his only appearance of the season, scored 17th after stealing the last semi-transfer spot on the last lap from Jarrett Soares in the semi. Tim had an off night claiming 21st. …
... Here is something that I didn’t think I would say at this point in the season: Chase Johnson scored his first podium finish of the season. In fact, Chase posted the fastest lap of the dash and main and has been a bullet all year long, scoring 12 top 10’s in 13-events. But this series is tough. Chase just needs a small break or two to get back on top of the podium. He has some KWS-NARC championships in his future. … Thank you to all of the sponsors who backed this great event. The feature paid $800 to start, plus there was a ton of other perks. … The two-day Howard Kaeding Classic, with all of the surrounding activities and active campground, is one of the premier events in California. You’ve got to love the hang out with the club atmosphere. … Kyle Hirst won the Civil War 360 show on Friday night. … Despite the mountain of food most drivers ate at the luncheon, there were no weight issues at the scales. On our last trip to Ocean Speedway, two cars were under-weight. … Aussie Marcus Dumesny scored a season best sixth after starting 12th. … DJ Netto was on the move after a less than stellar qualifying time put him back in the 17th starting spot. He sliced, diced, and threaded this way to a very impressive fifth place finish! …
PLACERVILLE SPEEDWAY (7/28/18) NOTES: With Tanner Thorson at Pocono for a truck race, Justin Sanders bolted his seat into Clyde Lamar’s Tri-C Spike. He didn’t waste any time getting comfortable, setting quick time and leading all 30-laps of the Fujitsu Summer Nationals. It was his second King of the West-NARC win of 2018, and first for Mr. Lamar this season. For Sanders, it was his 12th victory of 2018, which has come in five different cars. No, that is not a misprint – FIVE! He has parked his own number 17, the 121 of Joe Von Schriltz, the 56 owned by Mike Phulps, and the 4SA belonging to Dale Miller, and now the 3C. That’s simply remarkable. Sanders is fun to watch on the quarter mile bullring. He runs it like he owns it. … Tri-C Crew chief Lee Lindgren is underrated. #justsaying. … Rookie of the year candidate Jenna Frazier was the first car out in qualifying and possibly cut her best lap of the season. She ended up 10th quick in the 27-car field. She is headed to Knoxville for the Nationals. …
... Kyle Hirst finished fourth for the third race in a row. … Sean Becker was aboard the Mark Moore Motorsports 1M. … Will Tim Kaeding’s 2004 track record of 9.984 seconds at Placerville ever be broken? Probably not! Sanders time was 10.638 seconds. … Matt Dumesny actually set quick time, but forfeited it when he drove past the scales when returning to his pit area. Said Dumesny later, “I just spaced out and didn’t stop. I don’t know why.” Dumesny ended up spearing a tractor tire high over turn three in the semi and was done for the night. It wasn’t the way he was planning to end his California campaign in Rod Tiner’s 83SA. Dumensy continued, "This trip could been a lot better, but I just made too many mistakes." Their best finish was a third at Calistoga. On the other hand, Marcus Dumesny posted his second consecutive top 10 finish, finishing eighth. … Tanner and Blake Carrick were also in the field. Both qualified for the main. Blake earned the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award. … DJ Netto got roughed up and upside down in both KWS-NARC Placerville races this season. … Michael Ing had a rough night also. ...
And finally ... even though the King of the West-NARC series is taking an extended recess, or leave of absence, or vacation, or hiatus, or siesta, or whatever you want to call it, there's still a lot of great racing taking place in the Golden State. Grab a friend, a neighbor, or co-worker and head to a dirt track near you.
Coming to you live from Auburn, CA, see ya!
(7/28/18 Placerville, CA – Jim Allen) … Justin Sanders jumped into a new ride and turned in a dominating sprint car performance to capture Saturday’s fast paced 30-lap King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Summer Nationals main event at Placerville Speedway.
It was a sweet victory for Sanders, who was subbing for regular driver Tanner Thorson who was competing at a NASCAR truck race at Pocono. Sanders made the most of his opportunity, bolting his seat in the Clyde Lamar-owned, Lee Lingren-wrenched, Tri-C/Amsoil-sponsored Spike sprint car. He set quick time and led the entire distance in the feature to score his second KWS-NARC victory of the season. It was the first for Lamar.
“The Tri-C team gave me a great race car that I could run just about anywhere I needed,” said a happy Sanders in victory lane. “I also knew that I had Shane (Golobic) and (Bud) Kaeding back there so I wasn’t letting up.”
Sanders won a no holds barred drag race into the first corner with dash winner Colby Copeland on the initial green and exited out of turn two with the point. Copeland stayed within striking distance for a few laps, but Sanders was in a class of his own. The first 20-laps ran non-stop and Sanders quickly established a three-lapped car interference over his closest competitor.
Fourth starter Shane Golobic got around Copeland powering out of the fourth turn on lap seven and attempted to reel in the leader. However, with the leader slicing and dicing flawlessly through traffic, Golobic had his hands full just trying to stay in the same time zone.
The caution flag came out on lap 20 for a spun car, again on the restart when DJ Netto got upside down in turn three, and once again when Nathan Rolfe tangled with another car and ended up on his lid. Nobody was hurt in the incidents.
That set the stage for Golobic to possibly mount a challenge on each restart, but Sanders took no prisoners and cruised to the victory. Golobic secured second place money in the Tarlton Motorsports Tachi Casino KPC. Copeland, piloting Larry Antaya's Fuel Curve Maxim, held off a flurry of late race challenges by Kaeding and King of the West-NARC point leader Kyle Hirst to finish in the show position.
Hirst, who started 10th in the Roth Motorsports KPC, got around Kaeding with two miles remaining and finished fourth. Kaeding rounded out the top five in the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim. Veteran racer Bobby McMahan earned a season best sixth place finish.
Chase Johnson, 13th starter Sean Becker, Australian Marcus Dumesny, and semi-transfer Jason Statler rounded out the top 10. Blake Carrick earned the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award, finishing 15th after starting on the outside of the 11th row.
Tanner Carrick captured the 12-lap Last Chance Semi.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Justin Sanders, Shane Golobic, Colby Copeland, Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding, Bobby McMahan, Chase Johnson, Marcus Dumesny, Andy Gregg, Sean Becker, Dustin Golobic, Jason Statler, Tanner Carrick, DJ Netto, Nathan Rolfe, Sean Watts, Blake Carrick, Richard Brace Jr., Jarrett Soares, Jenna Frazier, CJ Humphries, Tony Gualda.
Lap Leaders: Sanders 1-30
ARP Fast Qualifier (1/4 mile clay oval – 27 cars): Justin Sanders 10.638 seconds
BMRS First Heat (10 laps): Bobby McMahan, Justin Sanders, Shane Golobic, Dustin Golobic, Sean Watts, Michael Ing, Blake Carrick, Richard Brace Jr, Jenna Frazier.
Hydrochem PSC Second Heat (10 laps): Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Andy Gregg, Jarrett Soares, Sean Becker, Jason Statler, Eli Deshaies, Pat Harvey, Tanner Carrick.
The Cushion/Mills Video Promotions Third Heat (10 laps): Colby Copeland, CJ Humphries, Chase Johnson, Marcus Dumesny, DJ Netto, Nathan Rolfe, Mark Barroso, Tony Gualda.
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Colby Copeland, Justin Sanders, Bud Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Bobby McMahan, Andy Gregg.
Kaeding Performance Last Chance Semi (12 laps): Tanner Carrick, Jason Statler, Richard Brace Jr., Nathan Rolfe, Jenna Frazier, Tony Gualda, Blake Carrick, Mark Barroso, Pat Harvey, Michael Ing, Matt Dumesny, Eli Deshaies.
King of the West-NARC 410 Sprint Cars headline Summer Nationals at Placerville Speedway this Saturday
By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA – July 24, 2018…For the final time in 2018 the El Dorado County Fairgrounds based Placerville Speedway is geared up to host the traveling King of the West-NARC Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series during this Saturday’s “Summer Nationals.”
The tight confines of Placerville Speedway always create non-stop action when the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Cars are on hand and Saturday will be another can’t miss opportunity to witness that. The event marks round 13 in the battle for the coveted KWS-NARC title that awards $10,000 to the victor at seasons end. The evening of high-octane racing also doubles as Enclave Night Presented by Thompson’s Buick/ GMC Dealership.
“We are definitely excited to have the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series at Placerville Speedway on Saturday,” said RMI President and track promoter Scott Russell. “Winged 410 Sprint Cars at this place is like watching jet fighters in a gymnasium and we’ve had some outstanding races here over the years. We hope all the fans are looking forward to this weekend’s show because I know that we are. It’ll be a great way to finish off the month of July.”
When the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series competed at Placerville Speedway in June it was three-time champion Kyle Hirst picking up the win aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83 machine. The Paradise resident brings the point lead into Saturday on the strength of five main event wins and seven fast time efforts in 12 races. If Hirst can bring home the title he would break the tie that is currently seen with Jonathan Allard and move himself into second all-time when it comes to championships with the series.
Fremont’s Shane Golobic has also had a solid season in the Tarlton & Son Inc. No. 21x and heads into Saturday ranking second in the standings. The two-time Trophy Cup champion has claimed three victories this season, including the $11,000-to-win Peter Murphy Classic in Tulare. Golobic picked up his first ever Placerville Speedway KWS-NARC 410 triumph in 2016, the same season current third place driver in the standings Bud Kaeding earned the first two of his career.
Kaeding brought home a runner up finish last month at the quarter-mile and hopes to improve one spot on Saturday at the helm of the Williams Motorsports ZERO mount. Penngrove’s Chase Johnson and last weekend’s Howard Kaeding Classic winner Colby Copeland round out the top-five in points going into the “Summer Nationals.” The big triumph this past Saturday for Copeland marked his first career King of the West-NARC Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series victory.
Completing the top-10 in the standings with 12 events complete are Fremont’s Dustin Golobic, Atwater’s Nathan Rolfe, Roseville’s Willie Croft, Sacramento’s Jenna Frazier and Hanford’s DJ Netto. More drivers expected for Saturday include Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares, Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan, Penngrove’s Michael “Buddy” Kofoid, Atwater’s Sean Watts, Placerville’s Andy Gregg, Grass Valley’s Jason Statler, Auburn’s Richard Brace Jr. and others.
Along with KWS-NARC the Placerville bullring will also welcome the BCRA Midget Lites and Vintage Hard Tops during the night. So far this year there have been four different winners in the four previous BCRA Midget Lite appearances. Hunter Kinney, Bradly Dillard, Dakota Albright and Adien Lange have all tasted victory lane.
Adult tickets this Saturday for the “Summer Nationals” will cost $22, while seniors 62 plus, military and juniors 12-17 will be $18, children 6-11 are $6, kids five and under are free! All seating is general admission with the exception of the marked reserved seats for season ticket holders. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking https://www.universe.com/events/kws-narc-summer-nationals-tickets-placerville-L69CRZ or at the gate.
The pit gate will open at 2pm, with the front grandstand gate opening at 3pm. A happy hour will be offered from 4pm-6pm in the grandstands featuring discounted Coors Light and Coors Original at the beer stand. Live music will also be performed by the band North 40. Drivers meeting will be held at 4:30pm, with cars on track for wheel packing at 5. Hot laps, qualifying and racing will follow.
The Placerville Speedway is located on the beautiful El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, California. Take Hwy US-50 to Forni Road/Placerville Drive exit. Then go north on Placerville Drive to the Fairgrounds. The physical address is 100 Placerville Dr., Placerville, CA 95667. For more information on the Placerville Speedway log onto http://www.placervillespeedway.com
The Placerville Speedway would like to thank all of its partners for their support this season including Red Hawk Casino, Hoosier Racing Tires, Coors Light, Thompson’s Auto Group, Absolute Auto Glass, ADCO Driveline and Custom Exhaust, Bear Republic Brewing, Beef’N’Brew, Capital Ace Hardware, Carol Russell Bookkeeping Service, Chris Kenner Racing Specialties/ Security Race Products, Campora Propane, Davies Family Inn, High Sierra Industries, Poor Reds BBQ, Les Schwab Tires, the Paint Spot, Riebies Auto Parts, Shadow Ridge Ranch, The Critter Getter, Foothill Tree Service, Mountain Democrat, Union Bank, Windfall Media, Arnolds for Awards, and ArborWorx Tree Service.
Join over 10,400 followers of Placerville Speedway on Facebook, where you can keep abreast of updates for the 2018 season. You can also find Placerville Speedway on Twitter by following us https://twitter.com/pvillespeedway - In addition, Placerville Speedway is also on Instagram. Please follow us @PvilleSpeedway.
The quarter-mile clay oval is operated by Russell Motorsports Incorporated, which can be reached at the track business office at 530-344-7592. Contact Kami Arnold or Scott Russell directly for 2018 sponsorship opportunities at the office.
Upcoming events at Placerville Speedway:
Saturday July 28: King of the West-NARC Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series, BCRA Midget Lites, Vintage Hardtops | Summer Nationals
Enclave Night Presented by Thompson’s Buick/ GMC DealershipSaturday August 4: Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Pure Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, BCRA Midget lites | Military Night
Saturday August 11: Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Pure Stocks, Mini Trucks, Wingless Spec Sprints | Vintage T-shirt/ Legends Night
Envoy Night Presented by Thompson’s Buick/ GMC Dealership
(7/21/18, Watsonville, CA – Jim Allen) … Colby Copeland scored his first King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series victory of his career Saturday night, earning top honors at the Eighth Annual Howard Kaeding Classic at Ocean Speedway.
Copeland started on the outside of the front-row and posted an impressive 30-lap green-to-checkered run aboard Larry Antaya’s potent GoodGuys Rod & Custom Association/Fuel Curve-backed Maxim. Their efforts were worth a $5,000 paycheck.
However, his victory didn’t come easy as he had patiently wait his way through six caution periods, escape a run in with the concrete wall, and a hold off a persistent Bud Kaeding in the second half of the event.
Copeland won a drag race down the frontchute against polesitter Sean Watts on the initial green and quickly jumped out to a 10-car length advantage as the field sorted itself out behind him.
Chase Johnson, ARP fast qualifier Buddy Kofoid and Shane Golobic mixed it up in a heated battle for the runner-up spot in the early going, until Golobic spun and brought out the caution on lap 10. Two laps later, Kurt Nelson found himself upside down on the backchute to bring out the red. And on the ensuing restart, Australian driver Matt Dumesny made contact with another car and flipped hard in turn four to stop the action again. Nobody was hurt, but for Copeland in meant his lead kept getting erased.
Bud Kaeding, in the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim, started 11th and motored his way into contention by powering past Kofoid for the runner-up spot on lap 13. Kaeding began to reel in the leader as the pair approached heavy traffic on lap 20. However, the caution came out again for a crash involving Watts and Justin Sanders.
With only two remaining, Kofoid and Thorson tangled while dueling for the fourth spot bringing out the final caution of the night. This set the stage for a Copeland-Kaeding shootout, but Copeland wasn't about to take any prisoners and cruised to the win.
“I don’t normally look at the scoreboard, but I did this time and saw that Kaeding was behind me,” said Copeland. “I know he runs really good here so I just ran the best lines that I could.”
“I made a mistake jumping the cushion once in two and ended up smacking the wall,” he continued. “But I held it together and kept it going. I have to thank my team because they’ve worked really hard for me all season long.”
Kaeding earned $2500 for his second place finish. Johnson posted the best overall workman’s effort after starting third. He fell back to as far as seventh at one point, but battled back to third after passing Kyle Hirst on the final lap. Johnson was piloting the Safecraft Safety Equipment Maxim owned by Shawn Thomas.
Championship points leader Hirst claimed fourth in the Roth Motorsports KPC and 17th starter DJ Netto rounded out the top five. Netto earned the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award for his efforts in the Netto Ag KPC.
The second five featured Marcus Dumensy, Golobic, Brad Furr, Mitchell Faccinto, and rookie Dustin Golobic.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Colby Copeland, Bud Kaeding, Chase Johnson, Kyle Hirst, DJ Netto, Marcus Dumesny, Shane Golobic, Brad Furr, Mitchell Faccinto, Dustin Golobic, Nathan Rolfe, Bobby McMahan, Sean Watts, Jeremy Chisum, Kyle Offill, Tanner Thorson, Brent Kaeding, Buddy Kofoid, Justin Sanders, Matt Dumesny, Tim Kaeding, Kurt Nelson
Lap Leaders: Copeland 1-30
ARP Fast Qualifier (1/4 mile clay oval – 31 cars): Buddy Kofoid – 11.681 seconds
BMRS First Heat (10 laps): Kyle Hirst, Buddy Kofoid, Kurt Nelson, Marcus Dumesny, Jeremy Chisum, Bobby McMahan, Mark Barroso, Richard Fajardo.
Hydrochem PSC Second Heat (10 laps): Colby Copeland, Tim Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Matt Dumesny, Justin Sanders, Kyle Offill, Vaughn Schott, Jason Chisum.
The Cushion/Mills Video Promotions Third Heat (10 laps): Tanner Thorson, Sean Watts, Chase Johnson, DJ Netto, Gary Nelson, Nathan Rolfe, Richard Brace, Jenna Frazier
Hoosier Harness Fourth Heat (10 laps): Bud Kaeding, Dustin Golobic, Mitchell Faccinto, Brad Furr, Jarrett Soares, Gary Paulson, Brent Kaeding
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Sean Watts, Colby Copeland, Chase Johnson, Shane Golobic, Kyle Hirst, Buddy Kofoid
Kaeding Performance Last Chance Race (12 laps): Justin Sanders, Nathan Rolfe, Kyle Offill, Jeremy Chisum, Bobby McMahan, Brent Kaeding, Jarrett Soares, Jason Chisum, Gary Nelson, Richard Brace, Gary Paulson, Vaughn Schott, Mark Barroso, Richard Fajardo.
(7/17/18, Jim Allen) … The high-powered winged sprint cars of the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series will be battling wheel-to-wheel for more than $30,000 in prize money and product awards on Saturday, July 21st at the highly-anticipated Eighth Annual Howard Kaeding Classic at Ocean Speedway.
The event is the second night of a huge two-day show at Ocean Speedway and is presented by Al’s Roofing Supply and Hydrochem PSC. The 360 sprint cars of the Civil War Series will be racing on the opening night (Friday, July 20th).
The weekend of racing, which pays $5000 to the winner of Saturday's big 30-lap main event, honors 85-year old racing legend Howard Kaeding of Campbell. Kaeding is the patriarch of the famous Kaeding racing family and a winner of more than 350 races in a career that spanned more than four decades.
“It’s an honor to help organize this event every year to honor my grandfather,” said Bud Kaeding, who is the defending King of the West-NARC champion. “None of us in our family would be in this business if it wasn’t for him and without racing, I’m not sure what we would be doing right now.”
“Even if I wasn’t related, Howard deserves to be acknowledged as a true racing legend that he is," continued Kaeding, "because some of his accomplishments border on just downright crazy. It’s safe to say that most of them will never be repeated in open wheel racing ever again.”
Kaeding is referring to the fact that Howard once captured 23 main events in a row, all starting from the back row of the line-up, in a day when racing formats were completely different. In addition, he won 121 main events at the now-defunct San Jose Speedway, multiple championships and enough racing lore to last an eternity.
“The best thing about this show is that all of the 410 drivers really step up their game in an attempt to win it,” Kaeding said. “Everyone is looking to get their name inscribed on the perpetual trophy to lock down their place in racing history. They all know that the Howard Kaeding Classic is current history honoring past history.”
Other activities surrounding the event include a beer and pizza party after Friday night’s races. On Saturday afternoon at 12:30 p.m., there will be the Howard Kaeding Classic Luncheon at the fairgrounds. Food and beverages will be provided by Catering by Five and a $20 donation to the NARC Benevolent Fund is requested. Open wheel racing fans will get a chance to hang out with Howard Kaeding and most of the drivers competing this weekend. Camping is also available.
Leading a stellar field into Watsonville will be Kyle Hirst of Paradise, the current King of the West-NARC championship point leader. Hirst captured the King of the West Howard Kaeding titles in 2015 and 2016 and is five-time winner this season.
Also making the trip is Shane Golobic of Elk Grove, last Saturday’s feature winner at Petaluma. Other competitors include Chase Johnson of Penngrove; Atwater drivers Nathan Rolfe and Sean Watts; Willie Croft and Colby Copeland from Roseville; Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto and DJ Netto; Bobby McMahan from Elk Grove; Discovery Bay’s Jarrett Soares; Jason Statler of Grass Valley; Minden, NV driver Tanner Thorson; rookie of the year candidates Dustin Golobic of Fremont and Sacramento’s Jenna Frazier; and many more!
An international flair will be provided by Australian drivers Matt & Marcus Dumesny.
The sprint car racing program will include four 10-lap heat races, a six-lap trophy dash, a 12-lap Last Chance Race and the 30-lap Fujitsu headliner.
Ocean Speedway is located at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville. Pit Gates open at 1:00 p.m. Front gates open at 3:30 p.m. Qualifying gets underway at 5:00 p.m. Also on the racing program is IMCA Modified’s, and IMCA SportMod’s.
Previous Winners of the Howard Kaeding Classic
2011
Night One: Tommy Tarlton – King of the West
Night Two: Evan Suggs – King of the West2012
Night One: Brent Kaeding – USAC
Night Two: Jonathan Allard – King of the West2013
Night One: Bud Kaeding – USAC
Night Two: Jonathan Allard – King of the West2014
Night One: Brad Furr – Civil War
Night Two: Bud Kaeding – King of the West2015
Night One: Justin Sanders – Civil War
Night Two: Kyle Hirst – King of the West2016
Night One: Kyle Hirst – Civil War
Night Two: Kyle Hirst – King of the West2017
Night One: Kyle Hirst – Civil War
Night Two: Buddy Kofoid – King of the West-NARC2018 KWS-NARC FUJITSU SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(After 11 events in 16-race Series – 07/17/18)Kyle Hirst, Paradise (5) 1023
Shane Golobic, Fremont (3) 986
Bud Kaeding, Campbell (1) 956
Chase Johnson, Penngrove 922
Colby Copeland, Roseville 888
Dustin Golobic, Fremont ® 869
Willie Croft, Roseville (1) 861
Nathan Rolfe, Atwater 789
Jenna Frazier, Sacramento ® 777
DJ Netto, Hanford 731
Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay 651
Jason Statler, Grass Valley 635
Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove 605
Sean Watts, Atwater 599
Tanner Thorson, Minden NV 592
Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford 498
Mathew Moles, Fresno 460
Richard Brace Jr., Auburn 439
Matt Dumesny, Sydney, Australia 384
Mark Barraso, Merced 354The King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Hydrochem PSC. Associate and contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Autometer, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Hooker Harness, Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Safecraft Safety Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, The Cushion, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, Winters Performance Products and Croft Racing.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 30th – Placerville Speedway, Placerville, CA – Fujitsu Summer NationalsSOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION
Website: www.NARC410.com
(7/14/18 Petaluma, CA – Jim Allen) … Shane Golobic picked off his third King of the West-NARC sprint car victory of the season with an impressive green-to-checkered run in Saturday’s 30-lap Fujitsu feature event at Petaluma Speedway Saturday night.
Golobic, aboard the potent Tachi Palace-sponsored Tarlton Motorsports KPC, survived six caution flags and the late race advances of Bud Kaeding in heavy traffic to secure the $3000 win.
Golobic caught a break on the initial start after Kyle Hirst took the initial lead, but the red came out for a massive six-car melee on the backstretch, calling for a complete restart. The cars of Marcus Dumesny and Colby Copeland got upside down and reeled in Dustin Golobic, Jarrett Soares, and Willie Croft before it was over. Surprisingly, nobody was hurt and after frantic work by several pit crews, only the car of Dumesny was unable to continue.
On the restart, Golobic changed his strategy and took no chances as he powered out to a big lead, chased by Hirst, Kaeding and Chase Johnson. Kaeding motored under Hirst in the third corner on the ninth lap to secure second and a hardcharging Tanner Thorson powered from ninth to third on the 12th circuit.
In the waning laps, Kaeding began to gain on the leader as the pair maneuvered in and out of slower cars in a high speed game of cat and mouse. Kaeding made a last ditch effort to take the point and managed to get his nose under Golobic in the fourth corner with the white flag waving, but was unable to make it stick.
“I wasn’t expecting Kaeding to be that close,” admitted Golobic after scoring his 10 KWS-NARC victory of his career by just two-car lengths. “I made a couple of mistakes in traffic and knew I needed to get going to win this thing. It wouldn’t have been possible without a great car prepared by Paul Baines and the entire Tarlton team.”
Kaeding, who set the standard for the field in qualifying, ended up scoring second in the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim, Thorson filled out the podium driving Clyde Lamar’s Tri-C/Amsoil Spike chassis.
Series point leader Hirst locked down fourth place in the Roth Motorsports KPC, chased by the Safecraft Safety Equipment Maxim driven by Chase Johnson.
The second five to cross the checkered were Copeland, Jason Statler, Willie Croft, Sean Watts and Richard Brace Jr. Croft earned the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award after starting 19th in the grid.
Nathan Rolfe was not injured after taking a wild tumble down the front straightaway on lap 14.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Shane Golobic, Bud Kaeding, Tanner Thorson, Kyle Hirst, Chase Johnson, Colby Copeland, Jason Statler, Willie Croft, Sean Watts, Richard Brace Jr., Bobby McMahan, Dustin Golobic, Jarrett Soares, Jenna Frazier, Geoff Ensign, Colby Johnson, Nathan Rolfe, Matt Dumesny, Marcus Dumesny
Lap Leaders: S. Golobic 1-30
ARP Fast Qualifier (3/8 mile clay oval): Bud Kaeding – 12.779 seconds
BMRS First Heat (10 laps): Shane Golobic, Geoff Ensign, Bud Kaeding, Chase Johnson, Marcus Dumesny, Willie Croft, Matt Dumesny.
Hydrochem PSC Second Heat (10 laps): Sean Watts, Kyle Hirst, Jason Statler, Jarrett Soares, Jenna Frazier, Dustin Golobic.
The Cushion/Mills Video Promotions Third Heat (10 laps): Colby Copeland, Colby Johnson, Tanner Thorson, Nathan Rolfe, Bobby McMahan, Richard Brace Jr.
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Shane Golobic, Kyle Hirst, Sean Watts, Bud Kaeding, Jason Statler, Colby Copeland
NARC NEWSLINE, July 7, 2018, By Jim Allen, Auburn, CA … Another three races are officially in the books in the quest to crown the 2018 King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series champion. And everywhere we turn, there is another twist or turn that makes this campaign unique, entertaining, or just plain scratching your head. This includes anything from the invasion of the Australians, to more drivers pulling double-duty on combo nights, or drivers suddenly interested in their resting heart rate while driving a sprint car.
So let’s start at the top, with our fine friends from down under. It was almost like experiencing a flashback to the 1990’s when Jamie Cobby won the Sunnyvalley Bacon trophy dash at Ocean Speedway on June 22nd. Yes, that Jamie Cobby! Most of us hadn’t seen Mr. Cobby for a couple of decades and he suddenly appears in Ted Finkenbinders 3F – looking just like the Jamie Cobby we knew 20-years ago. Let’s put this rarified air event in perspective. This is the same driver who last won a Northern Auto Racing Club feature event at Quincy Speedway in 1992. That was the same year gas cost $1.05 per gallon and some guy became President who later became famous for staining a blue dress. Cobby led the first 14-laps of the main before getting spun out in undiplomatic fashion.
Of course we also have Matt and Marcus Dumesny in California. Matt scored a KWS-NARC career best third at Calistoga driving Rod Tiner’s 83SA. Marcus has the hammerdown also, earning the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award at Placerville.
On the topic of double-duty, mastering the handling characteristics of one car is hard enough – much less two. But in the new era of co-sanctioned 410/360 events, a lot of teams have decided to double-down. Twice the work, twice the fun, and definitely twice the money. Among those racing in this category are Tanner Thorson, Willie Croft, DJ Netto, Colby Copeland, Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic, Justin Sanders, Buddy Kofoid, Andy Forsberg, Jarrett Soares, and Sean Becker. They're easy to pick off at the end of a racing program. They're the ones who look like they need a good shower and an even better night’s sleep – especially on those hot race nights.
And finally, technology continues to force sanctioning bodies to rewrite the rule books. Who would have guessed that an Apple Watch could possibly become a competitive advantage? Allegedly, it’s used to tell time and monitor heart rates, but it’s also extremely convenient for receiving a text during a caution period advising you which line to run on the track. Either way, it’s still outlawed at KWS-NARC events, but is strictly enforced. Not to mention, who wants to be wearing a rubber-banded wrist-watch in the case of a fire? So, to reiterate, all of the usual communication devices are outlawed. No cell phones, watches, lap tops, desk tops, iPad's, signal flares, fax machines, Morse code machines, pagers, US Navy signal flags, radios, mirrors, mental telepathy, or anything along those lines is allowed in the cars. Officials will now randomly check drivers upon exiting their cars. This includes SCCT and Civil War events. Get caught wearing a watch, or having a cell phone in your pocket at a King of the West-NARC event? Immediate DQ with loss of all points and purse money not for just that night, but the whole season up to that point. This same penalty also applies to any team getting caught using a traction control device – which is a whole different topic. Spark boxes are now being pulled at random and sent in for testing. Just think about the reputation of a driver and/or team if they get picked off doing that? Can you say “TractionGate?” Where is Bill Belichick at?
OCEAN SPEEDWAY NOTES (6/22/18): Let’s start off by mentioning a nice ocean breeze and 76 degrees. It creates visions of a tropical Hawaii .., until you get smacked in the face with a piece of dirt. … Jim Paniagua and rookie driver Jenna Frazier have had their fair share of motor issues this season. They’ve changed more of them than I’ve changed the oil on my car this year. At Ocean, they sported a motor purchased from Mason Moore and finished 16th in the feature. … There was some controversy after qualifying, when fast timer Brad Furr’s ride did not make minimum weight. Furr’s time vanished and he had the option to take one lap at the end, but his team opted to load up instead. Kurt Nelson was also light, but worked his way to the feature the roundabout way, where he scored 14th. By the way, that officially handed the ARP quick time award to Kyle Hirst for the sixth time this season. … Mathew Moles was impressive in his “Raisin Hell” number 10, scoring a season best sixth. … Also need to acknowledge Jeremy Chisum who pocketed eighth place money. … 26 cars … Jason Statler was a no show after hurting his motor at Petaluma two weeks prior. … Justin Sanders scored his second career King of the West-NARC win aboard Joe Von Schriltz sprinter. He will now have his name perpetually printed on the annual Pombo-Sargent t-shirt. … Colby Copeland was all over Sanders in this one before he got tangled in traffic with less than four laps remaining. …
CALISTOGA SPEEDWAY NOTES (6/23/18): Yes, just 24 hours later, it’s 106 degrees in the shade, with no breeze. Stifling would be a good word to use here! It creates double-vision until you get hit in your sweaty face with a piece of dirt. … Jarrett Soares took a hard tumble exiting turn two in hot laps when the hub sheared out of the right front wheel. Soares got his bell rung and was struggling to breathe without pain. Medical crews thought he had a punctured lung and sent the Soares family off to the hospital. He was diagnosed with a concussion, severely bruised ribs and chest and a leg injury. As bad as that sounds, it was a relief because it looked even worse. … 2011 King of the West champion and NASCAR superstar Kyle Larson was the pace car driver for both features, driving a brand new Jimmy Vasser Corvette. He was joined by race fan John Zonneveld, who was the high bidder on the NARC Benevolent Fund auction for the opportunity to hang with Mr. Larson. John was a happy camper! … Also got a chance to interview the one and only Jeff Gordon. I interviewed him a few times about 20-years ago and he hasn’t changed much. He’s a stellar ambassador for motorsports. … Kyle Hirst win was worth $5,000. This included a $1,000 kicker from Hydrochem PSC and another grand from Williams Roofing. A fan pulled a six in the Williams Roofing pill draw and yes, Hirst started sixth. Cha-Ching! … The crowd was a little on the light side. Along those lines, it’s estimated that about 50% of the attendance at Calistoga comes from the Santa Rosa side of the hill. This is the same Santa Rosa and surrounding areas that wild fires terrorized last October, taking out more than 6,500 homes. I wonder if that played a factor? … Fast time goes to Willie Croft! … Bud Kaeding and the Williams Motorsports team burned up a motor in their heat race. They were back in business 20-minutes later. They finished fifth and earned the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award. … The Shane Golobic/Kyle Hirst battle for the lead is a reminder of why we need more events at Calistoga. It was a battle of pure unfiltered testosterone. … Congrats to Colby Copeland who outdueled Willie Croft to claim the Civil War winner’s check. That was a good race also! …Thanks once again to 11-year old Branden Valentine who donated $300 to the NARC Benevolent Fund. Class act. …
PLACERVILLE SPEEDWAY NOTES (6/30/18): This race represented the first of three King of the West-NARC/Sprint Car Challenge Tour combo events scheduled this season! … 24-410’s, 37-360’s … DJ Netto found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, getting reeled into someone’s else’s mess in his heat. On the hook, and done for the night. … Damn, I don’t even need to type this out anymore, just a cut and paste: Kyle Hirst – FAST TIME! … Do you realize that Kyle Hirst has earned 36 points in qualifying this season? His current point lead is 39 points over Shane Golobic. … Hirst feature event victory was the 28th of his KWS-NARC career and moved him into a fourth place tie on the win list with Steve Kent. He only needs 56 more to tie all-time winner Brent Kaeding. … Great, enthusiastic crowd and full pit area! … Compliments to Scott Russell for working the track a few times during the program. It was racy as all heck! … Bobby McMahan was sporting a variety of numbers on his car. With Jarrett Soares still a little wobbly, McMahan helped car owner Steven Soares stay in the top ten in owner’s points. So while the tail tank sported a 25, it was the 12 on the wing that racked up the points. … Nice to see CJ Humphries still racing. … Buddy Kofoid was piloting the 1M Maxim for Mark Moore of Lincoln, CA. This is not a full-time gig, just a Placerville-gig as they plan to team up again for the King of the West-NARC July 28th show and the September WoO race. Together, they won the dash and led the first 16 laps until Mr. Hirst blew past and won his fifth. Kofoid finished fifth. Will somebody please give this kid a full-time ride? … Justin Sanders put on a clinic in the SCCT main, running 35 perfect laps, including about 30 up high on the cushion. There was no catching him. … Hirst had the best night overall, with his KWS-NARC win and his runner-up to Sanders.
July is a huge month for the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu sprint cars. We have three races on tap before we go on what amounts to be a two-month recess. Petaluma (July 14th), Ocean Speedway (July 21st) and Placerville (July 28th), representing Round 11-13 of the series.
The Ocean Speedway show is the second day of the two-day Howard Kaeding Classic. The first night is a Civil War show. The KWS-NARC Fujitsu headliner on Saturday pays $5000 to win and $700 to start (so far!). There is a ton of other perks for racing teams at this show. And … don’t miss the annual HKC luncheon at the fairgrounds on Saturday afternoon, catered up by the one and only Myles McAtte. Funds raised go to the NARC Benevolent Fund! After round 13 at Placerville's Fujitsu Summer Nationals, the series is dark in August, allowing teams to travel to Knoxville and around the country and September to support the WoO. And don’t blink on that one, because there are only five WoO dates to choose from in California. How have things changed!
And finally, I always like to finish on a high note, but with the passing of Jason Johnson, that's kind of hard to do. What it really does is serve up a serious reality check to what we do. Open wheel fans adore our sprint car warriors because we get to hang out, rub elbows, party and watch their families grow up on an up close and personal basis. It's why open wheel fans are so hooked on the sport – the basic lack of walls and barriers. But during that process it’s easy to lose track of the fact that what they do is dangerous and when we lose one of our sprint car heroes, it’s almost impossible to comprehend. It hurts to the core of our heart and soul. The loss of Jason Johnson hurts us to that core. We offer our sincere condolences, prayers and thoughts to all of the family, friends, and fans of Jason Johnson. RIP to the Rajun Cajon!
And while we’re at it, go tell a sprint car driver (and their team) that you appreciate what they do and the entertainment they provide! Coming to you live from Auburn, CA, see ya!
6/30/18 - By Jim Allen - Placerville, CA … Championship point leader Kyle Hirst continued his dominance of the King of the West-NARC victory lane with yet another impressive performance during Saturday’s fast-paced 30-lap Fujitsu-sponsored sprint car headliner at Placerville Speedway.
It was Hirst fifth win in 10 King of the West-NARC events this season aboard Dennis & Teresa Roth’s potent Roth Investments 25th Anniversary KPC sprint car. Hirst also earned the ARP Fast Qualifier award for the seventh time.
Sixteen year old Buddy Kofoid set the standard from the pole position, surviving five caution flags in the early going and a constant barrage of mid-race attacks by Hirst. The pair zigged and zagged frantically through lap traffic with Hirst shadowing his every move for the first half of the race.
With heavy traffic slowing the leaders progress, Hirst closed in nose-to-tail with the leader exiting turn four on lap 16, and then motored past Kofoid on the backstretch on 17th circuit to take a lead he would not relinquish the remaining distance.
“Buddy was running a pretty good race and lap traffic made it interesting,” admitted Hirst in victory lane. “However, the Roth Motorsports team gave me another excellent handling car to drive tonight. I just kept running high up on the curb and waited for the opportunity to get out front.”
Once Hirst took the point, the battles for the remaining podium positions were worth the price of admission. Kofoid, Shane Golobic and Bud Kaeding dueled wheel to wheel running multiple lines on the quarter miler. Golobic got past Kofoid to take the runner-up spot in the Tarlton Motorsports KPC on the 26th circuit. Kaeding also got around Kofoid with about a mile to go, and then managed to narrowly slip past Golobic on the white flag lap to secure second at the checkered. Kaeding was driving the Morrie Williams-owned Alviso Rock Maxim. Golobic came home third.
Justin Sanders drove past Kofoid on the final circuit to secure fourth in the Clayton Snow number 7. Kofoid rounded out the top five aboard the Mark Moore-owned Maxim.
The rest of the top 10 included Tanner Thorson, 11th starter Chase Johnson, Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Becker and Australian driver Marcus Dumesny. The Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award went to Dumesny, who started 16th.
Photo Credits: M&M Photos
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Justin Sanders, Michael Kofoid, Tanner Thorson, Chase Johnson, Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Becker, Marcus Dumesny, Willie Croft, Tim Kaeding, Colby Copeland, Sean Watts, Andy Forsberg, Dustin Golobic, Matt Dumesny, Nathan Rolfe, Richard Brace Jr., John Clark, Jenna Frazier, CJ Humphries, Bobby McMahan
Lap Leaders: Michael Kofoid 1-16, Hirst 17-30
ARP Fast Qualifier (1/4 mile clay oval – 24 cars): Kyle Hirst – 10.757 seconds
Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Heat One (10 laps): Justin Sanders, Chase Johnson, Kyle Hirst, Matt Dumesny, Colby Copeland, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, CJ Humphries
Hydrochem PSC Heat Two (10 laps): Michael Kofoid, Sean Becker, Andy Forsberg, Marcus Dumesny, Tanner Thorson, Sean Watts, Nathan Rolfe, John Clark.
The Cushion Heat Three (10 laps): Bobby McMahan, Mitchell Faccinto, Willie Croft, Bud Kaeding, Tim Kaeding, Dustin Golobic, Richard Brace Jr., Jenna Frazier
Sunnyvalley “Powered by Bacon” Dash (6 laps): Michael Kofoid, Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding, Justin Sanders, Sean Becker, Willie Croft
Hirst is the man at Calistoga
6/23/18 - Calistoga, CA, By Jim Allen ... Kyle Hirst outdueled Shane Golobic at the historic half-mile Calistoga Speedway on Saturday night to capture the 25-lap King of the West-NARC Fujitsu sprint car series headliner.
Driving the potent 25th Anniversary Roth Motorsports sprint car owned by Dennis and Teresa Roth, Hirst earned his fourth victory in nine series events to continue to expand his championship point lead.
Hirst started on the outside of the third row and blew past Australian Matt Dumesny and Mitchell Faccinto on the first lap, and Willie Croft on the fourth circuit to secure the runner-up position. By that time, Golobic had established a 15-car length advantage, but it was wiped out by a caution flag for a spinning car on lap six. On the restart, Golobic once again jumped out to a healthy 12-car lead until he encountered slower traffic.
Hirst took advantage of the situation and quickly reeled in the leader to set the stage for his winning move. On the 14th lap, Hirst and Golobic powered out of the second corner side-by-side in a no holds barred drag race down the backchute. Hirst didn't flinch and took the point sliding under Golobic as they drove hard into the third turn. Once out front, Hirst never looked back and went on to pocket a $4,000 payday, which included a $1,000 bonus from Hydrochem PSC.
"Shane (Golobic) was running good out front, but lapped traffic allowed me to catch him," said Hirst. "I knew we would race each other clean and we both let it all hang out down the backstretch. Neither one of us was going to lift."
Hirst went on to thank this car owner and crew for providing him with an excellent race car.
Golobic recorded the runner-up spot in the Tarlton Motorsports Tachi Palace KPC sprint car. Dumesny was steady throughout the contest and finished a King of the West-NARC career best third. He was piloting Rod Tiner's Simmons Contracting/ART-sponsored Maxim.
Croft was fourth in his Amerikote EMI sprint car, chased by defending series champion Bud Kaeding in the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim. Kaeding's crew had to change a motor after their heat, but the hard work paid off as they earned the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger Award after starting 11th.
Chase Johnson, Tanner Thorson, DJ Netto, Faccinto, and Marcus Dumesny rounded out the top ten.
Jarrett Soares was taken to a local hospital after a violent crash during hot laps. He suffered a concussion, deep lung and rib bruises, and a lower leg injury. He is expected to recover."
King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Main Event (25-laps): Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic, Matt Dumesny, Willie Croft, Bud Kaeding, Chase Johnson, Tanner Thorson, DJ Netto, Mitchell Faccinto, Marcus Dumesny, Dustin Golobic, Bobby McMahan, Nathan Rolfe, Colby Copeland, Jenna Frazier, Jamie Cobby.
ARP Fast Time Award: Willie Croft - 19.246 seconds
Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Heat One (8 laps): Matt Dumesny, Mitchell Faccinto, Willie Croft, Tanner Thorsen, Dustin Golobic, Nathan Rolfe, Jamie Cobby, Bud Kaeding
Hydrochem PSC Heat Two (8 laps): Kyle Hirst, Bobby McMahan, Shane Golobic, Chase Johnson, Marcus Dumesny, Colby Copeland, DJ Netto, Jenna Frazier
Sunnyvalley "Powered by Bacon" Dash (6 laps): Shane Golobic, Willie Croft, Bobby McMahan, Matt Dumesny, Mitchell Faccinto, Kyle Hirst.
Justin Sanders parks it at Ocean Speedway King of the West-NARC run
6/23/18, Watsonville, CA, By Jim Allen … Hometown driver Justin Sanders became the fifth different winner of the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series season, claiming Friday’s exciting 33rd Annual Pombo-Sargent Classic at Ocean Speedway.
Sanders, piloting the Joe Von Schriltz-owned North County Plastering/Dunkel Logistics XXX-chassis sprinter, took advantage of a five-car mid-race melee to take the point from race long leader Jamie Cobby of Australia.
Cobby who captured the Sunnyvalley Bacon dash, started on the pole of the 30-lapper and quickly set the standard on the initial green flag. Sanders stayed within striking distance of the leader, pacing a highspeed freight train that included Colby Copeland, Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding and DJ Netto.
Lap traffic on the quarter-mile oval ramped up the pressure several notches beginning on the 12th lap. The front of the pack began to bunch up as they sliced and diced. Everything came to a head on the 15th go round as the top five cars barreled into the first turn inches apart. Cobby and Sanders made contact with the leader spinning.. Before it was over, he reeled in Bud Kaeding who had no place to go, bringing out the caution.
Sanders inherited the lead on the restart and wasn’t about to squander the opportunity. He held off several advances by Copeland. However Copeland's challenges ended when he sustained damage after making contact with a lapped car with a mile to go. Sanders was in cruise control from that point on and raced to his second career King of the West-NARC victory. He earned $3,000 for his efforts.
“(Jamie) Cobby showed me that the bottom of the track was working early in the race which helped me out a lot,” said Sanders. “Once I got out in front I knew that I had to get after it, especially with Colby (Copeland) challenging me. Everything just worked out tonight.”
Series point leader Kyle Hirst was steady throughout the contest in the Roth Motorsports KPC running either second or third. He hung it out using the high-line for most of the race and settled for the runner-up spot at the checkered.
Shane Golobic started 12th in the grid and methodically marched to the front. He took advantage of the last restart to shoot past Chase Johnson to steal the third position aboard the Tarlton Motorsports KPC. Golobic also earned the Swift Metal Finishing hardcharger award for his efforts.
Johnson was fourth aboard the Safecraft Safety Equipment Maxim after starting 10th. DJ Netto rounded out the top five in the Netto Ag KPC.
The second five to cross the checkered were Mathew Moles, Willie Croft, semi-winner Jeremy Chisum, Colby Copeland and Billy Aton.
RACE RESULTS:
King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30-laps) Justin Sanders, Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic Chase Johnson, DJ Netto, Mathew Moles, Willie Croft, Jeremy Chisum, Colby Copeland, Billy Aton, Dustin Golobic, Kyle Offill, Koen Shaw, Kurt Nelson, Mark Barroso, Jenna Frazier, Jarrett Soares, Tanner Carrick, Marcus Dumesny, Gary Paulson, Jammie Cobby, Bud Kaeding.
Lap Leaders: Cobby 1-14, Sanders 15-30
Fast Time (26 cars): Kyle Hirst – 11.502 seconds
Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Heat One (10 laps): Kyle Hirst, Jamie Cobby, Marcus Dumesny, DJ Netto, Chase Johnson, Billy Aton, Koen Shaw, Jenna Frazier.
Hydrochem PSC Heat Two (10 laps): Colby Copeland, Bud Kaeding, Mathew Moles, Dustin Golobic, Jarrett Soares, Kyle Offill, Gary Paulson, Bryan Grier.
The Cushion Heat Three (10 laps): Justin Sanders, Shane Golobic, Willie Croft, Tanner Carrick, Kurt Nelson, Mark Barroso, Jeremy Chisum, Richard Fajardo, Nathan Rolfe.
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Jamie Cobby, Justin Sanders, Kyle Hirst, Colby Copeland, Bud Kaeding, Willie Croft.
Kaeding Performance Center Semi-Main (12 laps): Jeremy Chisum, Billy Aton, Koen Shaw, Mark Barroso, Gary Paulson, Kyle Offill, Jenna Frazier, Nathan Rolfe, Bryan Grier, Richard Fajardo
The exhilarating 950-horsepower winged sprint cars of the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series will feature a rare double-header racing weekend on June 22-23rd. It all kicks off on Friday (June 22nd) with the 33rd Annual Pombo-Sargent Classic at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, CA.
The following night, Saturday, June 23rd, the traveling racing series will make their only appearance of the 2018 season at the historic half-mile Calistoga Speedway, located in the Napa Valley. The Civil War Sprint Car Series is also racing at Calistoga.
The doubleheader weekend officially marks the midway point of the ultra-competitive 16-race series. Up for grabs will be more than $40,000 in prize money and contingency awards. The winner of the Calistoga Wine Country Classic headliner will earn a $4,000 paycheck.
Leading an impressive line-up of high-profile drivers and racing teams will be three-time series champion Kyle Hirst of Paradise, CA. Hirst is by far the hottest driver in the Golden State, capturing three King of the West-NARC victories, and posting a total of six podium finishes in seven events. He drives for the Fresno-based Roth Motorsports team.
“We’ve been extremely fast all season long,” explained Hirst, who has managed to earn the Automotive Racing Products (ARP) quick qualifier award in five events this season. “By qualifying well, we have earned some solid starting positions and that has helped our cause.”
Hirst is attempting to unseat defending series champion Bud Kaeding of Campbell from the atop the King of the West-NARC pedestal. Also launching a serious run at the crown is two-time feature winner Shane Golobic of Elk Grove, who currently owns the runner-up spot in the championship points standings. Either way, no matter who the competition, Hirst is predicting an unpredictable two-nights of racing.
“We’re talking about two completely different race tracks this weekend,” said Hirst. “Ocean (Speedway) is a quarter-mile bullring where just one small mistake can mean the difference between winning and not finishing in the top five. There’s no time to think; just react."
“On the other hand, there is absolutely nothing that duplicates the high-speeds that we run at Calistoga Speedway. This place tests the outer limits of our motors, equipment and testosterone."
Also joining the fray this weekend will be frontrunners Willie Croft of Roseville and Hanford’s DJ Netto. Croft was the winner of a May King of the West-NARC event in Chico. Netto captured Saturday’s SCCT 360 show at Hanford.
Also expected to compete are Penngrove driver’s Chase Johnson and Michael “Buddy” Kofoid; Jason Statler of Grass Valley; Roseville’s Colby Copeland; Atwater drivers Nathan Rolfe and Sean Watts; Bobby McMahan of Elk Grove; Santa Cruz driver Justin Sanders; rookie driver’s Dustin Golobic of Fremont and Sacramento’s Jenna Frazier; Tanner Thorson of Minden, NV; and Discovery Bay’s Jarrett Soares.
Ocean Speedway is located at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville. Front gates open at 4:30 p.m. Qualifying gets underway at 6:00 p.m. Also on the racing program is IMCA Modifieds, IMCA SportMods and Dwarf Cars. Pit gates open at 2:00 p.m.
Calistoga Speedway is located at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, approximately 25-miles north of Napa. The ticket booth opens at 2:00 p.m. Front gates open at 4:00 p.m. Qualifying begins at 5:30 p.m. Reserved tickets are available by calling 916-773-7223.
ED NOTE: NASCAR superstar Kyle Larson will be the official pace truck driver at Calistoga Speedway.
2018 KWS-NARC FUJITSU SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(After seven events in 16-race Series – 06/18/18)Kyle Hirst, Paradise (3) 649
Shane Golobic, Fremont (2) 627
Bud Kaeding, Campbell (1) 614
Chase Johnson, Penngrove 579
Colby Copeland, Roseville 566
Dustin Golobic, Fremont ® 555
Jason Statler, Grass Valley 551
Willie Croft, Roseville (1) 521
DJ Netto, Hanford 511
Nathan Rolfe, Atwater 496
Jenna Frazier, Sacramento ® 479
Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay 449
Sean Watts, Atwater 440
Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove 376
Mathew Moles, Fresno 375The King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Associate and contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Autometer, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Hooker Harness, Hydrochem PSC, Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Safecraft Safety Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, Winters Performance Products and Croft Racing.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 30th – Placerville Speedway, Placerville, CA – “Salute to the Fans” with SCCT Sprint Cars
July 14 – Petaluma Speedway, Petaluma, CA
July 21 – Ocean Speedway, Watsonville, CA – Howard Kaeding ClassicSOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION:
Website: www.NARC410.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NARC410
Instagram: www.instagram.com/narc410
TheCushion.com – Video on Demand
(6/9/18, Petaluma, CA – Jim Allen) … Championship point leader Kyle Hirst captured his second victory in a row and third of the King of the West-NARC sprint car season by claiming Saturday’s 30-lap Fujitsu-sponsored feature event at Petaluma Speedway.
Hirst, driving the 25th Anniversary Roth Investments KPC owned by Dennis & Teresa Roth, started on the outside of the front row and spent the first third of the contest tailgating his brother-in-law Willie Croft and holding off the advances of Buddy Kofoid.
Hirst inherited the lead on the 11th circuit when he narrowly avoided Croft in traffic, who spun out powering out of the fourth corner to bring out the caution. Tenth starter Colby Copeland was was taking no prisoners on his drive to the front. Driving the Larry Antaya Motorsports Fuel Curve Maxim, Copeland passed Billy Aton to move into seventh place on lap six, won a spirited battle with Shane Golobic to take fifth on lap 10, and launched a slide job on Kofoid to take over the runner-up spot on the 13th circuit.
However, Hirst had the car to beat and used it to masterfully slice and dice his way through slower traffic to effectively avoid all challengers. He survived two more caution during the final 10-laps on his was to securing a healthy 10-car length victory. Copeland's runner-up finish was his best of the season.
“I was hoping I could mix it up a little more with Willie (Croft)," said Hirst in victory lane, "but I'll take the lead any way I can get it. Once again, I really need to thank my team for giving me another fantastic car to drive tonight.”
The open wheel battle of the night was for the third through sixth positions. Kofoid, Shane Golobic, Chase Johnson, and Bud Kaeding battled fiercely wheel-to-wheel during the second half of the contest. Golobic managed to motor past Kofoid for the third spot with six laps remaining and held that position until the finish. He was piloting the Tarlton Motorsports KPC.
Defending series champ Bud Kaeding slipped under Kofoid to secure fourth place with five to go aboard the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim. Chase Johnson rounded out the top five in Shawn Thomas’s Safecraft Safety Equipment-sponsored sprint car.
The second five to cross the checkered were Kofoid, semi-winner DJ Netto, Croft, Aton, and Geoff Ensign. Netto earned the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger bonus after starting 16th. Ensign picked up a $250 Fujitsu bonus as the highest finishing 360.
Hirst started the program by earning his fifth Automotive Racing Products Quick Time award of the season. Croft was the Sunnyvalley Bacon dash winner.
Heat races were picked off by Copeland, Matt Dumesny, and Kofoid.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Kyle Hirst, Colby Copeland, Shane Golobic, Bud Kaeding, Chase Johnson, Michael Kofoid, DJ Netto, Willie Croft, Billy Aton, Geoff Ensign, Dustin Golobic, Jarrett Soares, Richard Brace Jr., Sean Watts, Klint Simpson, Jake Haulot, Nicholas Ringo, Nathan Rolfe, John Clark, Gary Paulson, Jason Statler, Matt Dumesny.
Lap Leaders: Croft 1-10, Hirst 11-30
ARP Fast Qualifier (3/8 mile clay oval - 25 cars): Kyle Hirst
BMRS First Heat (10 laps): Colby Copeland, Chase Johnson, Dustin Golobic, Kyle Hirst, Nicholas Ringo, Bobby McMahan, Jarrett Soares, Jake Haulot
HydrochemPSC Second Heat (10 laps): Matt Dumesny, Billy Aton, Shane Golobic, Sean Watts, Nathan Rolfe, John Clark, Richard Brace Jr, Jason Statler
The Cushion Third Heat (10 laps): Michael Kofoid, Willie Croft, Klint Simpson, Bud Kaeding, Geoff Ensign, DJ Netto, Will Fatu, Gary Paulson
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Willie Croft, Kyle Hirst, Michael Kofoid, Matt Dumesny, Chase Johnson, Shane Golobic
Kaeding Performance Center Last Chance Race (12 laps): DJ Netto, Richard Brace Jr., Jarrett Soares, Jake Haulot, Jason Statler, John Clark, Gary Paulson, Bobby McMahan, Will Fatu, Jenna Frazier
(06/02/18 Tulare, CA – Jim Allen) … Championship points leader Kyle Hirst turned in a dominate sprint car performance and led all 30-laps of Saturday’s King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series Chris & Brian Faria Memorial at the Thunderbowl Raceway.
It was a team effort for Hirst, car owner Dennis Roth, and the rest of their Roth Enterprises H&R Livestock Transport crew. Immediately after earning their fourth ARP Fast Qualifier Award of the season, the team was forced to make a motor change, along with other components to address vibration issues in their number 83 KPC.
Hirst started the headliner on the outside of the front row next to Bud Kaeding and won the war of matching slide jobs to lead the first lap. The frontrunner's favored the high line right up against the fence and ran at a frantic pace as they began to slice and dice through traffic on the eighth circuit. While the front two cat and moused on the fence line for the lead, Shane Golobic and DJ Netto battled wheel-to-wheel for the third spot a few car lengths back.
The first 23-laps ran non-stop until the caution came out for Jason Statler, who got tangled up with slower traffic. That set the stage for one last sprint to the finish. However, Hirst wasn't taking any prisoners and sprinted away to easily win by a straightaway margin.
“Man. I’m tired,” admitted Hirst in victory lane. “My team worked their tails off tonight to get us in victory lane. We had a series of problems but worked our way through all of them. I can’t say enough about this team and I have to thank Dennis and Teresa Roth for the opportunity to drive their cars. I would also like to thank Steve Faria (promoter) who gave us an excellent track to race on tonight.”
With his second victory of the season, Hirst extended his King of the West-NARC championship point lead over Shane Golobic to a 553-536 margin.
DJ Netto, piloting the Netto Ag/Rotella Shell-sponsored Speedway-powered KPC, took advantage of the bunched up field on the restart and got past Kaeding for second, a position he would hold until the checkered. Kaeding was third in the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim.
Willie Croft drove his Amerkote EMI past Shane Golobic with just five circuits remaining to score fourth. Golobic rounded out the top five in the Tarlton Motorsports KPC.
The second five to cross the line were 10th starter Colby Copeland, Chase Johnson, 12th starter Dustin Golobic, Kurt Nelson and Jarrett Soares. Colby Copeland earned the Swift Metal Finishing hardcharger award for his efforts.
Kaeding claimed the Sunnyvalley Bacon trophy dash.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Kyle Hirst, DJ Netto, Bud Kaeding, Willie Croft, Shane Golobic, Colby Copeland, Chase Johnson, Dustin Golobic, Kurt Nelson, Jarrett Soares, Mathew Moles, Nathan Rolfe, Cole Danell, Jason Statler, Craig Stidham, Jenna Frazier
Lap Leaders: Hirst 1-30
ARP Fast Qualifier (3/8 mile clay oval): Kyle Hirst – 13.572 seconds
BMRS First Heat (10 laps): Kyle Hirst, Chase Johnson, Willie Croft, Kurt Nelson, Mathew Moles, Cole Danell, Craig Stidham, Colby Copeland.
HydrochemPSC Second Heat (10 laps): Shane Golobic, Bud Kaeding, DJ Netto, Jason Statler, Dustin Golobic, Nathan Rolfe, Jarrett Soares, Jenna Frazier
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Willie Croft, Chase Johnson.
NARC NEWSLINE
(5/19/18, Tulare, CA – Jim Allen) … Shane Golobic pulled off a dramatic late race pass of Kyle Hirst and Bud Kaeding to steal Saturday’s 30-lap Peter Murphy Classic in King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series action at the Thunderbowl Raceway.
Golobic, who started 12th in the grid aboard the Tarlton Motorsports Tachi-Palace KPC, methodically maneuvered his way through the field into third place on a "rubber-down" dirt track with only four laps remaining. However, it was a caution flag on the final lap that provided the opportunity to score the victory. On the green-white-checkered restart, Golobic proceeded to motor past both race leader Hirst and Kaeding going down the backchute to take the point.
Fighting failing tires and an ill-handling car, Hirst went to the bottom of the track to block Kaeding who had a run on him coming out of the second turn. As the two frontrunners moved down, Golobic took the high line and powered to the lead, which he held the final lap.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, “stated a very happy Golobic on the victory podium, sporting a champagne shower and the cherished $11,000 Peter Murphy winner’s check. “I was going to be happy just running third up to that point.”
Hirst wedged his way past Kaeding on the 14th circuit to take the lead and seemed to have the race under control despite constant pressure from Tanner Thorson and defending series champion. On the final lap, the car of Mathew Moles banged the wall several times exiting turn four and began to swerve down into the path of the oncoming field, who were midway through the fourth corner. The yellow flag was waved forcing a restart, setting the stage for the wild two-lap dash for the cash.
Kaeding, driving the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim, got around Hirst on the final lap to score second.
Hirst was not a happy camper on the podium after crossing the line in third aboard the Roth Motorsports KPC. He banged on officials for not throwing the checkered instead of the caution flag.
Running up front wasn’t exactly advantageous for a few teams. Australian Matt Dumesny rode the wall and crashed hard while running second on lap six aboard Rod Tiner’s sprinter. He was unhurt. Thorson was all over the leader for most of the contest, until he pulled into the infield with a shredded right rear with only three laps to go.
Willie Croft drove his Amerkote EMI across the line in fourth, chased by sixth starter Tim Kaeding in the 83JR Roth Motorsports ride.
The second five to cross the checkered were Jason Solwold, Gio Scelzi, Jason Statler, DJ Netto, and Jason Meyers.
Sean Watts was also a red flag recipient in the feature hitting the frontstretch wall and turning over. He walked away under his own power. Richard Brace Jr. and Ryan Souza both flipped in separate accidents in the second heat. Both were unhurt.
Kurt Nelson took no prisoners winning the 12-lap semi. Heat races were claimed by Thorson, Gio and Dominic Scelzi, and Sean Becker.
Kaeding set the standard in qualifying as the only driver in the 34 car field in the 13-second bracket (13.992). He started on the pole after claiming the Sunnyvalley Bacon Pole Shuffle.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Shane Golobic, Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Willie Croft, Tim Kaeding, Jason Solwold, Gio Scelzi, Jason Statler, DJ Netto, Jason Meyers, Colby Copeland, Tanner Thorson, Sean Becker, Kurt Nelson, Dustin Golobic, Buddy Kofoid, Mathew Moles, Craig Stidham, Dominic Scelzi, Sean Watts, Bobby McMahan, Matt Dumesny, Chase Johnson
Lap Leaders: Kaeding 1-13, Hirst 14-28, Golobic 29-30
ARP Fast Qualifier (1/3 mile clay oval): Bud Kaeding 13.998 seconds
Brown & Miller Racing Solutions First Heat (10 laps): Tanner Thorson, Bud Kaeding, Jason Statler, Jason Meyers, DJ Netto, Kurt Nelson, Mathew Moles, Mark Barroso, Vaughn Schott
HydrochemPSC Second Heat (10 laps): Sean Becker, Matt Dumesny, Jason Solwold, Chase Johnson, Craig Stidham, Jarrett Soares, Jenna Frazier, Ryan Souza, Richard Brace Jr.
The Cushion Third Heat (10 laps): Gio Scelzi, Willie Croft, Colby Copeland, Buddy Kofoid, Dustin Golobic, Sean Watts, Chelsea Blevins, Wayne Rowett
Hoosier Harness Fourth Heat (10 laps): Dominic Scelzi, Tim Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic, Bobby McMahan, Nathan Rolfe, Colton Hardy, Dole Danell,
Sunnyvalley Bacon Pole Shuffle: R1: Kyle Hirst defeated Tim Kaeding; R2: Hirst defeated Tanner Thorson; R3: Willie Croft defeated Hirst; R4: Matt Dumesny defeated Croft; R5: Bud Kaeding defeated Dumesny.
Kaeding Performance Center Semi-Main (12 laps): Kurt Nelson, DJ Netto, Craig Stidham, Dustin Golobic, Mathew Moles, Bobby McMahan, Sean Watts, Nathan Rolfe, Richard Brace, Jarrett Soares, Chelsea Blevins, Vaughn Schott, Jenna Frazier, Cole Danell, Mark Barroso, Ryan Souza, Wayne Rowett, Colton Hardy.
May 12, 2018, By Jim Allen
The King of the West-NARC sprint cars made their one and only appearance this season at Silver Dollar Speedway for the popular Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial race on May 5th. For those of you not familiar with the Northern Auto Racing club history books, there was a time about 20-years when the NARC & Golden State sprint cars would invade the high-banks in Chico 14 times a year. How times have changed! Of course the schedule at that time featured an almost overwhelming 40-races a year.
But if you are going to go only once, my motto is to GO BIG! And that is exactly what happened. Thirty-five cars showed up for the 28th Annual tribute to Junior and put on an entertaining affair. By now you know that Willie Croft was the man of the hour, walking away with more than seven grand for leading 38 circuits of the 40-lapper and claiming the Mike Avilla fast time award. After coming close to winning this race several times – include a few heartbreakers -- he finally checked the Bradway off his racing bucket list. Said Croft afterwards, “It’s a huge weight off my shoulders and I feel relieved.” Now all that is remaining on his bucket list is a victory at Calistoga. By the way, we go there once also!
Tanner Thorson launched a couple of serious challenges at Croft, but had to settle for a season best second. Kyle Hirst, who had dominated the ARP quick time awards up to this point (three-in-a-row) qualified like he was dragging an invisible anchor and timed in 22nd. That delegated him the 17th starting spot in the 22-car line-up, which made his charge to the front very impressive. He was a factor for the win with about 10 to go before settling for third. That hard charger award was worth a cool $1100 in cash.
By the way, while most eyes were focused on the top five, there was a whole lot of talent charging from the back of the pack. A-Main alternate starter and rookie Dustin Golobic charged from 22nd to 11th; Justin Sanders fought from 18th to tenth and 19th starter and semi transfer Tim Kaeding roared from 19th to seventh.
Once again, the reason the Bradway race is one of the most popular on the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu schedule is because of Dianne and Dave Durica. It’s no accident that all 52-laps of the A & B-mains were sponsored. Plus there were several other awards. We sincerely thank the Durica’s for all of their efforts.
CHICO NOTES: Buddy Kofoid won his heat in the Dan Simpson 4S, but didn’t make the call for the dash due to vibration issues. The team scrambled to correct the issue but to no avail and ended up scratching from the feature. … Bud Kaeding had a rough night. He had Shane Golobic’s front right tire in his cockpit on the original start and brought out the yellow spinning out after contact with Thorson on lap 15. He restarted at the back of the back and roared back to sixth, only to get reeled into a four-car melee involving Jason Statler, Colby Copeland, and Mitchell Faccinto. It was a tough break for Faccinto, who was piloting the Menne Motorsports number 75 ride. He was minding his own business running in the top ten before finding himself with no place to go – except the trailer. Faccinto regular ride, the Stan Greenberg TSG Recycling 37, is going to be out of a commission for a few weeks due to “personal reasons.” … Speaking of Statler, he earned the Hard Luck award as the first car to bring out the red flag. He flipped over the second turn causing a lot more damage than the $200 award paid out. However with the help of Croft, Shane Golobic, Colby Copeland and many others, he made the call for the semi where he finished second. … What do Shane Golobic, Michael Ing, Buddy Kofoid, and Dominic Scelzi have in common? They each took home a Hoosier right rear tire and five packs of tear-offs for winning their heat race – compliments of Hoserville CA. … Chase Johnson won the semi and finished sixth in the headliner. That’s his four consecutive finish better than ninth and has earned him the fourth spot in the championship points standings. ... Chelsea Blevins finished sixth in the semi to qualify for the feature. The former Outlaw Kart racer from Janesville, CA (near Susanville) has an immediate goal to gain valuable experience by logging some serious lap time on her resume. ... Kyle Hirst won the Friday night Brownell Memorial at SDS. ... Yes, that was motor change taking place in the Sean Watts 98. ... Mason Moore finished fourth after starting on the pole. He led the first two laps and was in contention throughout in the Cannon Motorsports Mike's Hard Lemonade 47. ... Enthusiasm among race winners is contagious! Post-race donuts, a wing dance, some fist bumps and high-fives, and a good victory lane interview makes the ride home a lot shorter!
BY THE NUMBERS: The NARC410.com website, which is just over a year old, just experienced it’s 100,000 unique visitor two weeks ago. Now, we need to get all of you to the races! … The win was Croft’s eighth career King of the West-NARC victory and first since the 2016 season. … Rookie of the year candidate Dustin Golobic is leading the pack as far as the year end Swift Metal Finishing hardcharger award goes. He has passed 23 cars in this season’s four A-mains to lead a stellar group that includes Kyle Hirst (17), Shane Golobic (16), Justin Sanders (15), and Tanner Thorson (14). The drivers with the most cars passed at seasons end pockets a $1500 bonus. Surprisingly, he hasn’t won the award on any single night. I think that is called consistency! … Only Bud Kaeding has won the Sunnyvalley Bacon trophy dash this season and gone on to win the feature. …
CONSIDER US YOUR TRAVEL AGENT AND YOUR OPEN WHEEL ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE: The highly anticipated Peter Murphy Classic is on tap for May 18-19th. This two-day show sports everything any reasonable open wheel racing fan would possibly ask for. And like the Bradway race and the Durica’s, Peter Murphy puts in a lot of work hustling up support for the event featuring his name. Night one features the winged SCCT & non-winged WRS 360’s. The second night has King of the West-NARC 410’s and non-winged 360’s on the card. Saturday’s headliner is expected to be hotly contested (more than usual) with a huge paycheck on the line. Last year’s PMC winner Bud Kaeding proudly strutted away with a stout $11,000 winner’s check. Yes, $11,000 will put a bounce in your step. … The PMC also helps raise money for the NARC Benevolent Fund, something that helped out Mr. Murphy after his horrible career-ending crash in 2013. One way will be through a special auction of a front wing. Now, this isn’t just any front wing, as much as it will be signed by every driver in competition. Yes, this is something that will be proudly displayed in the future in someone’s shop or man cave! …
... There are five King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series point races in June. The month kicks off with Tulare (June 2nd), followed by Petaluma (June 9th), an Ocean/Calistoga Speedway doubleheader weekend on June 22-23 and the BIG King of the West-NARC/Sprint Car Challenge Tour doubleheader at Placerville Speedway on June 30th. There will be around 70 cars packed into the El Dorado County fairgrounds for this one and it’s expected to sell out. No excuses ... get your tickets now!
Coming to you live from Auburn, CA, see ya!
CROFT CLAIMS HARDFOUGHT KING OF THE WEST-NARC WIN AT BRADWAY MEMORIAL
(5/5/18, Chico, CA – Jim Allen) … Willie Croft survived an onslaught of advances by Tanner Thorsen, a flurry of caution flags in the early going, and heavy lap traffic late to claim the 40-lap King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Bradway Memorial at Silver Dollar Speedway Saturday.
Driving his own Amerikote/Holey Smokes BBQ-sponsored, Kistler-powered sprint car, Croft also set quick time and with lap money earned more than $6700 for his efforts.
“This is by far my biggest victory ever,” admitted a very happy Croft in victory lane. “I’ve really wanted to win this race for a long time and finally got it done.”
Croft started the headliner on the outside of the front row next to polesitter Mason Moore and hunted him down racing down the backchute on the third lap to take the point. However, he was unable to extend his lead over the field due to a series of seven caution flags that appeared for a variety of spins and collisions during the first 15-laps.
Thorsen, who was piloting Clyde Lamar’s Tri-C Machine/Amsoil ride, was locked in a torrid three-way battle for fourth for more than eight-laps with Moore, Shane Golobic and Bud Kaeding. Thorsen managed to slip under Moore in the second corner to officially earn the runner-up spot on the 12th circuit. At that point it was a full on attack of the leader with slide jobs being launched and the two swapping positions on a corner-by-corner basis.
“There was some great racing going on with Tanner,“ explained Croft, after becoming the fourth different winner in as many series races. “However, I didn’t want to get in a battle of sliders so I locked down my line to pull away.”
While Thorsen was attacking, he was still defending his rear nerf bar from the advances of Moore, Golobic, and series championship point leader Kyle Hirst. The racing was hot and heavy with this group with no clear separation taking place.
After a red flag stop for fuel on lap 26, the remainder of the race ran non-stop. Croft expertly navigated his way away from his nearest challenges and through heavy traffic to secure the victory.
Thorsen second place finish was his best outing of the King of the West-NARC season. Hirst, who started 19th in the Roth Motorsports KPC, was on a mission during the second half of the race, and claimed third at the checkered. He earned $1100 for his efforts.
Moore secured fourth in the Brian Cannon Mike’s Hard Lemonade Eagle. Golobic rounded out the top five in the Tarlton Motorports Tachi Palace KPC.
The second five to cross Ed Entz checkered was semi-winner Chase Johnson, Tim Kaeding, Bill Aton, Michael Ing, and Justin Sanders.
Croft’s time of 11.705 seconds in qualifying earned him the “Carwash Mike Avilla” fast qualifier award and an $1100 bonus.
Jason Statler brought out the red flag in his heat race when he got upside down. He was unhurt.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (40 laps): Willie Croft, Tanner Thorsen, Kyle Hirst, Mason Moore, Shane Golobic, Chase Johnson, Tim Kaeding, Billy Aton, Michael Ing, Justin Sanders, Dustin Golobic, Bobby McMahan, Daniel Becker, Jake Morgan, Shawn Conde, Jason Statler, Bud Kaeding, Colby Copeland, Mitchell Faccinto, Dominic Scelzi, Sean Watts, Chelsea Blevins
Lap Leaders: Moore 1-2, Croft 3-40
ARP/Carwash Mike Avilla Fast Qualifier (1/4 mile clay oval): Willie Croft – 11.705 seconds (35 cars)
Brown & Miller Racing Solutions First Heat (10 laps): Shane Golobic, Willie Croft, Colby Copeland, Sean Watts, Chase Johnson, Carl Droivold, Jake Wheeler, Jenna Frazier, Richard Brace Jr.
HydrochemPSC Second Heat (10 laps): Michael Ing, Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Mitchell Faccinto, Shawn Conde, Brent Bjork, Wyatt Brown, Jason Statler, Tim Kaeding
The Cushion Third Heat (10 laps): Michael Kofoid, Bobby McMahan, Mason Moore, Justin Sanders, Daniel Becker, Chelsea Blevins, Dustin Golobic, Billy Wallace, Eddy Lewis
Hoosier Harness Fourth Heat (10 laps): Dominic Scelzi, Tanner Thorsen, Jake Morgan, Billy Aton, Mike Monahan, Nathan Rolfe, Gary Paulson, Pat Harvey Jr.
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Mason Moore, Willie Croft, Tanner Thorsen, Shane Golobic, Bud Kaeding
Kaeding Performance Center Semi-Main (12 laps): Chase Johnson, Jason Statler, Tim Kaeding, Daniel Becker, Shawn Conde, Chelsea Blevins, Dustin Golobic, Richard Brace Jr., Gary Paulson, Carl Droivold, Billy Wallace, Jenna Frazier, Wyatt Brown, Pat Harvey Jr., Eddy Lewis, Jake Wheeler, Nathan Rolfe, Mike Monahan.
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Mason Moore, Willie Croft, Tanner Thorsen, Shane Golobic, Bud Kaeding.
(5/1/18) Auburn, CA … Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico will play host to the exciting King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series for the only time this season on Saturday, May 5th at the 28th Annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial.
This event marks the fourth round of the 16-race schedule that will ultimately crown the coveted King of the West-NARC winged sprint car champion. Up for grabs will be a purse in excess of $27,000, including lap money and other special awards.
The race, in honor of the former Northern Auto Racing Club driver who lost his life in a racing accident in 1987, is one of the longest continuously running events in California motorsports. The win list reads like a “whose-who” of Golden State sprint car legends and rates as a bucket list item for most drivers of the current generation.
Among those is Elk Grove’s Shane Golobic, who is currently locked in a heated championship points battle with three-time series champ Kyle Hirst of Paradise.
“Winning the Bradway race would be a huge accomplishment for me,” admitted Golobic. “Everybody in open wheel racing knows about this event and to be able to say I won it would be something I would proudly display on my racing resume.”
The feature event features 22-winged 410 c.i. 950-horsepower sprint cars for 40-laps, the most on the 2018 schedule by 10-laps. The winner will pocket a minimum of $4,000. Lap money pays the top three frontrunners on each lap so it is very lucrative to run up front.
Golobic continued, “I’ve been close to winning this race, but haven’t been able to pull it off. Being that it’s a 40-lapper, there is more time to move to the front, but also more variables that can come into play. My Tarlton Motorsports team is prepared for just about any scenario and will be putting me in the best position to succeed.”
Hirst will be looking to claim his second Bradway Memorial after banking a victory in 2016. Other previous winners expected to be in the field are defending series champion Bud Kaeding of Campbell (2015); and brother Tim Kaeding of San Jose (2002 & 2008).
Last year’s winner Rico Abreu has dominated three of the past five races, pocketed more than $8000 for his effort last season. He is currently committed to race back East, opening the door for a new winner.
Other’s entries looking to claim their first victory in this prestigious event include Hanford drivers DJ Netto and Mitchell Faccinto; Chase Johnson of Penngrove; Roseville’s Willie Croft and Colby Copeland; Fresno driver Dominic Scelzi; Sean Watts and Nathan Rolfe of Atwater; Grass Valley’s Jason Statler; Mathew Moles of Fresno; rookie of the year candidate’s Dustin Golobic (Fremont) and Jenna Frazier (Sacramento); Merced’s Mark Bark Barroso; Jarrett Soares of Discovery Bay and many others.
Lap money consist of $100 per lap, paying the top three positions ($50, $30, $20) on every lap in the main event and last chance qualifier. The Mike Avilla Fast Time award will award a cool $1000 to the fastest qualifier. The Hardcharger Award, presented to the driver who passes the most cars in the feature event, will also pay $650. There are many other awards that the racing community has contributed to make this race a huge success.
The King of the West-NARC racing format includes qualifying, heat-races, the Sunnyvalley Bacon trophy dash, a 12-lap Last Chance Qualifier, and the 40-lap Fujitsu/Hoosier sponsored headliner.
Pit gates open at 3:00 p.m. and front gates open at 5:00 p.m. Qualifying gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Also on the racing card is IMCA Sport Mods.
Silver Dollar Speedway is located at the fairgrounds in Chico, approximately ½ mile west of US 99. For more information, go to www.silverdollarspeedway.com or www.NARC410.com, or call 530-891-6535.
Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA
www.silverdollarspeedway.com
Wet Weather Cancels Tonight’s Event. Silver Dollar Speedway Phone: (530) 350-7275 Rain Cancels Event at Silver Dollar Speedway Chico, CA (April 6, 2018) ….PAST DAVE BRADWAY JR MEMORIAL RACE WINNERS
1991 - Jason McMillen – McMillen 21
1992 - Greg DeCaries – Bumgarner 88
1993 - Eric Rossi – Family Auto Service 98x
1994 - Randy Tiner – Clyde Lamar 3c
1995 - Brent Kaeding – BK Racing 69
1996 - Paul McMahan – Clyde Lamar 3c
1997 - Jimmy Sills – Dennis Johnson 14d
1998 - Randy Tiner – Rod Tiner 83 (2)
1999 - Brent Kaeding – Al Peterson 2m (2)
2000 - Brent Kaeding – Al Peterson 2m (3)
2001 - Jonathan Allard – Rick Wright 35
2002 - Tim Kaeding – Rick Wright 35
2003 - Jonathan Allard – Rick Wright 35 (2)
2004 - Jason Statler – DF Rios 00
2005 - Jonathan Allard – Morrie Williams 0 (3)
2006 - Sean Becker – Fisher/Main 35m
2007 - Brent Kaeding – BK Racing 69 (4)
2008 - Tim Kaeding – Tom Rolfe 10 (2)
2009 - Jonathan Allard – Morrie Williams 0 (4)
2010 - Shane Stewart – Paul Silva 57
2011 - Peter Murphy – Dalton’s 11
2012 - Jonathan Allard – Morrie Williams 0 (5)
2013 - Rico Abreu – Abreu Vineyards 24
2014 - Rico Abreu – Abreu Vineyards 24 (2)
2015 - Bud Kaeding – Morrie Williams 0
2016 - Kyle Hirst – Tarlton Motorsports 21x
2017 - Rico Abreu – Abreu Vineyards 24 (3)
2018 KWS-NARC FUJITSU SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(After three events in 16-race Series – 05/01/18)Kyle Hirst, Paradise (1) 280
Shane Golobic, Fremont (1) 272
Bud Kaeding, Campbell (1) 267
DJ Netto, Hanford 256
Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford 256
Chase Johnson, Penngrove 254
Jason Statler, Grass Valley 247
Colby Copeland, Roseville 239
Dustin Golobic, Fremont ® 235
Sean Watts, Atwater 224
Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay 222
Mathew Moles, Fresno 221
Nathan Rolfe, Atwater 219
Mark Barroso, Merced 218
Jenna Frazier, Sacramento 212The King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Associate and contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Autometer, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Hooker Harness, HydrochemPSC, Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Safecraft Safety Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, Winters Performance Products and Willie Croft Racing.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 19th – Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA – Second Night of Peter Murphy Classic
June 2nd – Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA -- Chris & Brian Faria Memorial
June 9th – Petaluma Speedway, Petaluma, CA
June 22nd – Ocean Speedway, Watsonville, CA – Pombo-Sargent Classic
June 23rd – Calistoga Speedway, Calistoga, CA – Wine Country Classic w/Civil War Sprint CarsSOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION:
Website: www.NARC410.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints
NARC NEWSLINE - April 27, 2018, By Jim Allen
Auburn, CA … Well … (deep breath) …, the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series has officially started off with a bang – just the way we like it - and has proven to be more unpredictable than the lottery. Three races have produced three winners, an old school rescheduled event, a whole lot of bacon, an unbelievable photo-finish and a quick run to the beer booth. Let me explain …
KERN COUNTY RACEWAY PARK (4/8/18): It seems like it’s the same old story, year after year with weather. And in typical fashion, Mother Nature attempted to play the spoiler role in messing up our season opener. However, Larry Collins and the gang down at the Dirt Track at Kern County became good friends with the Weather Channel and made the decision to postpone the Saturday opener to Sunday (April 8th). The start time was moved up to a 4:00 p.m. and we were good to go! That resulted in a successful old school Sunday afternoon show.
Shane Golobic played old school winner in his new school ride to win the first time out in the Tarlton Motorsports KPC. With a batting average of 1.000, he is the first point leader of the season. Willie Croft and Dominic Scelzi were the other two on the podium. Overall, with a hot sun bearing down on the one-third mile dirt oval, the track surface held up pretty well. Along the way, we stalled for about 45 minutes for the sun to set before pushing off the feature and Golobic’s victory lane interview took place at 8:19 p.m. This allowed most our Nor Cal teams to make it home by 2:00 a.m. and to work on about four hours of sleep. The sacrifices we make to play in the dirt! We’re looking forward to our return visit to the DT at KCRP in October!
Kyle Hirst picked his brother-in-law Croft’s pocket for $1000 by setting a new King of the West-NARC qualifying record – knocking almost a half-second off the 2017 qualifying standard. Not bad for 12.406 seconds worth of work. Ironically, Croft was the first to break the mark in hot laps. For those of you at home wondering how that happened, Willie Croft Racing is putting up a cool grand to any driver that can set a new KWS-NARC fast time record at any track. He did! … Dustin Golobic stated his intentions to run for rookie of the year in the Golobic Construction 57. He finished 12th. Jenna Frazier who is also a rookie scored 19th. … Sean Watts was running a strong seventh when he got bit in the first turn bringing out the only red of the night. … A good qualifying time was about the only thing preventing Tanner Thorson from winning this thing. He charged from 15th to fifth in the main to earn the Swift Metal Finishing hardcharger award.
OCEAN SPEEDWAY (4/20/18): You’ve got to love the bullrings. The places where the leaders contend with slower traffic in only three laps and there is no time to think, just milliseconds to react. Ocean Speedway fell into that category once again, dishing up another great racing surface and the wheel-to-wheel battles reflected exactly that fact.
Kyle Hirst was on a mission on his way to his 25th career King of the West-NARC victory – despite some visible battle scars on his smashed front wing. The racing in the top five was worth the price of admission and at one point the proverbial blanket could have been pulled out to prove a point. Willie Croft can’t buy a break, leading 23 laps in all before a flat left rear shot him into the pits. Sixth row was on the move in this one as Shane Golobic earned the runner-up spot from 12th and DJ Netto third from 11th. Tanner Thorsen, started 14th and was in the runner-up spot challenging for the point when he spun in lap traffic with only five remaining. I didn’t see that one coming!
Mathew Moles started on the pole of the feature after winning one of the most exciting trophy dashes in a while. Hirst spun out and Kaeding and Chase Johnson took each other out leaving Moles sporting a million-dollar smile after winning his first ever King of the West-NARC dash. The new six-car dash format is sponsored by Sunnyvalley Bacon. Besides cash for the winner, one of the perks is that one lucky fan gets “Powered by Bacon” and walks away with almost nine pounds of mans best food. That person was chosen by Moles, who whipped the Watsonville crowd into a serious frenzy before picking the lucky recipient. … Justin Sanders had some trouble on his first qualifying lap and got on his lid. Some quick repairs on the 121 mount, including a new number 17 wing, and he was good to go for a final qualifying lap at the end. He finished sixth in the feature. … Dominic and Gio Scelzi are deadly accurate with the new KWS-NARC t-shirt cannons. #justsaying … ARP Fast Qualifier? That would be Kyle Hirst. …
THUNDERBOWL RACEWAY (4/21/18): Go get me a broom and I’ll go get a beer! After stealing a thrilling photo finish victory at the Thunderbowl, Bud Kaeding made a beeline for the beer stand to snag an icy cold celebratory beverage. For the two of you who have never been to Tulare, all interviews are done on a podium on the spectator side of the fence. So after high-energy high-fives and violent man hugs on the front straightaway with crew members, everybody is directed through the gate to the podium. Hirst went to the podium, so did third place finisher Shane Golobic. Kaeding walked straight ahead, through the tunnel to the back of the grandstands and the – pardon the pun - Bud booth. Considering he wasn’t carrying a wallet, he had to do some serious negotiating before getting his beer put on promoters Steve Faria tab. The ladies working the beer booth didn’t know Bud from anybody else in the grandstands. When he returned, it was a fun victory lane celebration.
Kaeding said he found something good to run on up top in turns three and four and stuck with it the final five laps. He banged the wall a couple of times in the process. This ultimately resulted in a slingshot move on the white flag lap that scored a winning margin of about a wheel. Bud was squeezed up against the wall, Hirst was sliding up, the two banged wheels and the rest is history. If the finish line was say twenty feet farther away, chances are the two would have wadded up their cars because there was no place to go. Hirst was disappointed upon exiting the car, knowing he let one slip away in his quest to sweep the weekends races. However, he knew that he put on one heck of a show! That's the sign of a professional race car driver!
For Kaeding it was a sweep of Tulare (see broom) as he claimed his first ever Civil War feature, and backed it up with his 19th career King of the West-NARC victory. Once again, the finish in the KWS-NARC feature was Kaeding, Hirst, Golobic and DJ Netto. The finish in the Civil War main was Kaeding, Hirst, Golobic and DJ Netto. What are the odds? Really? What are the odds?
Jason Statler keeps moving forward. A 10th at KCRP, a ninth at OS, and a seventh at TR puts him seventh in points. … Jarrett Soares also did double-duty in a 360 and 410. ... Who set fast time? Try to act surprised when I tell you this. Kyle Hirst nailed it for the third consecutive race to start the season with Roth Motorsports. Considering the top four qualifiers at King of West-NARC events earn championship points, that is one of the key reasons Hirst is our current point leader. … Hardcharger award? Shane Golobic - for the second night in a row. It was a tough night for moving forward as he passed four cars. … Colby Copeland and car owner Larry Antaya are dialing in the details and showing quick improvement. They finished a season best eighth at Tulare and are eighth in points.
NARC NOTES: Special thanks to the generous donations to the NARC Benevolent Fund. One was in memory of Gary Patterson, the other for the late Bob Miller. Along those lines, make sure you check out our display at every event. Fans can make tax deductible donations to the Benevolent Fund at the track. Word has it there is a special T-shirt being manufactured that you can only get by making a $50 donation to the fund. It’s supposed to be “over the top” awesome! … Mark Barroso and his team have stated their intentions to tackle the entire King of the West-NARC schedule – barring some unforeseen circumstance. His J&R Barroso Dairy Farms car is based in Merced, CA. Barroso competed in 12 King of the West events in 2011 and three in 2014. … Mitchell Faccinto is always a frontrunner with Stan Greenberg. The team is fifth in points after racing up a pair of sixths and a seventh place finish. … If you want to hear an interesting story, go talk to car owner Shawn Thomas about why his tail tank on his number 68 sprint car is black and doesn’t quite match the color scheme of his new Safecraft sponsorship colors. … This serves as last call to get in to sponsor a lap or event at the May 5th Bradway Memorial. Contact Dianne Durica like right NOW if you're interested! Dial her up at 916-988-5958. … The 2018 King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series t-shirt design is awesome. Thanks to Jim Gardner and Bullet Impressions. ... Sprint Car Ambassador Brad Doty will be an honored guest at the Peter Murphy Classic in Tulare. …
So ..., if you’re planning your open wheel adventures correctly, you’re chasing the big money like our race teams. May is a great month for doing that. Start off with the lucrative Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial race at Chico on May 5th. It’s our only visit to Silver Dollar this season and there is more than $5000 in lap money up for grabs in the A & B Mains. The "Car Wash Mike Avilla" Fast time award and the Hardcharger are worth $1000 a pop, plus there are a ton of other perks. Once again, it's our only visit to Silver Dollar Speedway. Then it’s a trip to the Thunderbowl Raceway for the very popular May 19th Peter Murphy Classic. Mr. Murphy is working hard to put together another great event, that also includes SCCT sprint cars on Friday, May 18th. Last season’s KWS-NARC feature, claimed by Bud Kaeding, paid $11,000 to win. Both events will attract a field of more than 35 cars. We will see you at the races and make sure you bring a friend (or five.)
Coming to you live from Auburn, CA. See ya!
(04/21/18 Tulare, CA – Jim Allen) … Defending King of the West-NARC champion Bud Kaeding nipped Kyle Hirst at the checkered in an exciting photo-finish to narrowly escape with Saturday’s 30-lap Fujitsu Sprint Car Series feature event at Thunderbowl Raceway.
It marked a clean sweep for Kaeding and the Morrie Williams Motorsports, Alviso Rock-Kaeding Performance Center-sponsored Maxim, as they also captured the 30-lap Civil War 360 main event.
Kaeding and Hirst battled wheel-to-wheel in the Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy dash and that fight rolled over to the feature with neither driver giving an inch. Kaeding held off Hirst to barely lead the first lap and proceeded to jump out to a 12-car length advantage. However, heavy lap traffic 10-laps into the event allowed Hirst to reel him in and begin applying pressure.
The pair engaged in a high-speed game of cat and mouse as they zigged and zagged through traffic, with Hirst running the high line in the Roth Motorsports H&R Livestock Transport KPC and Kaeding down low. Hirst finally managed to slip past on the 17th circuit.
The duo was easily the class of the 18-car field and began to pull away from all other challengers. They established a four lapped car interference over a freight train that included Chase Johnson, Shane Golobic, and Mitchell Faccinto.
The only caution flag of the event came out for a spinning car with six laps remaining, bunching up the field for one last crack at the leaders.
On the restart, Hirst powered out into the point again. However, Kaeding began setting up his winning move by running high up in the third and fourth corners and gaining on Hirst going down the front stretch. He banged the wall several times but the slingshot maneuver allowed him to keep his momentum and inch closer and closer to the leader.
With the checkered flag waving, and the fans on their feet, Kaeding powered out of the fourth corner and drag raced Hirst to the line, escaping with the narrow victory.
“I tried running the top early on,” explained Kaeding, after becoming the third winner in as many KWS-NARC races. “I moved back up there in the late going and found a little something to race on. I’m glad it worked otherwise both of us were going to be wadded up in the infield.”
Golobic got past Johnson with three to go and claimed the show position in the Tachi Palace sponsored KPC owned by Tarlton Motorsports. DJ Netto, piloting the Netto Ag sprinter, started fourth, fell back to seventh, but powered back to his original position at the finish. Chase Johnson scored fifth in his Shawn Thomas-owned Safecraft sponsored machine.
Hirst started off the program by earning the ARP Fast Qualifier award for the third consecutive time this season.
Rounding out the second five was Mitchell Faccinto, Jason Statler, Colby Copeland, Bobby McMahan and Craig Stidham.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Chase Johnson, Mitchell Faccinto, Jason Statler, Colby Copeland, Bobby McMahan, Craig Stidham, Sean Watts, Jarrett Soares, Dustin Golobic, Nathan Rolfe, Mark Barroso, Mathew Moles, Jenna Frazier, Richard Brace.
Lap Leaders: Kaeding 1-16, Hirst 17-29, Kaeding 30
ARP Fast Qualifier (3/8 mile clay oval): Kyle Hirst – 13.605 seconds
BMRS First Heat (10 laps): Sean Watts, DJ Netto, Kyle Hirst, Bobby McMahan, Craig Stidham, Richard Brace.
HydrochemPSC Second Heat (10 laps): Mitchell Faccinto, Jarrett Soares, Chase Johnson, Shane Golobic, Mathew Moles, Mark Barroso
The Cushion Third Heat (10 laps): Bud Kaeding, Jason Statler, Colby Copeland, Dustin Golobic, Nathan Rolfe, Jenna Frazier
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Chase Johnson, DJ Netto, Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Watts
(4/20/18 - Watsonville, CA - Jim Allen) … Kyle Hirst came out on the winning end of a frantic open wheel battle with brother-in-law Willie Croft and Tanner Thorson to capture Friday’s thrilling 30-lap King of the West-NARC Fujitsu sprint car headliner at Ocean Speedway.
It was three-time series champion’s 25th career series victory, this one piloting the Roth Motorsports H & R Livestock Transportation KPC sprinter.
Croft, who started on the outside of the front row, was the class of the 22-car field for most of the event. He took the lead away from dash winner Mathew Moles on the second lap and two laps later began the process of slicing and dicing his way through slower traffic.
The action behind the leader was intense as several drivers charged to the front. Hirst, who started fourth, got past Moles for the runner-up spot on the seventh lap. Thorsen drove the Tri-C Machine sprinter like a man possessed after starting in the 14th position. He was up to fifth after only three laps and shadowing Hirst every move by the fifth circuit around the quarter-mile oval.
The action came to a halt on the seventh circuit when Nathan Rolfe took a tumble in the third corner. He walked away unhurt.
At the midway point, Hirst and Thorson were back swapping positions on a corner by corner basis as the top four positions could have been covered by a blanket. Hirst stole the point away from Croft on the 16th lap, but a yellow flag negated the move. Another red flag a lap later, this time for an upside-down Gio Scelzi stopped the action again. Scelzi, who captured the semi, was not injured.
When action resumed, Thorsen powered past Hirst in the fourth corner and quickly began to reel in the Croft, who was being held up in traffic. The two frontrunners began to pull away from the field, but Thorsen spun out while negotiating a lapped car bringing out yet another caution.
It was Hirst time to shine now and he motored past Croft in an exciting drag race down the backchute with five to go. However, Croft wasn’t done and the duo pulled out all the stops in an action-packed wheel-to-wheel battle. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Croft’s night as he pulled off the track three-laps remaining with a flat left rear.
Hirst took no prisoners the remaining distance to score the popular victory and take away the KWS-NARC point lead from Shane Golobic by a 187-184 margin (unofficial.) Golobic, who started 12th in the 22-car grid scored a solid second place at the checkered, driving the Tarlton Motorsports Tachi Palace-sponsored KPC. That was good enough to earn him the Swift Metal Finishing hardcharger award.
“This is great,” said a pumped up Hirst afterwards. “It’s always exciting to have a race like this and come out on top.”
Eleventh starter DJ Netto drove the Netto Ag sprint car through the field to finish in the show position. Defending series champion Bud Kaeding claimed fourth in the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim. Dominic Scelzi rounded out the top five in the Scelzi Enterprises Schnee.
The second five across the line was Justin Sanders, Mitchell Faccinto, Chase Johnson, Jason Statler and Jeremy Chisum.
30-LAP FUJITSU MAIN EVENT: Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Bud Kaeding, Dominic Scelzi, Justin Sanders, Mitchell Faccinto, Chase Johnson, Jason Statler, Jeremy Chisum, Tanner Thorson, Colby Copeland, Dustin Golobic, Kurt Nelson, Bobby McMahan, Willie Croft, Sean Matts, Mark Barroso, Mathew Moles, Billy Aton, Gio Scelzi, Nathan Rolfe.
Lap Leaders: Moles 1, Croft 2-24, Hirst 25-30
ARP Fast Qualifier: Kyle Hirst – 11.450 seconds (1/4 mile oval)
BMRS First Heat (10-laps): Willie Croft, Billy Aton, Kyle Hirst, Mitchell Faccinto, Jason Statler, Sean Watts, Dustin Golobic, Nathan Rolfe, Richard Fajardo
The Cushion Second Heat (10-laps): DJ Netto, Mathew Moles, Chase Johnson, Colby Copeland, Justin Sanders, Gio Scelzi, Bobby McMahan, Jenna Frazier
HydrochemPSC Third Heat (10-laps): Shane Golobic, Dominic Scelzi, Bud Kaeding, Kurt Nelson, Tanner Thorson, Jeremy Chisum, Jarrett Soares, Mark Barroo
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6-laps): Mathew Moles, Willie Croft, Billy Aton, Kyle Hirst, Chase Johnson, Bud Kaeding
Hoosier Tires SEMI-MAIN EVENT (12-laps): Gio Scelzi, Jeremy Chisum, Sean Watts, Nathan Rolfe, Bobby McMahan, Dustin Golobic, Mark Barroso, Jarrett Soares, Richard Fajardo, Jenna Frazier.
(4/8/18 - Bakersfield, CA, Jim Allen) … Shane Golobic and his new Tarlton Motorsports team wasted no time proving they will be a force to be reckoned with on the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series tour, capturing the 30-lap season opener at the Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park on Sunday.
Making his first appearance in the potent Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino KPC wrenched by Paul Baines, Golobic started third and blew past polesitter Willie Croft on the second lap to take the lead. At that point, the headliner became a high speed game of cat and mouse in lap traffic as Golobic held off the repeated challenges of Croft and Dominic Scelzi to pace the final 29-laps.
“I got a real good start and managed to get past Willie (Croft) early on,” said the happy winner in victory lane. “However, lap traffic was really tough. I had to make room a couple of times because I knew he was back there waiting for me to make a mistake.”
Golobic’s winning margin at the checkered was 10-car lengths and a one lapped car buffer.
Croft and Scelzi engaged in a thrilling wheel to wheel battle for the second spot, swapping the position on the tenth, thirteenth and fifteenth laps. Croft, who also claimed the Sunnyvalley Bacon trophy dash, would end up claiming the runner-up position in his Amerikote/Holey Smokes BBQ Eagle. Scelzi drove the Gary Scelzi-owned SE Inc./Panella Trucking sprinter to the show position.
Fast qualifier Kyle Hirst was within striking distance of the leaders with eight to go, but had to settle for fourth in the Roth Motorsports H&R Livestock Transport KPC.
Tanner Thorsen was the man on the move at Kern County Raceway Park. Starting 15th in the grid, Thorsen sliced and diced his way to a fifth place finish in Clyde Lamar’s Tri-C Machine Spike chassis. That earned him the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger Award.
The second five to cross the checkered were Mitchell Faccinto, defending series champion Bud Kaeding, Gio Scelzi, Chase Johnson & Jason Statler.
Sean Watts brought out the only red flag of the night on the fifth lap of the feature, when his car performed a pirouette in the first corner and turned over. He was unhurt in the accident.
Hirst set a new King of the West-NARC qualifying record, burning a time of 12.406 seconds around the one-third mile oval. He earned a $1000 bonus from Willie Croft Racing for his feat.
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Shane Golobic, Willie Croft, Dominic Scelzi, Kyle Hirst, Tanner Thorsen, Mitchell Faccinto, Bud Kaeding, Gio Scelzi, Chase Johnson, Jason Statler, DJ Netto, Dustin Golobic, Tommy Tarlton, Colby Copeland, Jeremy Chisum, Jarrett Soares, Matthew Moles, Nathan Rolfe, Jenna Frazier, Craig Stidham, Sean Watts, Mark Barroso
Lap Leaders: Croft 1, S. Golobic 2-30.
ARP Fast Qualifier: Kyle Hirst – 12.406 (New Track Record)
Heat 1 (10 laps): Willie Croft, Kyle Hirst, Mitchell Faccinto, Jarrett Soares, Jason Statler, Dustin Golobic, Jeremy Chisum, Jenna Frazier
Heat 2 (10 laps): Gio Scelzi, Bud Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Colby Copeland, Tommy Tarlton, Craig Stidham, Nathan Rolfe
Heat 3 (10 laps): Chase Johnson, Dominic Scelzi, Sean Watts, Tanner Thorson, Matthew Moles, DJ Netto, Mark Barroso
Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash (6 laps): Willie Croft, Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic, Dominic Scelzi, Mitchell Faccinto, Gio Scelzi
(4/3/18) Bakersfield, CA … The high-powered 950-horsepower sprint cars of the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series will open their highly anticipated 2018 season this Saturday, April 7th at the Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park.
This marks the first event of what is expected to be an ultra-competitive 16-race contest to claim the coveted King of the West-NARC 410 sprint car championship. The series features the top open wheel teams in the Golden State.
Leading an all star cast of drivers into Bakersfield will be defending champion Bud Kaeding of Campbell, CA. The third generation driver claimed his first title in the closest battle in KWS-NARC history, driving an Oakhurst-based car owned by Morrie Williams. It was the fourth King of the West title for Williams Motorsports.
This season promises to deliver another exciting pressure-packed points race as even more teams have committed to run full-time for the championship. Among them is Shane Golobic of Elk Grove, who is driving for the potent Fresno-based Tarlton Motorsports team. The Tarlton team is a two-time series car owner champion with two different drivers (Carson Macedo in 2015 and Kyle Hirst in 2016.)
Also expected to be a top contender is Paradise driver Kyle Hirst, who is a three-time series champion. He is piloting a car for three-time car owner champion Roth Motorsports, another Fresno-based team.
Longtime West Sacramento car owner Clyde Lamar is looking to claim his first King of the West-NARC title and hired Tanner Thorsen from Columbus, IN to get the job done. Thorsen is a versatile multi-faceted driver who pilots a variety of race cars around the nation.
“The King of the West-NARC series gets tougher and tougher every year,” states Kaeding. “The talent level keeps improving and the teams are more prepared and competitive than ever. I can guarantee that nobody is going to cut me any slack in my run at a second NARC title.”
This is the second year in a row that the one-third mile Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park has hosted the King of the West-NARC season opener. The 2017 race was one of the most talked about and exciting events of the season. A near perfect track surface produced a multi-groove track that produced multiple slide jobs and close entertaining wheel-to-wheel battle throughout the main event.
“Kern County Raceway Park is a fun track to race,” continued Kaeding. “I think we were all a little surprised at how good it was last year. We could run down low, up high up against the fence and just about everywhere in between. We are looking forward to putting on a great show for the fans.”
Among the 30-plus teams expected to compete include Hanford’s DJ Netto and Mitchell Faccinto; Atwater’s Sean Watts and Nathan Rolfe; Chase Johnson and Michael Kofoid of Penngrove; Roseville driver’s Willie Croft and Colby Copeland; Bobby McMahan of Elk Grove; Discovery Bay’s Jarrett Soares, and the Scelzi brothers (Dominic and Gio) of Fresno. Gio Scelzi finished second in the final standings last season, a single-point behind Kaeding. The Scelzi's are looking to play the role of spoilers at KCRP as both plan to compete around the country this year. Faccinto captured the SCCT 360 season opener last weekend at Placerville Speedway.
Pit gates open at 2:00 p.m. Front gates open at 4:00 p.m. Also on the racing card are Bakersfield Hard Tops and Mod-Lites. Qualifying gets underway at 6:00 p.m. Advanced ticket sales are available online.
There will be a driver autograph session at the main grandstands from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. featuring 2017 Champion Bud Kaeding, Bobby McMahan, and Rookie of the Year contender Jenna Frazier.
The King of the West-NARC format includes qualifying, four heat races, a trophy dash, the Last Chance semi-main and the 30-lap headliner.
Kern County Raceway Park is located at 13500 Raceway Blvd in Bakersfield (Interstate 5 & Enos Lane.) For more information, call 661-835-1264.
ED NOTE: There is a $1000 bonus on the line if any driver can beat the one-lap KWS-NARC qualifying record at KCRP (courtesy of Croft Racing.) The current mark is 12.894 seconds set by Chase Johnson last season.
FINAL 2017 KWS-NARC POINT STANDINGS
Bud Kaeding, Campbell (5) 910
Gio Scelzi, Fresno (3) 909
Cory Eliason, Selma (2) 882
DJ Netto, Hanford (1) 877
Kyle Hirst, Paradise (2) 793
Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove 775
Sean Watts, Atwater 756
Michael Kofoid, Penngrove (1) 737
Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay 735
Nathan Rolfe, Atwater 697
Shane Golobic, Fremont (2) 517
Chase Johnson, Penngrove (1) 515
Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford (1) 454
Willie Croft, Roseville 450
Brent Bjork, Fremont 399Number of Victories in Parenthesis
UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 20th – Ocean Speedway, Watsonville, CA
April 21st – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA with Civil War Sprint Cars
May 5th – Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA – Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race
The King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, ARP Racing Bolts, Autometer, BMRS, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Hooker Harness, Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, PSC Industrial Services, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Safecraft Safety Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, Winters Performance Products and Willie Croft Racing.
Find us on Social Media at:
www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints
www.facebook.com/narcsprintcars
www.twitter.com/NARC410
www.Instagram.com/NARC410
(3/30/18 Jim Allen) ... The King of the West-NARC Sprint Car Series released details today about their lucrative sponsorship package for the 2018 season. Fujitsu General, a manufacturer of industry-leading high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products, has returned as the title sponsor of the 16-race series.
Associate sponsors for the traveling series, which will visit nine different dirt tracks in Northern and Central California, include Hoosier Racing Tires, PSC Industrial Services, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, ARP and Williams Roofing.
The championship driver/car owner team will earn a $10,000 share of the $55,500 point fund earmarked for the Top 10 teams in the final standings. In addition, teams competing in every scheduled event that don’t finish in the top ten will pocket $1,000 in year end money.
The club also announced a contingency product award program worth more than $40,000. New company additions to this year’s series include SAFECRAFT Safety Equipment, Autometer, and Hooker Harness. They join ATL Racing Cells, ARP Racing Bolts, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, ButlerBuilt, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, MAXIM, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.
Johnstone Supply and Croft Racing are sponsoring a pair of specialty awards. Johnstone Supply will pay $2000 to any front row starter willing to take the Tailgater Challenge and win the feature event from the back row. Willie Croft Racing will ante up $1000 to any driver who breaks an existing King of the West-NARC qualifying record at any event this season.
The season gets underway on April 7th at the Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park. For more information about the series, go to NARC410.com or email info@NARC410.com
NARC NEWSLINE,
By Jim Allen, March 11, 2018
Auburn, CA ... As far as the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series goes, all of the pieces are quickly falling into place to go sprint car racing. And that day isn’t too far off as Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield is anxiously awaiting to host the series opener on April 7th. Just so we are all on the same page for this highly anticipated season, here is a collection of notes from the official King of the West-NARC notepad.
General Meeting: Northern Auto Racing Club members converged on the Roth Motorsports facility in Fresno on February 24th for the annual competition meeting. The gathering provided an overview of improvements the series continues to make to enhance both the fan and racing team experience. At the meeting, our 2018 NARC Advisory Board was officially seated and it features car owners Shawn Thomas and Steve Soares; owner-drivers Bobby McMahan, Brent Kaeding and Willie Croft; and drivers Bud Kaeding and Kyle Hirst. That makes a quorum.The group is collectively focused on putting on a good show, building sponsorship support, improving driver safety, growing the NARC Benevolent Fund and building 410 sprint car racing on the West Coast. The more I think about it, that sounds like a flashback to the Northern Auto Racing Club glory days of the 1990’s. For those of you at home taking notes, that’s called progress!
Once again, special thanks to Dennis Roth and Todd Ventura for hosting us and serving up enough mouth-watering Tri-Tip and fixings to effectively put most of us in a food coma for the drive home.
“Hey son, I noticed you were swerving back there?” suggested the CHP officer. “Have you been drinking?”
“Nope, but I ate about two pounds of awesome Dennis Roth Tri-Tip and I had to undo my pants. Sorry about that!”Trophy Dash: About the only thing that changed as far as the racing format goes, was our dash format. It will now consist of the top six point earners from qualifying and heat races. Or better said, it encourages everyone to be hard on the hammer during the preliminary events.
Qualifying points start at 50 and drop to 48, 47, 46, 45, and so on. Yes, that is a two point drop between the fast qualifier and second quick, but it drops by one from that point on. The winner of each heat earns 50 points, and it drops by three points per finishing position. In other words, if you miss the set up in qualifying, you can make up a lot of ground in the heat race by passing some cars. Combine the points and the top six go to the dash. The tiebreaker is qualifying times. Then throw in an inversion draw of a 0, 4 or a 6. And finally, the point system is for lining up the dash only, not for the championship side of things. Wow, I need a nap after all of that!
>From a personal opinion standpoint, I’m still not convinced that winning the dash is a good thing. If you check out the 2017 KWS-NARC stat sheets, only ONE dash winner went on to win one of the 16 feature events. Just ONE!Talent: The talent level on this year’s campaign is off the charts. You’ve got Mr. Consistency Bud Kaeding and the Morrie Williams Zero Heroes team attempting to go back-to-back. Kyle Hirst is looking to hunt down his fourth driving title behind the wheel of the potent Roth Motorsports KPG. Tarlton Motorsports has teamed up with the victory lane magnet otherwise known as Shane Golobic in their hunt for a third crown. Let’s not forget about the lightening rod Tanner Thorsen, who has saddled up with Clyde Lamar for a run at the King of the West-NARC championship. Chase Johnson is looking to post a breakout year with car owner Shawn Thomas. DJ Netto, who posted the most top 10 finishes last season in KWS action, is back in the family owned Netto sprinter looking to improve that to top five finishes. Now throw in Colby Copeland, Willie Croft, Mitchell Faccinto, Bobby McMahan, Sean Watts, Craig Stidham, Nathan Rolfe, Tim Kaeding, and Jarrett Soares and you’ve got a California A-list. The early and late season races should be a blast as we will be joined by some other big names such as the Scelzi & Macedo brothers, Buddy Kofoid, Cory Eliason and Rico Abreu. They will be making cameo appearances before they travel off to destinations unknown.
NARC Benevolent Fund: Ashley Smith, who has been spearheading the non-profits charitable efforts of the NARC Benevolent Fund for several years, announced some changes to the board to help drive fund raising efforts. In addition to Smith, the board members now include Brent Kaeding, Jim Allen, Mike Andreetta, and Bud Kaeding. Stay tuned for several new promotions to help raise money to support the fund. This would include auctions on the NARC410.com website. Once again, we are raising funds that we hope we never have to use. We thank Ashley for his drive and commitment and we thank all of you for your support of these efforts. For more information on the NARC Benevolent Fund, go to our website.
New Sponsors: What’s that smell? Yes, that’s bacon – my second favorite smell behind methanol at the racetrack! Which reminds me? … We have a new Trophy Dash sponsor … Sunnyvalley Bacon. They are a giant meat processing company in Manteca, CA, that is famous for their bacon – literally tons of it! The Sunnyvalley brand, which is available in just about every supermarket in California, has joined forces with the King of the West-NARC series in a promotion that will not only pay our dash winners, but will also award more than six pounds of bacon to a lucky fan (in a cooler) at every race. That sampling includes Hickory, Maple, Sweet & Spicy, Jalapeno, and Applewood flavored bacon. Which also reminds me .., we need eggs. If that sounds like a blatant commercial, it’s supposed to, because our sprint car series is now “Powered by Bacon.”
Dave Bradway Jr. Race: Dianne & Dave Durica are stepping up to lead the fund raising efforts for the 28th annual edition of the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race at Silver Dollar Speedway. Laps for the May 5th A & B mains can be sponsored for $100 each. Other cash and product donations would also be gladly accepted. We are looking to start and build on other special categories besides fast time and hardcharger. We are looking for backing for the hard luck team, best looking car & crew, heat race winners and more. We are open to your ideas! If you would like to involved with a sponsorship, the Durica’s are awaiting your call at 916-988-5958 or by email at durica1414@sbcglobal.net. Don’t delay, call today!
For those in need of a quick refresher, Rico Abreu won his third Bradway race in 2017 and pocketed more than $8,000 for his overall efforts. The month of May promises to be very lucrative for our teams, featuring the Bradway race and the rich $11,000 to win Peter Murphy Classic. We will be racing for around $60,000 in prize money at those two combined events.Random Stuff: “Fire in the Hole!” Look for the appearance of a couple of T-shirt cannons at our events this season. … Hooker Harness and Autometer.com have joined our ranks as a contingency sponsor. Welcome aboard. More announcements are coming! … Willie Croft Racing has put $1000 on the table to any team that can set a new KWS-NARC qualifying record at any track this season. … Johnstone Supply is offering up a $2000 bonus for any front row driver who decides to take the Tailgater Challenge and post a win from the back row. … We need to figure out what kind of dirt and chemicals the Supercross people are using. Dust is almost non-existent at their events. … Tickets are already on sale for many King of the West-NARC, SCCT, Civil War and Outlaw racing events this season. Lock in your seats now! … It sure is nice to see that California is recognized as an open wheel talent hotbed. At the March 9th Tulare Outlaw show, Golden State pedal-pounders locked up seven of the top 11 finishing positions. Cory Eliason almost nailed down the victory. … Swift Metal Finishing is paying a bonus to the hardcharger in every KWS-NARC feature this season. They are also posting a year end point fund to the top two drivers who passes the most cars this season … Jim Gardner and Bullet Impressions is back as our official concessionaire. He promises some awesome gear this season. … Nice to see all the posts on social media about promoters making improvements to their race track and adjoining facilities. Now race fans need to make them proud by showing up! … Had a chance to drop in on Paul Baines and the Tarlton Motorsports compound in Fresno. One word: NICE! It’s a first class machine shop and staging facility for their open wheel efforts. It features five different race cars in various stages of construction for the victory lane aspirations of Shane Golobic, Carson Macedo, Cole Macedo, & Tommy Tarlton.
So at this point, you should be gearing up for our three events in April. They include the aforementioned April 7th season opener at Kern County Raceway Park, and an April 20-21st doubleheader weekend at Ocean Speedway and Thunderbowl Raceway, respectively.
Coming to you live from Auburn, CA. See ya!
NARC NEWSLINE, By Jim Allen – January 6, 2018
Auburn, CA … It’s amazing what happens when everybody gets on the same page and works for a common cause. As you are aware, your favorite race track promoters and sanctioning bodies descended on Reno at the end of November for the RPM Race Promoters Workshop. The annual adventure allows everyone to break out their calendars and start shuffling their schedule puzzle pieces together. For some it’s technical with a lap top, while others do it old school on a folded sheet of paper stuffed in their back pocket. And in the middle is a unique collection of spreadsheets, Post-it Notes, highlighters, erasers, and to get it perfect, a sufficient amount of adult beverages. For the 16-race King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series, this exercise is a lot easier to accomplish than your average race track booking 25-30 events, all the while attempting to avoid any key conflicts. And for that reason, you can find our schedule posted at NARC410.com
Other news coming out of the RPM Workshop was the State of California requiring all fairgrounds track promoters to raise their basic liability insurance from $3M to $5M per event. Of course that comes with an added cost, so make sure you bring more of your friends to the races this year! There was also a lot of legal-advice time spent on evacuation plans and what to do in case of a major emergency. Nobody every plans on either of those scenarios, but it’s mandated by the new world that we live in today. Let’s not forget that race promoting is a business, except with a whole lot more risk than a typical company located in your local industrial park.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS: There will be five co-sanctioned shows in 2018. The King of the West-NARC series will share the stage with the Civil War sprint cars at the Spring Nationals at Tulare and at Calistoga Speedway on June 23rd. The Sprint Car Challenge Tour will team up with KWS-NARC on three nights including Placerville (July 28), Hanford (October 13) and the season finale at Stockton (November 3). Most of those events will offer advance reserved ticket sales, so start warming up your VISA card to score some excellent seats. … There are no conflicts between the King of the West/NARC & SCCT schedule. There may only be one with the Civil War series, but I haven’t seen their official schedule yet. … There is only one race in Chico and that would be the May 5th Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial. I know! There should be more! … The Peter Murphy Classic was bumped back to May 19th, which should make it even bigger and better! In the meantime, go spend some money at Tachi Palace! … There is one rain-date on the schedule and that would be August 4th. … The 2018 year-end championship awards banquet will take place on Saturday, November 20th, just two short weeks after the season finale. Details to be announced. … There are three races at both Tulare and Ocean Speedway. … The season opener at Kern County Raceway Park is less than 90 days away - April 7th to be exact! …
CHAMPIONSHIP BANQUET HIGHLIGHTS: Bud Kaeding, car owner Morrie Williams, and the rest of the Zero Heroes team capped their 2017 season with a stack of accolades and prizes at our December 16th banquet in Santa Cruz. It was title number one for Bud and the fourth for Williams Motorsports. … Gio Scelzi, who was off racing a midget in Doquin, Illinois, was named 2017 Rookie of the Year. … Special thanks to Trophy City’s Dave Pusateri, who donated all of the trophies for the top 10 teams. Dave is allegedly retired, but still manages to squeeze in the time and effort to support our series. Thank you again. … The special $1000 Williams Roofing bonus was not paid out this season. This is the fan pill draw that awards a grand on race night if the driver in that starting position wins the feature. So instead, Steve Williams reached into his wallet and kicked in an additional $1500 and we had a pill draw of the three eligible drivers who were in attendance. The trio was Jarrett Soares, Bobby McMahan and Bud Kaeding. Soares had his name drawn and ended up sharing the winnings with the other two. Yet another reason to attend the banquet. … Roth Motorsports Team Manager Todd Ventura is an eloquent speaker and graciously acknowledged the efforts of Kaeding & Williams. Only one-point was the difference between second and owning the podium at the end of the night. … A total of $62,000 was awarded, plus more than $25,000 in product and contingency prizes to teams in attendance. …
... There were two custom cast steering wheel trophies presented to the championship team. To best describe them, they are of Hall of Fame quality. In addition, they received championship rings. The team also presented duplicate rings to all of the Zero Hero pit crew members. The Northern Auto Racing Club presented Katie Williams with a special championship pendant. We all know that Katie is the heart and soul of this team and she needed to be recognized. … Andy Forsberg (Civil War) and Geoff Ensign (Ocean Speedway) were also honored at the event. … Special thanks to Dean Mills for putting the video together. It made for a great show. … Bobby McMahan = Class Act! …
... The King of the West-NARC portion of the banquet started with an auction to benefit the NARC Benevolent Fund. And it was a good one. More than $9400 was raised for the cause. A huge chunk of that came from the auction of a pair of VIP Suite passes to the NASCAR race in Fontana. Heck, another $1500 was bid for a basket of Katie’s Cookies! Yes, cookies! It doesn’t get much better than that! … Along the lines of the NARC Benevolent Fund, Margaret Lingron, who was injured in July at Petaluma Speedway attended the banquet. With the assistance of a walker, it was her first social outing since being injured. She is working hard with physical therapy to be back to the race track in March. …
FAMILIAR FACES IN DIFFERENT PLACES: Some sprint car drivers race some of the time, some race all of the time. Kyle Hirst piloted the Dalton USA #1 in New Zealand with Peter Murphy working the crew chief role. A pair of runner-ups and a fourth place finish earned him a third place finish in points. … Cory Eliason will be piloting a car nationally with Dennis Roth Motorsports in 2018. This includes about 70-races with the Outlaws, All-Stars, King of the West and Knoxville. I’ll mark him down for at least 10 victories this season. In the meantime, Eliason has been racing in Australia racking up a bunch of hardcharger awards. … With Dan Simpson retiring from open wheel racing (for a while), Michael “Buddy” Kofoid is slated to drive for Harley Van Dyke in 2018. Buddy is also racing “down under” this winter. Heck, when I was 15 years old, I was happy just to make an annual trip to Disneyland or Universal Studios – much less Australia. …
... Fremont’s Shane Golobic and the potent Tarlton Motorsports team are going to make a serious run at the 2018 King of the West-NARC championship. The Tarlton’s claimed the 2015 & 2016 King of the West crown with Carson Macedo and Kyle Hirst behind the wheel, respectively. Golobic will be chasing his first. Paul Baines is running the show on race nights. … Colby Copeland will be the new lead foot in the Larry Antaya Motorsports Maxim this season. Trevor Canales will handle the wrenches. This should be a fun team to watch. … Let’s not forget about DJ Netto who has moved back into the Netto Family sprinter. DJ posted the most top 10 finishes during 2017 season. No reason why that would be any different in ’18. … By the way, if you’re still looking to put a talented driver in your seat, this corner highly recommends Geoff Ensign and Ryan Bernal. … Who is your early season favorite to claim this seasons King of the West-NARC title?
GENERAL MEETING: The King of the West Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club, will be holding our annual General Membership/Competition Meeting on Saturday, February 17th. It will be hosted by Roth Motorsports in their Motorsports Compound at 4630 S. Fig Avenue, Fresno, CA 93706. We get started at 11:00 a.m. and will be serving some killer barbecue by 1:00 p.m. So we have everyone covered on food, please RSVP by texting 714-397-7417.
Stay tuned for some new sponsor news in the next few weeks. This is shaping up to be an excellent season! Coming to you live from Auburn, CA, see ya!
12/2/17 - Jim Allen, Auburn, CA ... The King of the West-NARC Sprint Car Series has rolled out a 2018 sprint car schedule that will feature 16 race dates at nine different dirt oval tracks in California. Up for grabs for open wheel teams will be more than $430,000 in prize money, championship point funds and contingency awards. The series will continue to be backed by title sponsor Fujitsu General and Hoosier Racing Tires.
The season kicks off on April 7th at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakerfield, CA and concludes seven months later on November 3rd with Championship Night at the Stockton Dirt Track.
In a move that demonstrates outstanding cooperation between promoters, race tracks and sanctioning bodies, the schedule features four co-sanctioned shows with the state's two traveling 360 classes. Three of the shows will be co-sanctioned with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour (SCCT). Those events include the a June 30th "Salute the Fans" extravaganza at Placerville Speedway; the October 13th Cotton Classic at Keller Auto Speedway, and the Tribute to Gary Patterson season finale. The June 23rd event at the famed half-mile Calistoga Speedway will be shared with the Civil War sprint cars.
Two of the highest paying events of the season will take place during the month of May with the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial race at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico (May 5th). The $11,000 to win Peter Murphy Classic at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway was bumped back a month from its regular position on the schedule to May 19th.
Tulare and Ocean Speedway in Watsonville play host to the most amount of races with three events each. The Thunderbowl Raceway will also provide the venue for the Spring Nationals on April 21st and the Faria Memorial on June 2nd. Ocean Speedway dates include the second race of the season on April 20th, the 34th annual Pombo-Sargent Classic on June 22nd and the lucrative Howard Kaeding Classic on July 21st. The series will also invade Petaluma Speedway, Placerville Speedway and Kern County Raceway Park.
Bud Kaeding and car owner Morrie Williams are the defending 2017 King of the West-NARC champions.
Stay tuned to our website, Facebook and Twitter for more information about these events.
2018 KING OF THE WEST-NARC FUJITSU SPRINT CAR SERIES
(As of 12/2/17 - Subject to Change - Please verify your event before traveling)
APRIL 7 - Kern County Raceway Park, Bakersfield, CA
APRIL 20 - Ocean Speedway, Watsonville, CA
APRIL 21 - Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA - * Spring NationalsMAY 5 - Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, CA - * Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial
MAY 19 - Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA - * Second Night of Peter Murphy ClassicJUNE 2 - Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA - * Chris & Brian Faria Memorial
JUNE 9 - Petaluma Speedway, Petaluma, CA
JUNE 22 - Ocean Speedway, Watsonville, CA - * Pombo-Sargent Classic
JUNE 23 - Calistoga Speedway, Calistoga, CA - * Wine Country Classic with Civil War Sprint Cars
JUNE 30 - Placerville Speedway, Placerville, CA - * Salute to the Fans with SCCT Sprint CarsJULY 14 - Petaluma Speedway, Petaluma, CA
JULY 21 - Ocean Speedway, Watsonville, CA - * Second Night of the Howard Kaeding Classic
JULY 28 - Placerville Speedway, Placerville, CA - Summer NationalsAUGUST 4 - (OPEN-RAIN DATE)
OCTOBER 6 - Kern County Raceway Park, Bakersfield, CA
OCTOBER 13 - Keller Auto Speedway, Hanford, CA - * The Cotton Classic with SCCT Sprint CarsNOVEMBER 3 - Stockton Dirt Track, Stockton, CA - * Championship Night with SCCT Sprint Cars
NARC NEWSLINE, By Jim Allen, November 24, 2017 … And yes, we finally have a champion! In the tightest championship points race in the 57 year history of King of the West, Golden State Challenge, King of California and Northern Auto Racing Club, Bud Kaeding nipped Gio Scelzi by a single point to capture the 2017 crown. That’s right, it’s not a misprint, ONE POINT! Consider that for a moment. After 16 high-flying events featuring qualifying, heat races, dashes and 475 laps of feature event racing, it all came down to who passed one more car than the other - literally.
This championship showdown couldn’t have played out any better starting with qualifying. Kaeding and Scelzi turned the same exact time in time trials around Tony Noceti’s 4/10 mile oval – right down to the a thousand of a second (13.168 seconds.) What are the odds of that? They followed that up by each running away with their respective heats. And for the season finale showdown, they started side-by-side in the third row still separated by three points. Fast forward 30-laps andScelzi crosses the checkered in fourth and Kaeding sixth with the title. Final score: Bud Kaeding/Williams Motorsports 910, Gio Scelzi/Roth Motorsports 909.
The “tie question” came up a bunch of times at Stockton. What happens if it ends up in a tie? Well that would be like kissing your sister. Might feel okay, but it’s just not right! The fact is there isn’t an official tiebreaker in the King of the West-NARC rulebook. There are some obvious ones, like most feature event wins of fast times, but there was nothing in print to make it official. So if it ended in a tie, it was going to be exactly that – dual champions. Looks likes it time to add another page to the KWS-NARC rulebook in 2018.
As much as we are congratulating the Kaeding-Williams team on their hard fought championship, we also want to sincerely commend the Scelzi-Roth pairing. The startling fact that a 15-year old driver could make such of a headline-grabbing run at a championship was amazing. Scelzi’s competitive edge and composure throughout the season was simply remarkable. Let’s be honest, you can’t pry most 15-year olds out of the mall, video games, or the shower. In Gio’s case, you’ll have to pry him out of a sprint car because there are several championships in his future – and that future is now. Along those lines, let’s take it another step down to Cory Eliason, who picked off the Stockton headliner. If it weren’t for a faulty U-joint a month ago at Ocean Speedway that shot a hole in his points chase, that win could have been for the championship, especially since a win pays a three-point premium over second place. Or a three-way tie? That’s too many sisters!
By the way, for you racing historian’s out there, the previous closest mark for a pressure-packed mathematically challenging nail biter happened way back in 1982 when Brent Kaeding nipped Hank Butcher by three points for the NARC title (3404-3401). At this point, we have three Kaeding’s listed as “Kings” with Brent and Tim now being joined by Bud. That is one heck of a family legacy.
STOCKTON DIRT TRACK NOTES: Dominic Scelzi won both the SCCT and KWS dashes. And it was a good night to do it since there was a $1000 bonus for each from Chase Chevrolet and Kleen Blast. … On display at the Tribute to Gary Patterson was the famous number 56 sprinter, thanks to Sheila Ross. When you look at that car and what we work with now, you can get a true perspective on how sprint car racing has evolved. Also in the house was 1976 NARC champion Johnny Anderson. … Cory Eliason is headed to Australia this winter to represent the red, white and blue. Speaking of Eliason, his win at Stockton allowed him to slide past DJ Netto from fourth to third in the final standings. … The King of the West-NARC title was the fourth for car owner Morrie Williams. He has won a trifecta of titles with Jonathan Allard in 2006, 2008 and 2012. … Bud finally shagged the perennial bridesmaid role that has chased him three-seasons running. Can you say happy camper? … Kyle Hirst – Quick Time. … Promoter Tony Noceti knows how to have fun and how to put on an entertaining show. To him the word “promoter” is a verb not a noun! He is involved in everything. Leading up to the event, his television ads blitzed the Sacramento-area airwaves. At the event, he threw in added features like a car show, a live-band, and an assortment of fireworks. That took it from a race to a show! … It was headers optional at Stockton. It was like the ear-numbing front row at a Guns N Roses concert – except faster! … Seven teams ran both a 410 and 360. …
MUSICAL CHAIRS: In the musical chairs department, Clyde Lamar and his Tri-C team shook hands and parted ways with DJ Netto at the end of the season. They had a good run, winning at Calistoga and finishing fourth in the final standings. Mr. Netto was tied for a KWS-NARC high with 14 top ten finishes this season. … The new hot shoe in the familiar Tri-C Machine number 3 will be Tanner Thorsen! … DJ will drive the Netto Family sprinter in 2018. … Gio Scelzi and Roth Motorsports parted ways at the end of the night in Stockton. … Cory Eliason is the new driver in the Roth Motorsports ride. … Buddy Kofoid will be out searching for a full-time ride now that Dan Simpson is hanging it up for a while. …
ODDS & ENDS: Silver Dollar Speedway announced at their banquet that they will no longer run 410 sprint cars at their weekly shows. They are going the 360 route making the King of the West-NARC series the only 410 game in town – when we are in town. … The Outlaw schedule is out and it pretty much mirrors the 2017 stops with the exception of an adder at Ocean Speedway. … Congratulations to Kyle Hirst who won the inaugural SCCT championship title. … The NARC Benevolent Fund made a contribution to injured driver Sean Becker after his scary ride in a non-wing machine at Stockton. He was airborne for a long time and the ugly crash landing resulted in a bruised lung and face. I think sometimes we forget this is a dangerous sport. We wish him well in his recovery.
Try not to cuss too loud when you hear this, but there will not be a KWS-NARC Speedweek next year. I know, like you, I needed to mix up a stiff cocktail after learning that reality. Short term it’s not in the cards. Consider it a work in progress. … Some other schedule teasers include the Peter Murphy Classic race being moved to May 18-19. The Bradway Memorial race is on May 5th, making it a great month for teams to stuff their wallets! … If everything falls into place, our 2018 schedule will be rolled out at our December 16th banquet. … Do you have your banquet tickets yet? We are awarding more than $20,000 in product awards to teams that night, but you must be present to win. …
And I’ll end this column with my wish list for the perfect race track. Let’s take the scenic views, the history and the catch fence from Calistoga, throw in the grass infield from Ocean Speedway, the lighting and sound system and “victory lane” from the Stockton Dirt Track, the frantic wheel-to-wheel close racing of a Placerville and Chico, the gumbo from Petaluma, and the banking of Keller Auto Speedway and put them all together. That would be my new home track. #justsaying. And for good measure, let’s throw in the street tacos from Hanford, the Chicken Kabobs at Stockton, and the Tri-Tip from Tulare. Now I’m good. Your opinion may vary.
Coming to you live from Auburn, CA. We will catch up with all of you at the King of the West-NARC Championship awards banquet on December 16th in Santa Cruz. (Got tickets?) See ya!
(11/18/17 Jim Allen) … The King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series will celebrate the closest championship points battle in series history at its championship awards banquet in Santa Cruz, CA on Saturday, December 16th. The event will be held at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Cocoanut Grove Ballroom. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. and award presentations.
The series will crown driver Bud Kaeding and car owner Morrie Williams as the 2017 KWS-NARC champions after winning the coveted title by a single point over Gio Scelzi and Roth Motorsports. The top 15 teams in the Fujitsu-Hoosier Racing Tires sponsored series will collect shares of the $62,000 championship point fund at the event. In addition, more than $15,000 in product awards will be presented to teams by way of a raffle. Must be present to win.
The champions of the Civil War Sprint Car Series, Ocean Speedway Taco Bravo Sprint Cars and Modified All-Star Tour will also be honored on the same night.
Race fans, sprint car teams, sponsors and promoters are welcome! Tickets cost $65 per person, or $520 for a reserved eight-person table if purchased before November 30th. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking HERE or in the “Fan Section” at www.racepmg.com. After November 30th, the tickets increase to $75 per person. The deadline to purchase is December 8th.
The official hotel for the event is the Carousel Beach Inn, located at 110 Riverside Avenue in Santa Cruz. Rooms can be reserved by calling 831-425-7090.
Thank you for your support of our 2017 sprint car season.
11/11/17 - Jim Allen - Stockton, CA … Cory Eliason picked off the 34th Annual Tribute to Gary Patterson season finale and Bud Kaeding claimed his first King of the West-NARC championship in an exciting night of sprint car racing at Tony Noceti’s lightning fast Stockton Dirt Track.
Eliason, piloting the Antaya Motorsports Good Guys/Fuel Curve-sponsored Maxim, held off a flurry of late race challenges by Tim Kaeding to score his second KWS-NARC Fujitsu 30-lap feature of the season. This team also won the season opener on April 4th.
However, some of Eliason victory lane thunder may have been stolen by Bud Kaeding who claimed the King of the West-NARC championship by a single-point (910-909) over 15-year old driving sensation Gio Scelzi. It will be logged in the racing journals as the closest points chase in the sanctioning bodies history. Kaeding’s season long campaign came aboard Morrie Williams’ potent Alviso Rock Maxim.
Eliason started on the outside of the front row and won a drag race with Hoosier Tires dash winner Dominic Scelzi on the initial green to take the lead. He duplicated that effort five times for caution period restarts for minor incidents during the first 10-circuits. Once the field got sorted out, Tim Kaeding motored the Harley Van Dyke sprint car past Dominic Scelzi on lap 12 and began the process of reeling in the leader.
Slower traffic became a serious factor with a handful of laps to go and T. Kaeding got past Eliason for a single lap. Eliason returned the favor the next time around only to have the red flag come out with two to go. D. Scelzi was uninjured when his car vaulted up over turn three trying to avoid a slower car.
Once action resumed, Eliason set the winning standard for the two remaining two laps, chased by Kaeding, and 10th starter and fast qualifier Kyle Hirst in the Roth Motorsports KPC.
“We were in the running for the championship most of the season,” stated Eliason in victory lane. “It sure is nice to get the win and set the stage to come back strong next season.”
Gio Scelzi and Bud Kaeding, who posted identical times in qualifying and won their respective heat races, started the main event side-by-side in the third row. Scelzi battled to finish fourth in the sister Roth Motosports H & R Livestock Transport KPC, chased by Bill Balog in the Snow Racing Engines 7T. Kaeding kept his sights on Scelzi’s rear nerf bar throughout and scored sixth.
“It feels so good to finally win this title,” said a champagne-soaked Kaeding, a three-time runner-up in the series during the past three years. “I can’t say enough about my team and everyone who made this run possible. Gio was a great competitor and made us work hard all season long.”
The balance of the top ten included Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Chase Johnson and Sean Watts. Golobic efforts were notable in that he had to start at the back of the pack twice.
Heat races wins were claimed by Eliason, Kaeding, and Gio Scelzi.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Cory Eliason, Tim Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Gio Scelzi, Bill Balog, Bud Kaeding, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Chase Johnson, Sean Watts, Bobby McMahan, Dominic Scelzi, Jenna Frazier, Pat Harvey, Nathan Rolfe, Jarrett Soares, Andy Forsberg, Justyn Cox, Buddy Kofoid.
Fast Qualifier (.400 mile clay oval): Kyle Hirst – 12.841 seconds
Heat 1 (10 laps): Cory Eliason, Kyle Hirst, DJ Netto, Andy Forsberg, Pat Harvey, Bobby McMahan, Buddy Kofoid.
Heat 2 (10 laps): Bud Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Dominic Scelzi, Sean Watts, Jarrett Soares, Justyn Cox.
Heat 3 (10 laps): Gio Scelzi, Tim Kaeding, Chase Johnson, Nathan Rolfe, Bill Balog, Jenna Frazier.
Hoosier Tires Dash (6 laps): Dominic Scelzi, Cory Eliason, Tim Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Bud Kaeding, Gio Scelzi, Chase Johnson, DJ Netto, Andy Forsberg.
(11/6/17) Stockton, CA … The secret to any good book is an even greater ending. So if you’re looking for an exciting nail-biting conclusion to a thrilling open wheel action adventure, then the Stockton Dirt Track is the place to be on Saturday, November 11th. That’s when the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series will write the final chapter on their ultra-competitive 2017 season with the 34th Annual Tribute to Gary Patterson.
ED NOTE: This event was originally scheduled for November 4th, but was rained out.
Race fans will be treated to an action-packed night of open wheel racing on a docket that also features the popular Sprint Car Challenge Tour (SCCT). Saturday afternoon activities at the San Joaquin Fairgrounds also feature a car show, live music and great food. The festivities kick off at high noon.
Not only has the King of the West-NARC series produced 10 different winners in 15 events, it showcases a torrid championship battle that probably will not be decided until the final lap of the season. What started as a season-long three-team battle for the King of the West-NARC title, has now boiled down to a two team slug-fest between Campbell’s Bud Kaeding and 15-year old driving sensation Gio Scelzi of Fresno in recent weeks.
This duo has swapped the lead in the standings five-times this season with Kaeding currently maintaining a slim 855-852 point lead. To put that margin in perspective, the two drivers could swap positions during qualifying.
Mathematically speaking, Kaeding, a two-time feature winner this season, can wrap up his first series title with a victory on Saturday. However, that is easier said than done in a series that has produced a constant supply of entertaining sprint car performances this season. Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto was the latest driver to win on the circuit at Hanford (October 14th), becoming the third “first time” winner this year. Penngrove drivers Chase Johnson and Buddy Kofoid are the other two.
Knowing that the rest of the field is there to play the role of spoilers, both Kaeding and Scelzi know what needs to be done.
“I only have one option on Saturday night,” explained Scelzi, a three-time winner this season, who is looking to become the youngest winner in series history. “To put this thing away, I need to win the race so I can win the championship.”
"If you stop and think about it, there are way too many variables in play and that can divert my teams focus." said Kaeding, who is chasing down his first KWS-NARC championship, after three-consecutive runner-up finishes. "I’m just going to go out and race my race.”
Also expected to compete at Stockton is Kingsburg’s Cory Eliason; DJ Netto of Hanford, and Kyle Hirst of Paradise. Hirst is also zeroing in on and can claim the Sprint Car Challenge Tour championship with a solid run with that division. He is one of many drivers who will be doing “double-duty” racing a 360 and 410 c.i. powered sprint car for both sanctioning bodies.
Others looking to improve their final positions in the standings include Bobby McMahan of Elk Grove; Atwater drivers Sean Watts and Nathan Rolfe; and Jarrett Soares of Discovery Bay.
The KWS-NARC program includes qualifying, four 10-lap heat races, the six-lap Hoosier Tires Dash; the 12-lap Flowmaster B-Main; followed by the 30-lap high stakes Fujitsu Sprint Car Series headliner.
Front gates open at 3:00 p.m. Qualifying will get underway at 5:00 p.m.
The Stockton Dirt Track is located on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton, CA. The address is 1658 S. Airport Way, Stockton, CA 95206. For more information, call 209-466-9999, or go to NARC410.com
ED NOTE: Camping is available at the fairgrounds.
The Stockton Dirt Track Championship Weekend also includes these events:
Friday, November 10th – Hunt Magneto Wingless Tour, Dwarf Cars, Bombers, B4, and vintage.
Saturday November 11th – Car Show – Noon to 4 p.m. Driver Autograph Session and Live MusicThe King of the West Fujitsu Racing Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club is co-sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, ARP Racing Bolts, BMRS, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, PSC Industrial Services, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.
2017 KWS-NARC FUJITSU SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(After 15 races in the 16-race Series)Bud Kaeding, Campbell (2) - 855
Giovanni Scelzi, Fresno (3) - 852
DJ Netto, Hanford (1) – 824
Cory Eliason, Kingsburg (1) - 819
Kyle Hirst, Paradise (2) - 731
Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove - 725
Sean Watts, Atwater – 705
Michael Kofoid, Penngrove (1) - 695
Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay - 690
Nathan Rolfe, Atwater - 651
Chase Johnson, Penngrove (1) - 463
Shane Golobic, Fremont (2) - 463
Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford (1) - 454
Willie Croft, Sacramento - 450
Brent Bjork, Fremont - 399
Craig Stidham, Fresno – 353
Mathew Moles, Fresno - 315
Dominic Scelzi, Fresno - 299
Jason Statler, Grass Valley – 294
Jeremy Chisum, Fremont - 251(Feature victories in parenthesis)
NARC NEWSLINE, By Jim Allen, October 28, 2017 … Even though it’s no longer politically correct in today’s charged environment, I’m going to say it anyway. “It’s not over until the fat lady sings!” Okay, I said it. At this point, all I know is that proverbial lady will be singing loudly about 10:30 p.m. on November 4th at the Stockton Dirt Track. That will be about the time the final checkered is waved after the 30-lap King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series season finale (weather permitting.) The only question will be -- who will she be singing about? Considering that at the October 14th Cotton Classic, the King of the West-NARC championship point lead swapped hands for the sixth time this season, it’s anyone’s guess! It was the fifth time Bud Kaeding and Gio Scelzi have traded places.
KELLER AUTO SPEEDWAY NOTES: If there was a wheelie contest, Buddy Kofoid would’ve won it hands down with a massive salute to the sky down the backchute in Hanford. Problem was, there wasn’t a contest going on. This happened during his heat race. #justsaying … Mitchell Faccinto became KWS-NARC winner number 10 in Stan Greenberg’s KPC sprint car. It was his first career King of the West win. With the success this team has enjoyed this season, he was “overdue” to pull this one off. … Quick qualifier Kyle Hirst didn’t help his own cause when he managed to pull a “12” pill for the Hoosier Dash Inversion. Yes, with three cars transferring from each heat race, there was a 12-car dash at Hanford. Thank goodness he drives better than his pill-pulling ability as he methodically worked his way to an impressive runner-up finish. … 30-cars. … Other activities surrounding the Cotton Classic include a fund raising golf tournament and raffle for Bailey Schweitzer, the daughter of Bakersfield Speedway promoters Scott and Crissy Schweitzer. For those who may not know, young Bailey was among the victims at the tragic Las Vegas shooting. … Specials thanks to BR Motorsports and Penny Newman Grain for their support of the overall event. …
… Gio Scelzi took an unexpected detour in his heat race, vaulting and flipping over the second turn. However, the Roth Motorsports team did what they do best and replaced about half the car in about 25-minutes. The best way to describe it would be to say it was “organized mayhem.” In a show of great sportsmanship, several teams and drivers contributed to the effort. After repairs, Scelzi proceeded to run away with the semi. He started 14th in the feature and scored eighth. … By comparison, Bud Kaeding started 10th and was a rocket during the second half of the main to finish third. There was so much slicing and dicing in lap traffic, Bud wasn’t sure where he finished. Neither did anyone else as there were six cars at the scales for the top three spots. End result: Kaeding 855, Scelzi 852. …
… Dominic Scelzi had the Scelzi Motorsports Schnee purring in the feature. After leader Buddy Kofoid ran amuck with a broken right front shock tower on lap four, Scelzi was the class of the field. However, on a lap 14 restart, the torque tube exploded out of the bottom of the car and his night was over. It blew out of the back of his car like a cruise missile and pretty much destroyed the top wing of the Harley Van Dkye ride piloted by Tim Kaeding. Despite the direct hit, Kaeding finished fourth. Watch the video in slow motion on NARC410.com … Cole Macedo knocked out a top five in the Tarlton Motorsports ride. …
… There are some great improvements that are going to take place this winter at Keller Auto Speedway. With local support, promoter Bubby Morse promises a complete facelift of the track surface. They plan to rebuild and add a ton of new clay to elevate their track to premier status! Look for a press release from the track in the near future. … Announcer Gary Thomas perfectly described the Cotton Classic track surface as “having character.” Yes, it was rough, but it was rough for everyone, which builds character – and made for some great racing. … Mathew Moles scored a heat race victory and a season-best 10th place finish in the feature. … The RaceSaver sprinters had a tough night negotiating their way away from the front straightaway fence. Two incidents had cars tangled in the wires and slowed the program so repairs could be made. … You’ve got to love the “Cotton Bail” trophy at the Cotton Classic. …
HANFORD QUOTE OF THE WEEK: This one comes by way of car owner Clyde Lamar. When asked how many parts they were able to save from their crashed Tri-C/Netto Ag ride from Ocean Speedway, Lamar answered without pause, “It could’ve fit in the trunk of your car.”
CHAMPIONSHIP BANQUET: With the King of the West-NARC in the process of becoming a club and separate entity this year, proactive plans for the championship banquet slid to the backburner. However, thanks to Prentice Motorsports, we are going to join the All-Star Modified Tour, Ocean Sprints, and Civil War sprints and bootleg onto their banquet on Saturday, December 16th. It’s being held at the Coconut Grove Ballroom on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Dinner at 7:00 p.m. and checks are being distributed shortly thereafter. Tickets will go on sale this week and can be had by clicking here ! … KWS-NARC will be awarding a stout $62,000 point fund to the top 15 teams in the final standings, plus there is a ton of other great stuff we are raffling off. … We also hope to roll out our 2018 schedule at the banquet. … Don’t miss it.
NARC NOTES: Fremont’s Brent Bjork announced that he has made the commitment to race the entire King of the West-NARC schedule in 2018. Due to a busy work schedule, he has only managed to compete in 10-races so far this season. … Along those lines, Jenna Frazier will be running for rookie of the year next season. … Did we mention that Fujitsu is back as title sponsor next season? … Trivia questions of the week? Who has more heat race victories this season? DJ Netto, or the combined group of Cory Eliason, Bud Kaeding, and Kyle Hirst? … Question number two: How many Hoosier Tires Dash Winners have gone on to win the Fujitsu main event on the same night? … And finally, who has more top five finishes this season? Gio Scelzi or Kyle Hirst?
ANSWERS: DJ Netto has 10. The other three have a total of nine. … Just ONE dash winner has gone on to win the main. Think about that for a moment! … Both Roth Motorsports drivers have scored eight top five finishes.
By the way, Dave Pusateri for President! His efforts at the Trophy Cup and his contributions to the Make-A-Wish Foundation have no peer. … We will see all of you at the Stockton Dirt Track on November 4th. It’s time for the big-boned woman to sing her heart out!
Coming to you live from Auburn, CA. See ya!
NARC Benevolent Fund Provides Aid to Lingron Family and Margaret Lingron
(PETERSEN MEDIA)- Year after year, the NARC Benevolent fund puts on various fundraisers raising money for racers, crew members, officials, etc. should they be involved in an on track incident and need financial help. Though it is the hope that these issues never arise, unfortunately accidents do happen and help is often needed.
July 29th, Petaluma Speedway official, Margaret Lingron was involved in an on-track accident, resulting in the last three weeks being spent in the ICU. Recently being moved to a non ICU room, doctors have advised up to three months of being immobile for up to three months enabling the healing process of pelvic fractures.
The NARC Benevolent Fund is happy to announce that a check has been cut and delivered to the Lingron family in their time of need as the long road to recovery continues.
“I have loved Sprint Car racing my entire life, and now it helps my family in time of suffering,” Said Lingron’s husband Ron, who serves as the announcer at Petaluma Speedway and Ocean Speedway. “My family cannot thank the facilitators who made this happen enough, and in fact Thank You just seems to hollow.”
The NARC Benevolent Fund will continue to raise money in years to come, and hopes for continued to support from the racing family to continue to be there in times of need.
IT"S A $5000 PAYDAY FOR BUDDY KOFOID AT THE HK CLASSIC
07/15/17 - Jim Allen - Watsonville, CA … Buddy Kofoid secured his first ever King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series feature victory Saturday night, capturing the exciting 30-lap Howard Kaeding Classic at Ocean Speedway.
The 15-year old driver pocketed $5,000 for his efforts, a commemorative racing helmet and a permanent spot on the HK Classic perpetual trophy for his nights work. His winning efforts came aboard the potent Dan Simpson/Gary Silva Ranches sprinter and made him the ninth different winner in 12 events this season.
Kofoid spent the first few laps of the event chasing down Hoosier Tires dash winner Cory Eliason, while holding off a tailgating Shane Golobic at the same time. The contest got real interesting when the group roared into slower traffic on the sixth circuit, battling inches apart as they fought for position.
Kofoid finally got around Eliason on the 13th circuit, but the red flag came out a lap later for multiple-time series Brent Kaeding, who got tangled up with another car and flipped in turn four. He was shaken in the accident and went to the hospital after the race as a precautionary measure.
On the restart, Kofoid continued to set a frantic pace, as Eliason and Golobic mixed it up in his shadow using multiple lines on the track.
Fifth starter Justin Sanders entered the fray in the Vontrex Keizer Wheel Maxim and powered past Golobic for third on lap 18. Eliason and Kofoid were inches apart fighting for the lead on lap 20 when they made contact and Eliason crashed into the front straightaway fence exiting turn four. He was done for the night.
On the ensuing restart, Kofoid had his hands full dealing with the multiple challenges of Sanders. At one point, Kofoid made contact and rode down the backstretch wall on two wheels attempting to shake his pursuer.
A final caution came out with six circuits remaining when KWS-NARC point leader Bud Kaeding stopped with a flat left rear tire. This set the stage for one final showdown for the lead. Sanders and Kofoid continued to battle and were side-by-side entering turn three on the white-flag lap, but Kofoid held his line to secure the hard fought victory.
"I knew Justin (Sanders) was fast and was going to make a run at me on the end," said Kofoid. "However, my team gave me a great car to win tonight."
One of the best open wheel battles of the night took place between Golobic, Kyle Hirst and Gio Scelzi who swapped positions on a corner-by-corner basis during the final five laps. Golobic secured the final podium spot in the Keith Day Trucking/Elk Grove Ford sprint car. Eighth starter Kyle Hirst finished fourth in the Roth Motorsports KPC, chased by DJ Netto in the Tri-C Machine/AG Netto sponsored ride. Scelzi was sixth in the H & R Livestock Transport KPC.
Semi-transfer and 20th starter Andy Forsberg earned hardcharger honors, fighting his way to an impressive seventh place finish. Jonathan Allard, 16th starter Craig Stidham, and 19th starter Chase Johnson rounded out the top ten.
Sean Watts claimed the 12-lap semi. Heat races were picked off by Sanders, Croft, Scelzi, and Netto. Kofoid set quick time.
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RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Buddy Kofoid, Justin Sanders, Shane Golobic, Kyle Hirst, DJ Netto, Gio Scelzi, Andy Forsberg, Jonathan Allard, Craig Stidham, Chase Johnson, Bobby McMahan, Bud Kaeding, Willie Croft, Dustin Golobic, Sean Watts, Kurt Nelson, Jarrett Soares, Brent Bjork, Eric Rossi, Cory Eliason, Burt Foland Jr., Brent Kaeding
Lap Leaders: Eliason 1-12, Kofoid 13-30
Fast Qualifier (1/4 mile clay oval - 28 cars): Buddy Kofoid - 12.245 seconds
Heat 1 (10 laps): Justin Sanders, Buddy Kofoid, Kurt Nelson, Craig Stidham, Jeremy Chisum, Sean Watts, Jason Chisum
Heat 2 (10 laps): Willie Croft, Bud Kaeding, Cory Eliason, Bobby McMahan, Chase Johnson, Marcus Dumesny, Josh Chisum
Heat 3 (10 laps): Gio Scelzi, Shane Golobic, Brent Kaeding, Jarrett Soares, Andy Forsberg, Nathan Rolfe, Eric Rossi
Heat 4 (10 laps): DJ Netto, Kyle Hirst, Jonathan Allard, Brent Bjork, Dustin Golobic, Burt Foland Jr.
Hoosier Tires Dash (6 laps): Cory Eliason, Buddy Kofoid, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Justin Sanders, Gio Scelzi, Kurt Nelson, Bud Kaeding, Brent Kaeding, Willie Croft, Jonathan Allard
NARC NEWSLINE, (06/29/17) By Jim Allen … Now that we’ve got 10-races in the official King of the West-NARC record books, it’s time to award some mythical “midseason awards.” They represent a compilation of highlights, lowlights, and a few other things you probably already forgot about. Enjoy.
The “HEAT RACE GOD” AWARD: If there was an official awards panel, this would have been a unanimous decision, because Hanford’s DJ Netto has absolutely smothered the category. So much so that there isn’t even another opponent who has a shot. The bottom line is …, in 2017, DJ has been a HEAT RACE GOD, capturing nine heat victories in 10 events aboard Clyde Lamar potent Tri-C Machine sprint car.
So if you ever need to come up with a good racing trivia question … how about this one … what event did DJ “NOT” win a heat race? By the way, the next closest drivers are Cory Eliason and Bud Kaeding with only three wins.
AND THE WINNER IS (your name here) AWARD: It’s been an extremely unpredictable season so far. Before this racing campaign got underway, this corner predicted that it was possible to see ten different KWS-NARC winners. And we’re off to a great start already with eight in the books and the likes of Buddy Kofoid, Willie Croft, Mitchell Faccinto and many others still looking for their first. By comparison, there were only six winners last season with Kyle Hirst and Kaeding combining for 11 victories.
HAT TRICK AWARD: When we started the season, few people outside of Visalia’s Plaza Park Raceway, knew about a kid named Giovanni Scelzi. Yes, his last name is famous in racing circles, but this was just some skinny 15-year old kid who would be lucky to run in the top 10 … right? WRONG! Gio just didn’t earn his first career KWS-NARC win at Placerville Speedway, he backed it up with victories at Tulare and Antioch. That makes him the only multiple winner and the only driver to score a hat trick this season.
HEARTBREAK HOTEL AWARD: After a thorough analysis, we came up with a three-way tie for this award because … well … they’re all heartbreaking crushers. It’s even worse than breaking up with your girlfriend and listening to Country Western music afterwards. Let’s start this off with Sacramento’s Willie Croft, who absolutely dominated the field for the first 28-laps of the Kern County Raceway Park season opener. All was going well until he ran out of fuel during a caution period with two to go. Another gallon of fuel and this one was in would’ve been all his. … Second on the list is Sean Becker, who led 29.9999 laps at Placerville Speedway, only to get nipped by 24 inches at the checkered by Gio Scelzi. … And finally, another 15-year old by the name of Buddy Kofoid just about had the Calistoga Dirt Classic winners’ check in his wallet. He set the standard for 20 strong laps and held off a super aggressive Rico Abreu, who was pulling out all the stops in an attempt to catch him. With a handful to go, Abreu ends up spinning in turn two with a flat left front tire. You could almost hear Kofoid breathe a huge sigh of relief. That was until his left rear tire shredded under caution and he lost the lead. You could almost hear Kofoid learning how to cuss at that very moment.
PUT THAT HORSE DOWN AWARD: It’s been a brutal year on motors. Among those hit hard are Craig & Scott Parker, Jason Statler, Tarlton Motorsports, Shawn Thomas, Antaya Motorsports, Andy Forsberg, Billy Butler and more.
AND DON’T FORGET YOUR VISA CARD AWARD: This award should be individually presented to all eight teams that crossed the checkered at the May 6th Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial race in Chico. Yes, a stout 22-car field started the 40-lapper and a heat race finished. It was a very expensive night where it seemed every crash and mishap was of the expensive variety. Jarrett Soares battered #12 car finished eighth to earn the hardcharger award. On this night, it should have been renamed the survivor award. By the way, the violent Michael Ing, Jason Statler, Carson Macedo crash on the backchute will send a chill up your spine (again) if you watch it in slow motion.
IT’S ANYBODIES BALL GAME CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY: The Cory Eliason/Antaya Motorsports Team leads the KWS-NARC championship point standings after the season opener. Then the Bud Kaeding/Williams Motorsports team takes over, before the Gio Scelzi/Roth Motorsports goes on a tear to the top. Now it’s back to Kaeding. And this dogfight is far from being settled with seven races remaining. Make sure you don’t rule out DJ Netto either, who is still in the hunt.
DON’T WIN THE DASH AWARD: One would think that starting on the pole would pretty much guarantee a victory, or at least dramatically increase the percentages in ones favor. WRONG! How about this statistic? Only one … yes … one … driver has won the Hoosier Tires Dash has gone on to claim the feature. Yup, that’s just 10% of the time. Those honors go to Gio Scelzi at Placerville, and he fell back to third for the most of the event before eventually winning by a front wing.
SEAT OF THE PANTS AWARD: This award goes to the best “overall” race of the year. It doesn’t include any of the activities surrounding an event, just the green-to-checkered entertainment value. The winner? The season opener at Kern County Raceway Park was a gem throughout with most of the field battling inches apart - slicing, dicing, slide-jobbing, and cushion-riding for 30-laps. There is a reason that this Mills Video Production highlight reel got 41,000-plus views – it’s awesome! For those of you who need a review, that video can be found on the home page of NARC410.com … check it out again and see if you agree.
WILL YOU SHOW ME YOUR ID AWARD: Half of the races this season have been won by drivers 21-years old or younger. Gio Scelzi, DJ Netto, and Chase Johnson are setting the stage for our next generation of champions! Heck, there are three 15-year olds in the top 10 in points – Scelzi, Buddy Kofoid, and Nathan Rolfe. Let’s put that in perspective, these three can’t even drive themselves to High School yet. And if they did, that 25 mph speed limit in school zones would be more of a guideline than a rule.
OCEAN SPEEDWAY NOTES: Shane Golobic returned to the Golden State after winning the Indiana Midget Week title. Golobic was on the hammer from the beginning and scored the KWS-NARC victory in Keith Day’s ride. He may be one of the most underrated drivers in the country, proving that he is capable of winning in any open wheel machine. As much as we would hate to lose him as a California regular, I think it’s time for someone to offer him the opportunity of a full-time World of Outlaw ride. … Justin Sanders is very impressive in the 121 car – Rocket Fast! He set fast time and was on a mission, finishing second in the main. Two-time NARC champ Tim Green mentoring and coaching is paying off. … Ocean Speedway offered some much needed relief for many Californian’s suffering through a grueling heat wave. For example, when I left Sacramento, it was 106 degrees in the shade. It was 62 in Watsonville, with a marine layer. That’s almost as good as an icy cold beer in a frosted mug. Almost! …
... Nathan Rolfe posted his first top 10 finish of the season. … You know that thing about what to do when you fall off a bike. Get back on and keep riding. Brent Bjork, who finished in the top ten in KWS points five years ago, is re-learning the open wheel craft after his absence. He admits it has been tough but he is making progress. … Chase Johnson looked like he was going to secure win number two before suffering motor issues. Chase said he glanced down at the gauges for a split-second and smacked the wall on the backchute. Things kind of went squirrely from there. … Good crowd … No red flags. … Cory Eliason bicycled so hard in turn four in the feature that my filling came loose. … Koen Shaw finished 12th. … The Real Deal Jamie Veal stuck around for another weekend. Finished sixth at Ocean. … 16 cars broke the 12-second mark in qualifying. Only five ran 12-second laps in the feature. Everything else was in the 13’s.
CALISTOGA SPEEDWAY NOTES: You know you have a successful racing event in the making when the activities surrounding the event are almost bigger than the race itself. The Boys & Girls Club of St. Helena & Calistoga Dirt Classic fell into that category. An astounding $250,000 was raised by local vintners for the cause in an effort spearheaded by David and Rico Abreu. Throw in some bands, a carnival-type atmosphere in the infield, a standing room only crowd, and a fair share of race-celebrity watching and this was a premium event. … DJ Netto tagged the wall on the first lap and broke his right front shock. 24-laps later, he was standing in victory lane. More proof that one should never give up. … It was Clyde Lamar’s 16th career victory as a car owner at the half-mile, one short of the record. Lamar was hugging his custom-made winners trophy like a grandfather does a grandchild. He was one happy camper. … Among the NASCAR and open wheel royalty in the infield were Tony Stewart, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Danica Patrick, Ryan Newman, Kyle Larsen, and many more. Stewart had to have police tape around his pit area for crowd control. … 22 KWS-NARC cars, 46 SCCT cars, no drama! …
... Cori Andrews was among those making her Calistoga debut. … Kyle Hirst bumped Rico Abreu from quick time honors in the late going. His time was 17.033. The track record of 15.731 seconds was set by Joey Saldana in 2014. That may be untouchable. … It was a horrible, horrible break for Buddy Kofoid. He led, or should we say dominated the first 20-laps before he cut a left rear. He did win the Hoosier Tires Dash. … Race fans don’t know how close this event came to not being run. David Abreu, in his continuing (and very commendable) efforts to improve the facility, planned to install a “walk-through” gate at his expense near the flagstand to make it easier for fans to get to the pits. They started the project, but were asked to stop midway through construction during the week by the Fair management. The gate was never installed and it took a last second stamp by a State Inspector to green light the event. Not to go on a rant or anything, but the Calistoga Fair Board should be thanking David Abreu for everything he has done for the facility and the local community – not hampering his efforts. I like to keep everything positive, but the Fair Board needs to get their act together. Otherwise, this track will go the way of several others, which means condos and shopping mall. … About 30 people from Fujitsu and their local dealers attended the event. Some flew in from New Jersey and Oregon. Twenty-five of them had never attended a sprint car race. However, there was nothing but smiling faces when they boarded the limo-bus at the end of the night. That says a lot about the show. … Bud Kaeding, Gio Scelzi and Chase Johnson (360) flew massive Fujitsu logos on their top wings to support the cause. Thank you. … From initial push off to final checkered, the KWS-NARC Fujitsu headliner lasted 19-minutes. … No red flags for either division. Awesome! …
And finally, on a different topic, there’s another BIG KWS-NARC race on the horizon. The Howard Kaeding Classic is scheduled for Saturday, July 15th at Ocean Speedway. As of right now, it will pay $5000 to win, $2500 for second, and $1900 for third. Tenth place pays $1000 and it’s $700 to start the 30-lapper. The heat winners will also take home a Hoosier Right Rear Tire. If you would like to contribute to the cause, contact Bud Kaeding at Kaeding Performance Center.
The HK Classic is part of a two-day racing weekend at Ocean that includes a Friday night Civil War race. After Friday’s show, there will be a barbecue and donations are being accepted with all proceeds going to the NARC Benevolent Fund. On Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. there will be the HK Classic steak lunch where a $20 donation is requested. Once again, all monies go to the NARC Benevolent Fund – something we hope we never have to use – but don’t want to do without! Mark your calendars now!
Coming to you live from Auburn, CA. See ya!
NARC NEWSLINE (06/22/17)
By Jim Allen … Okay race fans, let’s start this episode of the NARC NEWSLINE with a question … How do you make a small fortune in sprint car racing? The answer … quite simply … Start with a big one!
The debate continues not just in 410 sprint car racing, but in all forms of high dollar open wheel motorsports. And it doesn’t change when you go run with the World of Outlaws. True, you are racing for more money, but you’re also spending a lot more in the process. The bottom line is … chasing points and a championship is not only grueling and tedious, but it’s also extremely expensive in just about any class of race car. I got my first taste of this a couple of decades ago talking to longtime car owner and NARC Board Member Duke McMillen. My question was … “How much does it cost for you to go racing?” He got quiet for a second, put his hand to his chin, and said he didn’t know, and didn’t want to ever know. He knew .., and I knew .., and we all know deep down that a team could win every race on the schedule and still not come close to covering half of their actual cost. And it’s probably even worse today in terms of cubic dollars! So it all comes down to the usual stuff … sponsorship dollars, passion for the sport, and admitting that this is one super-expensive hobby.
Yes, I said it. Somewhere along the way, grassroots racing evolved into an expensive hobby that can literally rip the heart out of a Visa card. Let’s dig in a little bit. In rough dollars, a single rolling chassis is going to set one back $30,000. A Shaver or Kistler top of the line motor will make you feel like you’re having a stroke at $65,000. And don’t think that the once super-affordable 360 motors are going to alleviate the sucking sound out of one’s wallet. Now consider that every 10-14 races, a car owner is going to rack up a plethora of frequent flyer points as he charges another $10,000+ to “freshen it up.” And that’s assuming nothing blows out of the bottom during those 10-14 races … aka Andy Forsberg fireball style. Now, let’s throw in $45 pit passes, $250 tires, fuel and the one expense that most people never talk about, the cost of getting the huge tow rig up and down the road. To help fund this passion, most owner-drivers basically drive for free. For those with “drivers for hire,” there is also the expense of paying them a portion of the winnings. Holy crap, I think I need CPR!
Thirteen-time NARC & Golden State champion Brent Kaeding says it costs approximately $125,000 to compete in a California-based championship point’s battle and that is barring any type of catastrophic failures. To put that in perspective, the median household income in Tulare and Chico is less than $43,000 per year. Let's pause here for a second, while I go look again for my winning lottery ticket.
So let’s answer the usual questions … Have purses increased in perspective with the cost of racing? You would have a better chance of sitting naked in a hot tub with Heidi Klum (that’s not happening either!) Have the crowds increased proportionately? Do I need to mention that hot tub thing again? Both of those questions and answers are directly tied together.
That’s why with all of the good things taking place with sprint car racing in California these days, it’s super important that we all stay positive. If you can’t truly appreciate what these racing teams and series are doing on a week in-week out basis, then I’m sure there’s a Disney on Ice show out there somewhere calling your name.
And finally, we truly are grateful for each and every fan that supports open wheel racing and travels all over the Golden State to show their love and affection by purchasing $25 tickets. We just need more of you! Maybe instead of a “Bring your Daughter to Work Day,” we should consider a “Bring your Neighbor to the Races Day!” And to all of the car owners and sponsors out there … WE TRULY THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS AND SUPPORT OF OPEN WHEEL RACING!
ANTIOCH NOTES: Winner Gio Scelzi! Kaeding 347, Eliason 343, Scelzi 341.
TULARE NOTES: A month ago, Gio Scelzi didn’t have one KWS-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series victory to his credit. After his Thunderbowl excursion, he now has three winner’s checks driving the Dennis Roth Motorsports KPC. Bud Kaeding was second. Mitchell Faccinto finally earned a podium finish in Stan Greenberg’s ride, which says a lot for the overall talent level of King of the West. Faccinto has been a frontrunner for just about every hardcharger award this season. They say it’s easier to win races when you start closer to the front. He's getting closer! … The track took rubber early, making it extremely hard to pass. … There are some haulers in the “Race Savers” division that would be the envy of some NASCAR teams. … Kyle Hirst took the Roth Motorsports Tailgater Challenge in the headliner in an attempt to chase down $1500 from Dennis Roth and $1000 from Williams Roofing. He started in the back and got up to seventh. Did I mention that the track had taken rubber? The night before in Hanford, Hirst rocketed from 21st to third. DJ Netto won at that aforementioned Friday night show at Keller Auto Speedway. … Craig Stidham had a rough night after getting reeled into a three car melee in his heat race. From a distance, there didn’t appear to be much damage. Up close, it was a different story. Do I need to mention that Visa card thing again? … The Antaya Motorsports crew worked their butt off changing out a variety of components before settling on a complete motor change before the feature. Helping out was Willie Croft and Kyle Hirst. All that work paid off with a sixth place finish for Cory Eliason. … Scelzi takes the point lead over Kaeding 407-406.
PETALUMA NOTES: With a first name of Chase, we knew it was just a matter of time before Mr. Johnson scored his first career KWS-NARC victory. A killer slide job as leader Bud Kaeding got momentarily hung up in traffic on lap 17 proved to be the winning move. Congratulations to car owners Shawn and Cyndi Thomas. They became the sixth different winner this season. … Sean Watts scored his third top 10 feature finish in a row. His heat race victory was the first of his KWS-NARC career. … The “Real Deal” Jamie Veal from Australia was in the field. He was piloting the familiar BK Racing Maxim #69 of Brent Kaeding. This team got off to a rough start when their tow rig blew a tire on the trip to Petaluma. Everything settled down for Veal, who scored a third place feature finish after a torrid battle with Andy Forsberg and Gio Scelzi. … Speaking of quick qualifier Scelzi, and second quick Cory Eliason, neither transferred to the dash out of their heat. … Does anyone have an extra 410 ride sitting around? Geoff Ensign would be an excellent candidate to give it a whirl! Racing a 360 in a 2007 chassis, he made it to the dash and was running third in the feature before mechanical problems knocked him out. … The final checkered was waved at 9:22 p.m. How sweet is that with four divisions racing? …
... Gio, Bud, Cory and Jamie all scored 60 points at the event. Gio still leads by a point! … Chase Johnson’s donuts in turn four after winning was almost worth the price of admission. … 22 cars … Great crowd. … Seventy-five percent of the KWS-NARC quick qualifiers have ended their night with a top three finish. Three have won. … 15-year old Nathan Rolfe has quietly worked his way up to 11th in points, getting in some quality lap time in the process. … Hats off to “owner-crew chief-pit crew & driver” Bobby McMahan. Mr. McMahan finished in the top 10 in NARC points for the first time in 1987 (third) and claimed that honor 10 times over the next 13 years. Today he is still competitive and is sitting fifth in points. There are not too many drivers who can celebrate a successful 30-year racing career. … Only one dash winner has gone on to claim the 30-lap headliner. And that was Gio Scelzi at Placerville. … Andy Forsberg and his A & A team jumped through some serious hoops leading up to Petaluma. They replaced their blown 410 motor, ran it at Chico on Friday night, pulled it on Saturday, pulled out a 360 from their other car, put the 410 motor in that car and finished sixth at Petaluma on Saturday night. Heck, I got tired just writing that.
By the way, if you haven’t noticed, all of the race reports on NARC410.com feature Mills Video highlights of the race. No more bouncing around looking for them. … That’s all for now! It’s time to load up for the only doubleheader weekend of the year … the 32nd annual Pombo-Sargent Classic at Ocean Speedway, and the First Annual Boys & Girls Club Dirt Classic at Calistoga.
Coming to you live from Auburn, CA. See ya!
6/17/17 - Petaluma, CA … Chase Johnson outdueled Bud Kaeding in a thrilling open wheel battle at Petaluma Speedway to capture his first career King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series feature event victory Saturday night.
Johnson, piloting the potent Shawn & Cyndi Thomas-owned, Wesmar-Champion Machine-powered Maxim, played cat and mouse with polesitter Kaeding throughout the 30-lapper before capitalizing on slower traffic to make his winning move. As the pair sliced and diced through lapped cars, Johnson launched a no holds barred slide job in the third corner on lap 16 to get under race long leader. He exited the fourth turn with the point.
Kaeding wasn’t done yet and continued his frantic pursuit of the leader in a race that ran nonstop the final 21-laps after a couple of early caution flags. Johnson almost took himself out of contention when he collided with the car of Nathan Rolfe going down the frontchute three laps later. However, he regrouped and held on to the win by four car lengths.
“I knew I had a chance to get around Bud (Kaeding) if we got into traffic,” explained Johnson, after become the sixth different KWS-NARC winner this season before a hometown crowd. “Once I got there and made it happen, I was surprised that it worked out so well.”
Kaeding finished in the runner up spot in the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim. Australian sprint car star Jason Veal survived several wheel-to-wheel skirmishes with KWS-NARC point leader and quick qualifier Gio Scelzi and Cory Eliason to score third. Veal was driving the BK Racing Al’s Roofing Maxim.
Eliason was on the move from the initial green after starting 11th. He was seventh after nine circuits, fifth after 19 and ended up fourth in the Antaya Motorsports Fuel Curve-sponsored Maxim. Tenth starter Scelzi, who failed to transfer out of his heat race in the Roth Motorsports KPC, secured fifth.
Scelzi still maintains a slim 467-466 advantage over Kaeding in the championship standings, after both drivers finished the event earning the same amount of points.
Andy Forsberg, DJ Netto, Billy Alton, Sean Watts and Bobby McMahan rounded out the top 10. Watt’s performance was a season-best. The checkered flag in the four division program waved at 9:22 p.m.
Heat race victories were picked off by Geoff Ensign, Sean Watts & DJ Netto.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Chase Johnson, Bud Kaeding, Jamie Veal, Cory Eliason, Gio Scelzi, Andy Forsberg, DJ Netto, Billy Alton, Sean Watts, Bobby McMahan, Riley Matson, Chase Madjic, Jarrett Soares, Brent Bjork, Nathan Rolfe, John Clark, Brian Boswell, Jenna Frazier, Geoff Ensign, Eli Deshaies, Jason Paniagua, Bill Cornwell
Lap Leaders: Bud Kaeding 1-16, Chase Johnson 17-30
Hoosier Tires Dash (6 laps): Bud Kaeding, Chase Johnson, Jamie Veal, Geoff Ensign, Billy Alton, Andy Forsberg, DJ Netto, Bobby McMahan, Sean Watts
Fast Qualifier (3/8 mile clay oval - 22 cars): Gio Scelzi – 12.701
Heat 1 (10 laps): Geoff Ensign, Bobby McMahan, Bud Kaeding, Gio Scelzi, Nathan Rolfe, Jarrett Soares, Jenna Frazier
Heat 2 (10 laps): Sean Watts, Andy Forsberg, Bill Alton, Cory Eliason, John Clark, Eli Deschaies
Heat 3 (10 laps): DJ Netto, Jamie Veal, Chase Johnson, Chase Madjic, Riley Matson, Brent Bjork, Jason Paniagua, Brian Boswell
https://narc410.com/2017/06/18/johnson-claims-first-kws-narc-victory-in-exciting-petaluma-duel/
KWS-NARC SPRINT CARS SET TO INVADE ANTIOCH SPEEDWAY ON SATURDAY
(5/28/17) Antioch, CA … Antioch Speedway is set to host the high-powered broadsliding open wheel sprint cars of the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series this Saturday, June 3rd.
This marks the first of only two visits to the action-packed quarter-mile oval this season. It is also the sixth event in the ultra-competitive 17-stop King of the West-NARC series.
To date, the tour has produced five different winners in as many races including current championship point leader Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Cory Eliason of Selma, Rico Abreu of St. Helena, Fresno’s Gio Scelzi, and defending series champion Kyle Hirst of Paradise.
Hirst, a three-time series titlist who captured six events in 2016, finally earned his spot in victory lane on May 20th at Tulare. He admits he was getting frustrated by how long it took to score his first victory of the season.
“It’s getting harder and harder to win a King of the West NARC race,” explained Hirst. “It appears that everyone has stepped up their game and it’s getting tougher to gain any kind of competitive advantage. All of the teams and drivers are extremely prepared.”
The Antioch racing program includes qualifying, three heat races, the Hoosier Tires Dash, and is capped off by the 30-lap Fujitsu Racing Series feature event headliner.
“There are at least ten different drivers who can win on any given night,” continued Hirst, “and that doesn’t include any potential upsets. It all comes down to being more consistent than everyone else and that is a lot easier said than done. That means securing a great qualifying time, being aggressive in the heat race, finishing well in the dash, and staying out of trouble in the main. A little luck doesn’t hurt either.”
Also expected to compete Saturday is DJ Netto and Mitchell Faccinto of Hanford; Penngrove drivers Michael Kofoid and Chase Johnson; Willie Croft of Sacramento; Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan; Jarrett Soares of Discovery Bay and Fremont’s Shane Golobic.
Pit gates open at 2:00 p.m. Front gates open at 5:00 p.m. Also on the racing card is the Hobby Stock division. Antioch Speedway is located at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds in Antioch, CA. For more information, call 925-779-9220.
2017 KWS-NARC FUJITSU SERIES POINT STANDINGS (After five events in 17-race Series) 1. Bud Kaeding, Campbell (1) – 294 2. Cory Eliason, Selma (1) – 281 3. Giovanni Scelzi, Fresno (1) – 277 4. DJ Netto, Hanford – 274 5. Michael Kofoid, Penngrove – 265 6. Kyle Hirst, Paradise (1) – 263 7. Willie Croft, Sacramento – 236 8. Carson Macedo, Lemoore – 230 9. Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay – 226 10. Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove – 223 11. Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 219 12. Shane Golobic, Fremont – 215 13. Sean Watts, Atwater – 210 14. Nathan Rolfe, Atwater – 197 15. Sean Becker, Roseville 196 16. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 195 17. Craig Stidham, Fresno – 146 18. Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 143 19. Brent Kaeding, Campbell – 139 20. Jason Statler, Grass Valley – 138
The King of the West Fujitsu Racing Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club is co-sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, ARP Racing Bolts, BMRS, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.
UPCOMING EVENTS: June 10 – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA June 17 – Petaluma Speedway, Petaluma, CA June 23 – Ocean Speedway, Watsonville, CA June 24 – Calistoga Speedway, Calistoga, CA
(5/20/17) Tulare, CA … Defending King of the West champion Kyle Hirst became the fifth different NARC-Fujitsu Sprint Car Racing Series winner of the season, capturing top honors in the exciting 30-lap Faria Memorial at the Thunderbowl Raceway.
“I’m finally here,” said a happy Hirst in victory lane. “It’s been tough to win this year in this series, but my team has kept battling and we got it done tonight.”
Outside front row starter Cory Eliason appeared to have the entire field in hip pocket from the initial green, rocketing out to a quick lead. He quickly established a 12-car lead by lap eight, as the field began negotiating its way through slower traffic.
Hirst, who started fifth in the potent the Roth Motorsports H&R Livestock Transportation KPC sprint car battled Bud Kaeding for the runner-up spot for several laps before securing the spot for good on lap 16. As Eliason began to struggle in heavy traffic, Hirst and the freight train of Shane Golobic and Carson Macedo reeled him in.
On the 19th circuit, Hirst launched a massive turn three slide job on the leader to take the point, chased closely behind by Golobic. The top three cars battled inches apart in dramatic fashion before Gio Scelzi stopped bringing out the only caution of the race with seven to go. Scelzi was injured, dislocating his shoulder. He would later seek medical attention after the event.
Once the race resumed, Hirst took no prisoners and powered his way to a 1.55 second victory over Golobic in the Keith Day Trucking/Gabilan AG Services sponsored entry. Carson Macedo got around Eliason with four laps remaining to earn the show position in the Tarlton Motorsports Tachi Palace sprint car.
Eliason finished his night in fourth in the Antaya Motorsports-Fuel Curve ride, chased by current point leader Bud Kaeding. With Scelzi’s misfortune, Kaeding and his William Motorsports team extended their championship point lead to 275-261 over Eliason. Scelzi dropped to third with 257.
Mitchell Faccinto, 12th starter Craig Stidham, Dominic Scelzi, DJ Netto, and Bobby McMahan rounded out the top 10 at the checkered.
Willie Croft captured the Hoosier Tires Dash. Heat races were picked off by Eliason, Netto, and Golobic.
RACE RESULTS:
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Feature Event (30 laps); Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic, Carson Macedo, Cory Eliason, Bud Kaeding, Mitchell Faccinto, Craig Stidham, Dominic Scelzi, DJ Netto, Bobby McMahan, Michael Kofoid, Jeremy Chisum, Sean Watts, Mathew Moles, Jarrett Soares, Nathan Rolfe, Willie Croft, Gio Scelzi, Brent Bjork, Wayne Rowett.
Lap Leaders: Eliason 1-19, Hirst 20-30
Hoosier Tires Dash (6 laps): Willie Croft, Cory Eliason, Gio Scelzi, Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Carson Macedo, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Mitchell Faccinto
Fast Qualifier (1/3 mile clay oval – 20 cars): Carson Macedo – 13.438 seconds
Heat 1 (10 laps): Corey Eliason, Mitchell Faccinto, Carson Macedo, Michael Kofoid, Sean Watts, Jarrett Soares
Heat 2 (10 laps): DJ Netto, Bud Kaeding, Willie Croft, Dominic Scelzi, Mathew Moles, Jeremy Chisum, Nathan Rolfe
Heat 3 (10 laps): Shane Golobic, Kyle Hirst, Gio Scelzi, Craig Stidham, Bobby McMahan, Brent Bjork
KWS-NARC SPRINT CARS HEADED TO TULARE ON SATURDAY FOR FARIA MEMORIAL
(5/14/17) Tulare, CA … The high-powered open wheel sprint cars of the King of the West/NARC Fujitsu Racing Series are returning to the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway on Saturday, May 20th for the Faria Memorial race.
This marks the second of only three visits to the lightening fast one-third mile dirt oval track located at the Tulare Fairgrounds.
The King of the West/NARC series has proved to be one of the most competitive in recent memory, producing four different feature event winners in as many events. Current championship point leader of Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Giovanni Scelzi of Fresno, Cory Eliason of Selma, and Rico Abreu of St. Helena have earned those honors.
However, it's 15-year old driving sensation Scelzi who is turning heads, not only at California race tracks, but also drawing the attention of motorsports enthusiast across the nation. The Fresno driver, the son of famous NHRA championship drag racer Gary Scelzi, laid claim to his first KWS/NARC victory on Saturday (5/13) at Placerville Speedway in a thrilling photo finish. He only led the final two feet of the 30-lap race in his Fresno-based Roth Motorsports sprint car.
In the process, Scelzi became the youngest winner in series history and now current trails Kaeding in the standings by only three points (235-232) entering the Tulare event.
But don't be fooled by his young age where most of his high school peers would rather be "hanging out" or playing video games. Scelzi comes to the track with nine-years of racing experience and it shows and is already paying off rewards.
His career kicked off in Jr. Micro Sprints at Lemoore Raceway and Plaza Park Raceway in Visalia. He dominated his class in 2010, winning 24 main events.
Since then, he has graduated through the open wheel ranks into Micro-Sprints and now 410 c.i. 900-horsepower winged sprint cars. Scelzi's 19-year old brother Dominic also races a sprint car locally and on the national World of Outlaw tour.
“I have learned so much from all of the people at the race track, especially my brother, Dominic, and the Faccinto brothers,” states Scelzi. “Racing is in my blood. I hope to one day race in NASCAR.”
Scelzi is referring to Hanford open wheel racers. Mitchell & Michael Faccinto. Mitchell will also be competing at Tulare.
Thirty-seven year old Kaeding put forth his perspective on Scelzi. "Enjoy this kid while we have him," explained Kaeding. "He has a ton of talent and he will be off to do bigger things on a national level like NASCAR's Kyle Larson. Drivers like him don't come around very often and he is going to be very successful."
Also expected to compete Saturday will be Carson Macedo of Lemoore; Hanford's DJ Netto; Penngrove drivers Michael Kofoid and Chase Johnson; Discovery Bay's Jarrett Soares; Willie Croft of Sacramento; and defending series champion Kyle Hirst of Paradise.
Pit gates open at 2:00 p.m. Front gates open at 4:00 p.m. Also on the racing card is USAC Non-Wing 360’s, Race Saver sprint cars & the vintage cars of the Legends of Kearney Bowl.
The Thunderbowl Raceway is located at E Bardsley Avenue & South K Street in Tulare.
KINGOFTHEWESTSPRINTCARSERIES-PRESENTEDBYTHENORTHERNAUTORACINGCLUB
ED NOTE: Hanford driver DJ Netto will be signing autographs for race fans from 4:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. near the front gate.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 3 - Antioch Speedway, Antioch, CA
June 10 - Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA
June 17 - Petaluma Speedway, Petaluma, CA
June 24 - Calistoga Speedway, Calistoga, CA
The King of the West Fujitsu Racing Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club is co-sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, ARP Racing Bolts, BMRS, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.
2017 KWS-NARC FUJITSU SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(After four events in 17-race Series)
Bud Kaeding, Campbell (1) - 235 Giovanni Scelzi, Fresno (1) - 232 Cory Eliason, Selma (1) - 224 DJ Netto, Hanford - 222 Michael Kofoid, Penngrove - 214 Kyle Hirst, Paradise - 201 Sean Becker, Roseville - 196 Willie Croft, Sacramento - 192 Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay - 180 Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove - 172 Carson Macedo, Lemoore - 168 Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford - 164 Sean Watts, Atwater - 162 Shane Golobic, Fremont - 156 Nathan Rolfe, Atwater - 152 Chase Johnson, Penngrove - 143 Dominic Scelzi, Fresno - 142 Brent Kaeding, Campbell - 139 Jason Statler, Grass Valley - 138 Kalib Henry, Chico - 117
Jim Allen - 714-397-7417 - info@narc410.com
GIO SCELZI SCORES FIRST CAREER KWS-NARC WIN IN A THRILLER AT PLACERVILLE
(5/13/17) Placerville, CA, By Jim Allen … Young driving sensation Gio Scelzi continues to amaze the open wheel ranks on the King of the West/NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series. On Saturday night, the 15-year old pulled off an exciting final corner pass of race leader Sean Becker at Placerville Speedway and held on to win by two feet for his first career victory in the series.
Scelzi became the youngest winner in KWS-NARC history (15 years, 5-months), piloting the potent Roth Motorsports H&R LIvestock Transportation KPC sprint car.
Sean Becker, who scored his 100th career victory the night before in Chico, shot into the lead from his third starting position and set a frantic pace in the Dan Menne Motorsports Mike's Hard Lemonade-sponsored KPC. Becker held off the continued advances of cushion-riding Willie Croft for the first 15 laps as the pair zigged and zagged through lapped traffic.
Scelzi, who set fast time and started on the pole after winning the Hoosier Tires dash, fell back to third before he regrouped and charged back on the tight quarter mile oval. He utilized lap traffic to his advantage and picked off Croft at the halfway point , before setting his sights on the leader.
Scelzi made a pass for the lead with six to go when Becker got hung up in slower cars, but a yellow for two spun cars reverted the field back a lap. Another caution with two laps remaining set the stage for Scelzi's winning move. With Becker protecting the bottom of the track, Scelzi, rode up high on the cushion and slingshot into the lead as the pair powered out of the final turn. The two drag raced down the front straight with Scelzi scoring a narrow .069 second victory margin.
"This is great!" said a fired up Scelzi in victory lane. "I thought I messed up and didn't have enough to catch him (Becker). But Roth Motorsports gave me an excellent car and we got it done at the end."
The checkered flag waved at 8:46 p.m.
Point leader Bud Kaeding also found the high line to his liking in the late going, passing Kyle Hirst and Croft to earn the show position in the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim. Defending series champion Hirst claimed fourth in the other Roth Motorsports KPC. Croft rounded out the top five in his Amerikote Powder Coating sprint car.
Mitchell Faccinto earned the Hardcharger award, picking up seven spots after starting 13th. Cory Eliason, DJ Netto, Michael Kofoid, and Shane Golobic claimed the remaining positions in the top ten.
Sean Watts brought out the only red flag of the night when he go upside down on lap seven. He was unhurt.
Heat race winners were Bud Kaeding, Andy Forsberg and DJ Netto
30-lap KWS-NARC Fujitsu Main Event: Gio Scelzi, Sean Becker, Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Willie Croft, Mitchell Faccinto, Cory Eliason, DJ Netto, Michael Kofoid, Shane Golobic, Justyn Cox, Andy Forsberg, Andy Gregg, Chase Johnson, Brent Kaeding, Jarrett Soares, Nathan Rolfe, Scott Males, Dominic Scelzi, Kalib Henry, Sean Watts, Bobby McMahan
Fast Qualifier (1/4 mile oval - 23 cars): Gio Scelzi - 10.541
Heat 1 (10 laps): Bud Kaeding, Michael Kofoid, Gio Scelzi, Kalib Henry, Brent Kaeding, Justyn Cox, Mitchell Faccinto, Scott Males
Heat 2 (10 laps): Andy Forsberg, Sean Becker, Willie Croft, Shane Golobic, Jarrett Soares, Chase Johnson, Dominic Scelzi, Jim Richardson
Heat 3 (10 laps): DJ Netto, Kyle Hirst, Cory Eliason, Bobby McMahan, Sean Watts, Nathan Rolfe, Andy Gregg
Hoosier Tires Dash (6 laps): Gio Scelzi, Willie Croft, Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Cory Eliason, Michael Kofoid, Andy Forsberg, DJ Netto
NOTE: Past NARC NEWSLINE columns can be found at NARC410.com ... You can also find current points standings, rule books, history, and sponsor information.
NARC NEWSLINE, News, Notes & Quotes from the KWS-Northern Auto Racing Club Sprint Cars, By Jim Allen, (May 12, 2017)
It feels great to have a little normalcy and routine now that we have a couple more events under our belt on the King of the West/NARC tour, without having to look at the Weather Channel. The Peter Murphy Classic in Tulare and the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial in Chico earned those honors.
Our good friend Peter Murphy did what he does best … now that he is no longer is racing … and put on a well supported and promoted event that pulled in 39 competitors. That's typically what happens when you serve up an $11,000 to win race, that also happens to pay $1000 to start the feature - plus a bunch of other great perks (cash) worked in between.
Bud Kaeding was able to check off one of his racing career bucket list items with his victory in Morrie Williams Maxim. That check was worth $11,000 and a whole lot of champagne spray in victory lane. Carson Macedo was reeling in Bud in the late going, pulling within three car lengths in lap traffic in the late going, but ran out of laps. The next two drivers had a combined age of 30-years old … Gio Scelzi and Buddy Kofoid. DJ Netto rounded out the top five.
At the May 6th Bradway Memorial, it was more of the same in the cash machine department. Rico Abreu had the pin number of the Silver Dollar Speedway ATM machine and cashed out $8000 for his nights work. That breaks down to $1000 for the Carwash Mike Avilla Fast Time Award, $5,000 for the A-Main victory, which included $1000 kickers from Roth Motorsports and Abreu Racing. Top that off with $2000 in lap money for his 1-40 leader effort and you have what can best be described as a profitable evening. It was Abreu's third Bradway Jr. Memorial win in five years.
In fact, it was a very strange night at Chico when it was deemed profitable to still be rolling at the end of the 40-lapper. Kind of like a sprint car version of the television show Survivor. Only eight of the 22-car starting grid actually rolled into their trailers. No, that is not a misprint - eight, like a heat race. Ten caution flags decimated the field, including three reds. You know your thoughts and prayers are answered when you watch the scary Michael Ing, Carson Macedo and Jason Statler crash down the back chute in slow motion video. Sheet metal and parts were ripped off, down tubes were sheared and if was bolted on, it wasn't anymore. Statler was shaken but not stirred, and the other two drivers remarkably (and thankfully) walked away from their totally destroyed their cars. Carson was quick to credit his safety equipment on Twitter afterwards. We agree!
The semi wasn't much better, especially after viewing the spectacular multi-car crash entering the first turn. Kyle Hirst, Ryan Bernal, Brent Bjork, Justyn Cox, and Brian Boswell, their equipment, and the SDS catch fence took a beating. Once again, thank you to the continued advances of safety equipment.
On the lighter side, we can never say enough about Dave & Dianne Durica who have taken this event under their wings to make it so successful. They hustled up lap money for the A & B Main events, plus a variety of other cash and prizes. That's a lot easier said, than done. Also, kudo's to Cindy Thomas who fired up Hoserville and others for additional prizes including Hoosier right rears and tear offs for the heat race winners.
Peter Murphy Classic … Make sure you support the companies that support sprint car racing. In this case that would be Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore for their tremendous financial support of the PMC … You've got to love Rudeen Racing. They donated $100 to each of the four heat race winners, plus $500 to the KWS-Northern Auto Racing Club General Fund to help with the conversion process to a non-profit sports league. …Gio Scelzi set quick time at Tulare in the Roth Motorsports 83JR car and earned $500 from Tachi Palace in Lemoore. They later donated the money to the NARC Benevolent Fund. … Quote of the week comes from car owner Shawn Thomas, who said, "I would rather dial myself out of a race, than sit on a stool and do nothing." Good philosophy! … Kyle Hirst did double duty in the USAC non-wing 360's. He ended up scoring his first victory in that series, which means he is ready for any future NARC-KWS events that happen to go non-wing. #Just saying. … By comparison, Ryan Bernal has 30 non-wing USAC 360 wins … Bobby McMahan ended up making every highlight reel in America. Unfortunately, it wasn't for something good. On the start, McMahan found himself in one of those "no place to go" accidents and took a wild ride down the front straightaway. The car was trashed, but Mr. McMahan was fine and on the phone to wife Linda a couple of minutes later to update his status. He earned a $200 tough luck award, which will cover just a fraction of the actual repair costs. By the way, if you ever wanted to join a pit crew, the McMahan's is one of the leanest on tour. Go help them out. …
… So what do you do when you suffer 410 motor issues in the heat race and get delegated to the B-main? If you are Shane Golobic and Golobic Racing, you pull it in favor of your 360 powerplant. Then you go out and capture the semi from the 10th starting spot. And to put a cherry on top of this hot fudge sundae, you finish 14th in the feature - which paid $1000 to start. Might be time to start awarding extra championship points for EXTRA EFFORT! … According to a trackside interview with Jason Statler, he weighs in at 285 on a "good day." By comparison, 15-year old Gio Scelzi comes in at 150 soaking wet. How much of an advantage that gives him on the race track? … In victory lane, Bud Kaeding was asked about his last second race strategy. Just before the event was getting ready to push off, it appeared that Kaeding got out of car to initiate a last minute left rear time change. Answered Kaeding, "I had nothing to do with that. I got out of the car because I had to pee." I guess that would be an honest answer. Not the answer I was expecting, but an honest one. … Rico Abreu was slated to start sixth in the PMC feature, but pulled out before the race started with food poisoning. … Sean Becker also presented his car and pulled out before the feature started with mechanical issues. …
… If you are not impressed by the performances of 15-year old Buddy Kofoid, take a look again. Not only is he running in the top 10, he is looking steady in the process. He races methodically and doesn't take any unnecessary risks, but is aggressive and is always moving forward. That's a winning combination… The Pole Shuffle was entertaining. Here is how it went: Bobby McMahan outran Monte Faccinto and Kyle Hirst, only to lose to DJ Netto who beat Tanner Thorsen and Mason Moore, only to lose to Carson Macedo, who lost to Buddy Kofoid who went on to finish ahead of Rick Abreu, only to take second to Willie Croft who lost his battle to Bud Kaeding who finished runner-up to Gio Scelzi. Try saying that all in one breath! … By the way, Gio won an additional $500 for his 26-seconds of work in the pole shuffle. … Long tow honors went to Cori Andrews, who made the long 11-hour drive up I-5 from Murrieta, CA (think Perris Speedway) … Jeremy Chisum has one of the most interesting sponsors on the KWS-NARC tour - Pediatric Cancer Awareness. When you get a chance, take a closer look at the Number "8" on their top wing. They have helped raise more than $250,000 for the keyforacurefoundation.com …
Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial … A very commendable workmanlike effort was put together by Jarrett Soares in his Brian Sperry wrenched sprint car. He avoided the semi-crash and ran strong to finish fourth. In the feature, he battled through the field without a front wing and scored eighth. In the process, he earned $650 for the Hardcharger Award. …A very unusual site at Chico took place in the infield. That would be Kyle Hirst and Willie Croft both viewing the feature in street clothes. Both failed to qualify for the money race which happens about as often as we have a Reality Television Star as President. … Considering Hirst won the Friday night show, his weekend was all up, or all down! On Saturday, the Roth 83 sprint car blew a motor in their heat before trashing the ride entirely in the semi. … Gio Scelzi was sort of on the same path, but not quite as bad. He won the Friday night show in Hanford, before a run in with Chico concrete ended his night in 13th. … While Rico got the lion's share of the feature lap money, Cory Eliason ($970), Michael Ing ($650), and DJ Netto ($380) walked away with thicker wallets also. …
… Five-time Bradway winner Jonathan Allard was in the pits after returning from New Zealand. During an interview, he said he is looking for a ride. … Jason Statler, who got his bell rung in his accident informed this corner that his team is done for a while. They have experienced more than their fair share of bad luck this season and need to circle the wagons for a while. … The same applies to Scott Parker and Craig Parker and their 12P ride. They hurt their motor and need to regroup. (Motor Sponsored Wanted ad goes here!) … It was nice to see Justin Bradway, the nephew of the late Dave Bradway Jr., competing at Chico. He was 14th in the semi. … Let's be honest. If the Car Wash Mike Avilla Coors Light hats were on sale right now for $250 each, we would all buy one. … Rico's fast time at SDS was 11.665. The entire field was fast which may have led to some of the trouble. … Chasing Rico across the checkered was DJ Netto, Cory Eliason, Shane Golobic, Roger Crockett, Bud Kaeding, Michael Kofoid, and Jarrett Soares. That's it. … There are some great announcers working around California. Silver Dollar Speedway's Troy Hennig rates as one of them. … Clyde & Marion Lamar kicked in $100 in Tri-C cash to each Bradway heat race winner … There were three generations of the racing Bumgarner Family in the pits at Chico. Sprint car racing tends to get into your DNA. … Have you purchased at least two racing T-shirts yet this season? What are you waiting for? … For everything KWS-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series related, including race results, point standings, and rule books, go to NARC410.com
Coming to you live from Auburn, California. We will catch up with you at a track near you. See ya!
PLACERVILLE SPEEDWAY TO HOST KING OF THE WEST-NARC SPRINT CARS ON SATURDAY
(05/07/17) Placerville, CA … The 900-horsepower open wheel sprint cars of the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series will be making their only appearance of the year at Placerville Speedway this Saturday, May 13th.
The ultra-competitive 17-race series has already produced three different winners in three events, including Selma’s Cory Eliason, Bud Kaeding of Campbell, and Rico Abreu of St. Helena. Abreu captured the May 6th KWS-NARC event in Chico.
Kaeding is the current championship point leader; maintaining a slim 176-170 lead over Eliason. Hanford’s DJ Netto and Lemoore’s Carson Macedo are also within easy striking distance with 169 and 168 points, respectively. Despite a stellar career, Kaeding has never laid claim to the King of the West crown, but has been runner-up several times.
Two 15-year old drivers are also making a name for themselves on the KWS-NARC tour this year. Gio Scelzi of Fresno and Penngrove’s Michael Kofoid are currently in the top 10 in points and have been producing consistent top 10 finishes.
In the age of children being brought up as single-sport athletes, this pair represents a new breed of young guns who have been competing in open wheel cars since the age of five or six years old. Most typically start out in go-karts and quarter-midgets and move through the open wheel ranks to micro-sprints, Outlaw Karts, and eventually sprint cars. By the time they get the opportunity to pilot a 900-horsepower, 410 cubic inch powered sprint car, most drive like their older and more experienced peers – and these two do exactly that!
Placerville’s quarter-mile clay oval bull ring promises to deliver a competitive night of racing as teams set their sights on the $3000 winner’s paycheck. The track is known for extremely competitive racing and many local teams feel they have an advantage because horsepower is not as big a factor on a smaller track. It all comes down to driving skill and car set-up.
The racing format includes qualifying, four heat races, a Hoosier Tires Dash, a 12-lap semi-main and the 30-lap feature event.
Pit Gates open at 2:00 p.m. Front gates open at 3:00 p.m., followed by qualifying at 6:00 p.m. Pure Stocks and Mini-Trucks are also on the racing card.
For more information on the King of the West Series, presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club, go to www.NARC410.com
Placerville Speedway is located at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville. Take US-50 to Forni Road/Placerville Drive exit and go north on Placerville Drive to the fairgrounds. Additional information can be found at www.placervillespeedway.com or by calling 530-626-3680.
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www.placervillespeedway.com
Placerville Speedway - Since 1965, High-Banked 1/4 Mile Clay Oval
2017 KWS-NARC FUJITSU SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(AFTER THREE-EVENTS IN THE 17-RACE SERIES)
Bud Kaeding, Campbell (1) - 176
Cory Eliason, Selma (1) - 170
DJ Netto, Hanford - 169
Carson Macedo, Lemoore - 168
Giovanni Scelzi, Fresno - 166
Michael Kofoid, Penngrove - 162
Kyle Hirst, Paradise - 142
Jason Statler, Grass Valley - 138
Sean Becker, Roseville - 137
Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay - 135
Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove – 133
Willie Croft, Sacramento – 133
Sean Watts, Atwater – 122
Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 109
Scott Parker, Coaresgold - 109
Rico Abreu, St. Helena – 108
Nathan Rolfe, Atwater – 108
Shane Golobic, Fremont – 104
Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 100
Mason Moore, Chico - 97UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 20 – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA
June 3 – Antioch Speedway, Antioch, CA
June 10 – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA
June 17 – Petaluma Speedway, Petaluma, CA
The King of the West Fujitsu Racing Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club is co-sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, ARP Racing Bolts, BMRS, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.
HIGHPOWERED KING OF THE WEST-NARC SPRINT CAR FIELD EXPECTED AT BRADWAY JR. MEMORIAL
(4/30/17) Chico, CA … Silver Dollar Speedway will be hosting the traveling King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series, this Saturday, May 6th for the lucrative 27th annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race.
This marks the only stop by the state’s premier sprint car division to the action-packed quarter-mile oval this year. (The season opener on March 4th was rained out.)
The Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race, named in honor of the Northern Auto Racing Club driver who lost his life in a racing accident in 1987, is one of the longest running races in the country. The winner’s list reads like a “who’s-who” of some of the best open wheel drivers in California. That is driven by the fact it features one of the richest purses of the KWS-NARC season, including $4000 in extra lap money for the race leaders, plus special cash awards for fast time and the feature event hard charger,
Among those expected to compete in Chico is current KWS-NARC championship point leader Bud Kaeding of Campbell. Kaeding leads 15-year old driving sensation Giovanni Scelzi of Fresno by a narrow121-119 margin in the standings. Kaeding is coming off a huge $11,000 victory at Tulare on April 22nd.
“Due to the extra prize money, there is a lot of emphasis to let it all hang out during qualifying, because we want a good starting position in the main event,.” explained Kaeding, the 2015 Bradway race winner. “All of the teams share the same basic game plan, which ultimately makes for a great night of racing.”
“With the lap money paying the top three drivers, the incentive is there to get out front as quickly as humanly possible,” Kaeding continued. “While none of us will admit we race for the money, it’s there in the back of our head so we don’t hold anything back.”
Also expected to compete on Saturday is defending series champion and 2016 Bradway race winner Kyle Hirst of Paradise; Lemoore’s Carson Macedo; feature event winner Cory Eliason of Selma; Willie Croft of Sacramento; Penngrove’s Michael Kofoid; Mitchell Faccinto and DJ Netto of Hanford, and Roseville’s Sean Becker.
The racing format includes qualifying, four heat races, a Hoosier Tires Dash, a 12-lap semi-main and the 40-lap feature event.
Pit Gates open at 3:00 p.m. Front gates open at 5:00 p.m., followed by qualifying at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7:00 p.m. Also on the race card are Wingless Sprint Cars and Economy Sprints.
Silver Dollar Speedway is located at the fairgrounds in Chico, approximately ¼ mile west of U.S. 99. For more information, call 530-891-6535.
2017 KWS-NARC FUJITSU SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(After two events in 17-race Series)
Bud Kaeding, Campbell (1) 121
Giovanni Scelzi, Fresno 119
Carson Macedo, Lemoore 118
Kyle Hirst, Paradise 113
Cory Eliason, Selma (1) 112
DJ Netto, Hanford 110
Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford 109
Michael Kofoid, Penngrove 108
Willie Croft, Sacramento 98
Chase Johnson, Penngrove 96
Brent Kaeding, Campbell 93
Craig Stidham, Fresno 92
Sean Becker, Roseville 92
Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove 90
Jason Statler, Grass Valley 87
Sean Watts, Atwater 86
Scott Parker, Coarsegold 84
Jarrett Soares, Elk Grove 82
Taylor Malsum, Seattle, WA 79
Mathew Moles, Fresno 79UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 13 – Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA
May 20 – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA
June 3 – Antioch Speedway, Antioch, CA
The King of the West Fujitsu Racing Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club is co-sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, ARP Racing Bolts, BMRS, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.
4/22/17 - Tulare, CA … Bud Kaeding scored a lucrative $11,000 victory Saturday night at the Thunderbowl Raceway with a convincing green-to-checkered 30-lap run in the King of the West/NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series Peter Murphy Classic.
Driving Morrie William’s Alviso Rock/Kaeding Performance Center sponsored Maxim, Kaeding won a drag race down the front straightaway against quick qualifier Giovanni Scelzi and never looked over his shoulder the rest of the way. Kaeding dedicated his victory to longtime family friend and race supporter Bob Miller who passed away just two days earlier.
“We lost a member of our family,” said Kaeding on the victory podium. “Bob was a great friend of mine and was like a grandfather to me. He was great for the sport and they don’t make them like that anymore. We are going to miss him dearly.”
Tenth starter Bobby McMahan was involved in a wild crash down the front stretch on the first attempt to get the event underway. He was unhurt, but the same couldn’t be said for destroyed race car. The only other yellow flag was on lap five for Jason Statler who sustained major front end damage. The 25-laps chase to the checkered ran non-stop.
Sixth starter Carson Macedo pulled to within three-car lengths of the leader in traffic with two to go, but ran out of laps. Piloting the Tarlton Motorsports Tachi Palace backed machine, Macedo locked horns and passed Scelzi for third at the halfway point, and powered past Buddy Kofoid for second on lap 19. By that time Kaeding had built a four second lead advantage, plus a two lapped car interference.
Polesitter and Peter Murphy Pole Shuffler winner Scelzi passed Kofoid in the waning laps to earn a podium finish in the Roth Motorsports HR Livestock Transportation sprinter. Kofoid held on to cross the checkered in an impressive fourth. DJ Netto rounded out the top five in the Tri-C Machine sprint car.
The rest of the top ten included 11th starter and defending champ Kyle Hirst, Mitchell Faccinto, Mason Moore, 20th starter Dominic Scelzi, and Willie Croft. Earlier Hirst scored his first-ever USAC non-wing feature victory in their 25-lap headliner.
Shane Golobic took top honors in the 21-car Hoosier Tire B-Main event. He started 12th in the field driving a 360 powered sprint car. His team had blown their 410 engine in their heat race and changed motors.
Giovanni Scelzi’s fast time of 13.801 seconds around the 3/8 mile oval was the quickest in the 39 car field. Heat races were picked off by Moore, Croft, Hirst, and Rico Abreu.
KWS-NARC Tachi Palace/Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps); Bud Kaeding, Carson Macedo, Giovanni Scelzi, Buddy Kofoid, DJ Netto, Kyle Hirst, Mitchell Faccinto, Mason Moore, Dominic Scelzi, Willie Croft, Cory Elliason, Chase Johnson, Tanner Thorsen, Shane Golobic, Craig Stidham, Brent Kaeding, Jarrett Soares, Lucas Ashe, Jason Statler, Bobby McMahan
Lap Leaders: Bud Kaeding 1-30
Fast Qualifier (39 cars): Giovanni Scelzi 13.801
Heat 1 (10 laps): Mason Moore, Giovanni Scelzi, Buddy Kofoid, Cory Eliason, Craig Stidham, Shawn Conde, Cori Andrews, Nathan Rolfe, Jared Peterson
Heat 2 (10 laps): Willie Croft, DJ Netto, Bobby McMahan, Chase Johnson, Jason Statler, Dominic Scelzi, Dustin Golobic, Kalib Henry, Jeremy Chisum, Mathew Moles.
Heat 3 (10 laps): Kyle Hirst, Carson Macedo, Bud Kaeding, Sean Becker, Brent Kaeding, Taylor Malsam, Kaleb Montgomery, Scott Parker, Shane Golobic
Heat 4 (10 laps): Rico Abreu, Tanner Thorsen, Mitchell Faccinto, Jarrett Soares, Lucas Ashe, Sean Watts, Andy Gregg, Bill Butler, Brent Bjork
Peter Murphy Pole Shuffle (6 laps): Bobby McMahan defeated Mitchell Faccinto; Bobby McMahan defeated Kyle Hirst, DJ Netto defeated Bobby McMahan, DJ Netto defeated Tanner Thorsen, DJ Netto defeated Mason Moore; Carson Macedo defeated DJ Netto; Buddy Kofoid defeated Carson Macedo; Buddy Kofoid defeated Rico Abreu, Willie Croft defeated Buddy Kofoid; Bud Kaeding defeated Willie Croft, Giovanni Scelzi defeated Bud Kaeding.
Hoosier Tires B-Main (12 laps): Shane Golobic, Craig Stidham, Jason Statler, Dominic Scelzi, Brent Kaeding, Lucas Ashe, Taylor Malsum, Kalib Henry, Scott Parker, Jeremy Chisum, Dustin Golobic, Shawn Conde, Nathan Rolfe, Sean Watts, Cori Andrews, Brent Bjork, Andy Gregg, Jared Peterson, Mathew Moles, Billy Butler, Ryan Bernal
(4/16/17) Tulare, CA … The exciting 900-horsepower sprint cars of the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Racing Series will headline the two-day Peter Murphy Classic on Saturday night, April 22nd at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway.
The lucrative event is expected to pay the largest overall purse of the season and will field a stellar field of 410 sprint cars aiming to earn the winners share. The 2016 race paid $11,000 to winner and eventual series champion Kyle Hirst of Paradise, CA. Last place paid $1000 to start the 30-lap feature event (final numbers for the 2017 were not available as of press time.)
This is the fourth annual event hosted by Australian driver Peter Murphy, who became a steady fixture and fan favorite on the Northern Auto Racing Club sprint car tour in California during the 1990’s. However, his successful driving career ended prematurely in 2013 after being seriously injured in a violent crash at Antioch Speedway. During his long recovery from multiple injuries, including head trauma, the sprint car community circled its proverbial wagons around the popular driver to provide support.
“The racing community really helped me when I needed them the most during my long healing process,” explained Murphy, who solicits additional sponsorship for his race. “This race is my way of giving back to the fans and to the NARC Benevolent Fund.”
The Peter Murphy Classic also generates revenue for the aforementioned (non-profit) NARC Benevolent Fund. This fund provides support to open wheel racers and their families in times of need. It provides financial support to help offset medical bills and expenses.
“As much as I wanted to get back in the saddle (race car) again, my doctors said absolutely ‘no way.’ It was a serious health risk,” said Murphy, who now lives and owns a sign and graphic business in Fresno, CA. “Giving up racing was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life. This event has made it easier and allows me to stay involved with my fantastic open wheel family.”
Among those expected to compete at the one-third mile action-packed clay oval on Saturday is current KWS-NARC championship point leader Cory Eliason of Selma, CA. Eliason captured the KWS-NARC season opener at Kern County Raceway Park (Bakersfield, CA) on April 8th. He already has two A-Main victories to his credit this season, driving both a 360 and 410 c.i. powered sprint car.
Among the other drivers expected to compete on Saturday is defending KWS-NARC series champion Hirst, Lemoore’s Carson Macedo, Willie Croft of Sacramento, Bud & Brent Kaeding of Campbell, Atwater’s Sean Watts and Nathan Rolfe, and Hanford drivers Mitchell Faccinto and DJ Netto.
Pit gates open at 2:00 p.m. Front gates open at 4:00 p.m. Also on the racing card on Saturday night is USAC Non-Wing 360’s & Legends of Kearney Bowl Vintage Cars.
The Thunderbowl Raceway is located at E Bardsley Avenue & South K Street in Tulare.
KINGOFTHEWESTSPRINTCARSERIES-PRESENTEDBYTHENORTHERNAUTORACINGCLUB
ED NOTE: There will be a driver autograph session behind the grandstands from 4:00 – 4:45 p.m.
ED NOTE: Friday’s opening night of the Peter Murphy Classic will feature the Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Winged 360 sprint cars and the Legends of Kearney Bowl
ED NOTE: Race fans can contribute to the NARC Benevolent Fund.
Make checks payable to: “NARC Benevolent Fund” and mail c//o Kaeding Performance Center 813 Cristich Lane, Campbell, CA 95008. For more information on the fund, call 408-371-3031.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 6 – Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA – Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race
May 13 – Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA
2017 KWS-NARC FUJITSU SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(After one event in 17-race Series)
Cory Eliason, Selma (1) 62
Carson Macedo, Lemoore 59
Kyle Hirst, Paradise 58
Giovanni Scelzi, Fresno 57’
Bud Kaeding, Campbell 56
Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford 55
Sean Watts, Atwater 55
DJ Netto, Hanford 54
Sean Becker, Roseville 53
Michael Kofoid, Penngrove 51
Matthew Moles, Fresno 50
Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove 49
Brent Kaeding, Campbell 48
Scott Parker, Coarsegold 48
Chase Johnson, Penngrove 47
Craig Stidham, Fresno 46
Willie Croft, Sacramento 46
Jason Statler, Grass Valley 45
Nathan Rolfe, Atwater 42
Taylor Malsum, Seattle, WA 41The King of the West Fujitsu Racing Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club is co-sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, ARP Racing Bolts, BMRS, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.
ELIASON CAPTURES KWS-NARC SPRINT CAR SEASON OPENER AT KCRP
4/9/17 - Bakersfield, CA … Cory Eliason held off a furious late race charge by Carson Macedo to capture Saturday's exciting King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series season opener at Kern County Raceway Park.
Eliason, who started seventh in the 22-car grid aboard the Antaya Motorsports Good Guys Rod & Custom Association-sponsored Maxim, battled his way through the field to take the runner-up spot on lap 25. Up to that point, a variety of challengers attempted to reel in pole sitter Willie Croft who dominated and consistently pulled away from the field after a couple of yellow flags.
However, Croft's machine began to sputter a couple of laps later and Eliason began to reel him in. The field came to a complete stop with only two to go when fast qualifier Chase Johnson flipped in turn three. He was unhurt.
Croft car was out of fuel and unable to push off for the restart, allowing Eliason to inherit the point, followed by challengers Macedo, defending champ Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding and Giovanni Scelzi.
The green-white-checkered finish was organized open wheel mayhem as Macedo in the Tarlton Motorsports played wheel-to-wheel cat and mouse. Macedo actually took the lead in turn two with a massive slide job, but Eliason powered back by to take the lead and the victory.
"It got pretty wild at the end," said Eliason. "Carson (Macedo) and I put on a show for the fans. I hope you enjoyed it."
"Willie (Croft) ran out of fuel," continued Eliason. "If it weren't for that, I'm pretty sure he would have won the race." Croft ended his night in 17th.
Defending series champion Kyle Hirst survived a back-and-forth battle with Bud Kaeding and Roth Motorsports teammate Giovanni Scelzi. Scelzi claimed fourth. Kaeding held on to fifth in the Morrie Williams owned sprinter.
Thirteenth starter and semi-winner Mitchell Faccinto, DJ Netto, Sean Becker, Sean Watts and 15-year old Michael Kofoid rounded out the top 10.
Chase Johnson set the standard in qualifying around the one-third mile oval with a 12.909 second run. Twenty-four cars timed in.
Heat races were picked off by DJ Netto, Macedo and Eliason.
KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps); Cory Eliason, Carson Macedo, Kyle Hirst, Giovanni Scelzi, Bud Kaeding, Mitchell Faccinto, DJ Netto, Sean Becker, Sean Watts, Michael Kolfoid, Matthew Moles, Bobby McMahan, Brent Kaeding, Scott Parker, Craig Stidham, Jason Statler, Willie Croft, Chase Johnson, Nathan Rolfe, Taylor Malsum, Jeremy Chisum, Zane Blanchard
Lap Leaders: Willie Croft 1-28, Eliason 29-30
Fast Qualifier (24 cars): Chase Johnson 12.894 seconds
Heat 1 (10 laps): DJ Netto, Giovanni Scelzi, Chase Johnson, Scott Parker, Jason Statler, Brent Kaeding, Mitchell Faccinto, Craig Stidham
Heat 2 (10 laps): Carson Macedo, Bud Kaeding, Bobby McMahan, Sean Watts, Sean Becker, Zane Blanchard, Jarrett Soares, Brent Bjork
Heat 3 (10 laps): Cory Eliason, Willie Croft, Kyle Hirst, Taylor Malsum, Michael Kofoid, Nathan Rolfe, Jeremy Chisum, Matthew Moles
Hoosier Dash (6 laps): Willie Croft, Chase Johnson, Kyle Hirst, Carson Macedo, Bud Kaeding, Giovanni Scelzi, Cory Eliason, DJ Netto, Bobby McMahan
B-Main (12 laps): Mitchell Faccinto, Zane Blanchard, Craig Stidham, Brent Kaeding, Jeremy Chisum, Nathan Rolfe, Matthew Moles, Jarrett Soares, Brent Bjork
KING OF THE WEST-NARC FUJITSU SPRINT CARS SET TO INVADE KERN COUNTY RACEWAY PARK
(4/2/17) Bakersfield, CA … The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park will host the season opener for the exciting 900-horsepower King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series this Saturday, April 8th. This marks the only visit by the traveling series to the one-third mile oval this season.
Leading the field of entries will be defending three-time King of the West champion Kyle Hirst of Paradise, CA. Hirst will have a lot in common with the other 25 teams expected to compete in that he has never raced at the newly configured one-year old track.
“It’s always a challenge to compete at a new racing facility,” said Hirst, “because we don’t know what to expect and everyone is on a level playing field. It’s going to come down to what team can dial in the proper chassis set up after just a few practice laps. A little luck comes in handy also.”
The short 17-race KWS-NARC schedule leaves little margin for error for those with championship aspirations. Also, the organizations new points schedule pays a premium for winning races as teams chase the winner’s share of the $20,000 purse and a year-end $62,000 championship point fund.
Hirst and Campbell’s Bud Kaeding dominated victory lane in 2016, with six and five feature event victories, respectively. Six other drivers captured the other nine wins. Both Hirst and Kaeding plan to pick up where they left off in 2016.
“The best way to pursue a championship is to start strong and win the first race of the season,” continued Hirst, who drives for Fresno-based Roth Motorsports. “Winning for the first time at a new track would make it extra special.”
Among the other drivers expected to compete on Saturday include Mitchell Faccinto and DJ Netto of Hanford; Justyn Cox of Clarksburg; Sean Watts of Atwater; Penngrove’s Chase Johnson; Cory Eliason of Selma; Grass Valley’s Jason Statler and many more.
Pit gates open at 2:00 p.m. Front gates open at 5:00 p.m. Also on the racing card are American Stocks and HPB Midgets.
Kern County Raceway Park is located at 13500 Raceway Blvd in Bakersfield (Interstate 5 & Enos Lane.)
KINGOFTHEWESTFUJITSUSPRINTCARSERIES-PRESENTEDBYTHENORTHERNAUTORACINGCLUB
Driver Bud Kaeding will be signing autographs near the front gate between 5:00-5:30 p.m.
ED NOTE: The scheduled March 4th KWS-NARC season opener was rained out.
FINAL 2016 KWS-NARC POINT STANDINGS
Kyle Hirst, Paradise (6) 3183 Bud Kaeding, Campbell (5) 3164 Justyn Cox, Clarksburg 2962 DJ Netto, Hanford 2922 Sean Watts, Atwater 2729 Jason Statler, Grass Valley 2720 Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay 2681 Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford 2326 Chase Johnson, Penngrove 1942 Shane Golobic, Fremont (3) 1900 Cory Eliason, Selma (2) 1725 Bobby McMahan, Elk Grove 1674 Colby Copeland, Roseville 1643 Justin Sanders, Aromas (1) 1513 Jonathan Allard, Chico 1228
Number of 2016 Victories in Parenthesis
UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 22nd – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
May 6th – Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA
May 13th – Placerville Speedway – Placerville, CA
The King of the West Fujitsu Racing Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Contingency award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, ARP Racing Bolts, BMRS, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.
FUJITSU IS NAMES TITLE SPONSOR OF KING OF THE WEST-NARC SPRINT CAR SERIES
Contact: Jim Allen
3/30/17 - Sacramento, CA …The King of the West Sprint Car Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club proudly announced today that Fujitsu General America has joined the traveling 410 sprint car series as title sponsor. Fujitsu is a worldwide leader in high-efficiency mini-split heating and air conditioning products for both residential and commercial applications.
"Fujitsu is very excited about this partnership and the marketing opportunities presented with the King of the West NARC series." said Thomas Carney, National Director of Sales. "We look forward to a fantastic year of championship-caliber sprint car racing.”
The series has been re-branded the King of the West Fujitsu Racing Series – presented by NARC (Northern Auto Racing Club.)
Fujitsu General has produced and shipped millions of air conditioning systems throughout the world for more than four decades. Their line of Halcyon™ products have been designed to provide zoned comfort and are engineered to install quickly and easily.
“This is an absolute game changer for our racing series,” stated KWS-NARC Business Manager Jim Allen. “Our organization is honored to receive the support of a first class company like Fujitsu. We are looking forward to a long mutually-rewarding relationship.”
Fujitsu plans to provide interactive displays at most events to showcase their products.
As a result of Fujitsu's generous support, the King of the West/NARC championship point fund has now been boosted to over $62,000. It will be paid out to the top 15 teams in the final standings. The championship team earns $10,000.
About Fujitsu General Limited
With global headquarters in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan, and U.S. headquarters in Fairfield, New Jersey, Fujitsu General Limited manufacturers and sells products and components for both the air conditioning and telecommunications fields. Founded in January 1936, today the company is led by Chairman Junichi Murashima, and President Etsuro Saito. www.fujitsugeneral.com FUJITSU GENERAL United States & Canada www.fujitsugeneral.com FUJITSU GENERAL United States & Canada website. Cooling and Heating Solutions for Residential or Commercial. Air Conditioning Systems, Products, Services, Support and ...
KWS-NARC Sponsors
In addition to Fujitsu, the KWS-NARC series also enjoys tremendous financial and product support from Hoosier Racing Tires, ATL Racing Cells, ARP Racing Bolts, BMRS, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.
NARC NEWSLINE
News, Notes & Quotes from the KWS-Northern Auto Racing Club Sprint Cars
(2/25/17) … By Jim Allen – info@NARC410.com
Let’s address the elephant in the room and ask the big question … will the 2017 King of the West Northern Auto Racing Club sprint car schedule finally get underway? The much hyped March 4th series opener featured more anticipation than a five-year old has on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, when all was said and done, Mother Nature had the final word at the our Chico Mini-Gold Cup opener. To make things worse, the weather in Chico was sunny until about 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, which meant that all of our teams endured the travel expenses of rolling North before making a U-turn around 3:30 p.m.
Now off the record, the rainout was probably a good thing for the KWS-Northern Auto Racing Club rebrand from a marketing standpoint. Pretty much everything has been a mad scramble since our February 12th Competition Meeting in Fresno - but in a good way. To put that in perspective, the new NARC410.com website went live shortly before Kyle Hirst took the checkered on Friday’s Mini-Gold Cup regular season opener. We thank AestheticMedia.com for burning the midnight oil and getting this first-class site up and running in less than two weeks. By the way, if you haven’t checked out NARC410.com … what are you waiting for? We built it for you - and we are literally updating it daily.
Our official concessionaire, Jim Gardner of Bullet Impressions, also breathed a huge sigh of relief with the rain out. It allowed him to press forward with several new KWS-NARC apparel designs. For all of those of you who have already inquired about getting your hands on a new T-shirt design, Jim promises that it will be worth the wait. You’ll have to make the trip to Kern County Raceway Park on April 8th to get yours.
DAVE BRADWAY JR. MEMORIAL RACE: Dianne Durica is again spearheading the sponsorship efforts for the May 6th Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial race. Through her efforts, this is the richest one-day event on the King of the West/NARC schedule. The 40-lap A-Main features $4,000 in total lap money that pays the top three on any given lap. Plus there are huge payoffs for B-Main, Hard charger, Fast Time, and Trophy Dash winner. The race is less than 50 days away so give Dianne a call at 916-988-5958 or email at durica1414@sbcglobal.net
NARC BENEVOLENT FUND: We are getting several emails from fans that want to contribute to the NARC Benevolent Fund. If you would like to donate to the fund we hope we never have to use, make your donation to the NARC Benevolent Fund and mail it to: C/O Kaeding Performance Center. 813 Cristich Lane, Campbell, CA. You will receive your tax deductable letter in the mail shortly thereafter.
SERIES SPONSOR: Expect some news regarding a new series sponsor for the King of the West/NARC series. That’s all I can tell you right now – or I’d have to kill you.
HOW MANY WINNERS: Last year’s KWS feature events winners were Kyle Hirst (6), Bud Kaeding (5), Shane Golobic (3), Cory Eliason (2), and Justin Sanders, Rico Abreu, Willie Croft, and Tim Kaeding with one each. That makes eight. I can easily see that number reaching 10 or 12 even in a shortened 17 race season. Plan on throwing in Chase Johnson, Justyn Cox, DJ Netto, Colby Copeland and a few others into the victory lane mix. This group is scary fast.
NARC NOTES: Special thanks to Adam Ulrey, who has become the resident historian of sprint car racing on the West Coast. His website www.nwsprinthistory.com has been extremely helpful while rebuilding the NARC history books. … Dennis Gage and ace PR man Troy Hennig did an excellent job with their Silver Dollar Speedway season kick-off luncheon on the Thursday before the Mini-Gold Cup. Mike Andreetta represented the new KWS-NARC series. … Special kudos go out to Andy Forsberg who had his car on display for the local press at the luncheon. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 360 or a 410, it’s good for sprint car racing as a whole. … Grass Valley’s Jason Statler listed on his driver profile that the car he always wanted to drive was a midget. The only way that is going to happen is if we remove the motor so he has someplace to put his legs. If you can believe this, Jason started his career in Micro-Midgets in 1986. …
Car owner Shawn Thomas has also put his name in the hat for a position on the NARC Advisory Board. He joins Kyle Hirst, Hanford promoter Bubby Morse, and Bud Kaeding, on the short list. Several others have said they are considering the position. … The 2017 KWS-NARC contingency award package is worth in excess of $30,000 to competitors this season – plus a ton of free product that will be given away at the year-end championship banquet. … Keep up with us on Instagram at NARC410 and Twitter at NARC410 … We've got two Facebook pages. The first one is our NARC history page at NARC SPRINT CARS. The other is more for current events at King of the West by NARC. … Here's a question for you. Would you rather race for a larger weekly purse, or a larger year-end point fund? I know the answer is BOTH, but if you had to choose one, which one would it be?
Coming to you live from Anaheim Hills, CA … looking f
(3/4/17 - Jim Allen) … The King of the West Sprint Car Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club proudly unveiled a brand new website for the traveling organization. The site NARC410.com features schedules, results, driver profiles, sponsors and an overview of 66 years of 410 c.i. racing history.
The site was built by Southern California-based Aesthetic Media (aestheticmedia.com) and debuted just hours before the March 4th Mini-Gold Cup season opener was rained out. The site will continue to be expanded with NARC history as the season progresses.
The club sports two “official” Facebook pages. The NARC Sprint Cars page features posts reliving decades of racing history and the King of the West Sprints site is focused on current events.
KWS-NARC news, information, and highlights can also be found on Twitter at @NARC410 and Instagram at NARC410.
For more information, contact the series at info@NARC410.com
KING OF THE WEST/NARC SPRINT CARS KICK OFF 2017 SEASON AT MARCH 4th MINI GOLD CUP
(2/26/17) … The King of the West Sprint Car Series – Presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club, will invade Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico on Saturday, March 4th for the season opening high-stakes $5,000 to win Mini-Gold Cup.
This is the first of only two visits by the KWS-NARC series to the high-banked quarter-mile oval in 2017. This event also marks the return of the Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC) sanctioning body to the Mini-Gold Cup for the first time since 2000. The organization was resurrected this past offseason to help grow and promote the popular 410 cubic inch motor class of sprint car racing in California. The Mini-Gold had been sanctioned by the World of Outlaws for the past eight years.
Among the drivers expected to compete include defending King of the West champion Kyle Hirst of Paradise, CA; Campbell’s Bud Kaeding; Justyn Cox of Clarksburg; Hanford’s DJ Netto; Sean Watts of Atwater; Penngrove’s Chase Johnson; Grass Valley’s Jason Statler and at least 20 others.
“We hope that Mother Nature cooperates with the racing community this weekend,” said Jim Allen, KWS-NARC Business Manager. “This area has been pounded for weeks by wet weather and I’m sure open wheel fans would rather watch and hear the sounds of sprint cars than another broadcast on the Weather Channel.”
The extra moisture should equate to an excellent racing surface, which allows teams to “hook up” their chassis to maximize the performance of their 850 horsepower-1400 pound sprint cars.
“One thing I can guarantee on Saturday is that everyone will be extremely fast,” said perennial NARC & King of the West champion Brent Kaeding of Campbell, who will also be competing. “Everyone is looking to start the season strong and if you miss the set up even a slightly, you’ll become lap traffic in just a handful of laps."
The Mini-Gold Cup marks the beginning of the ultra-competitive KWS-NARC schedule that features 18-events at 10 different dirt oval tracks around California.
Silver Dollar Speedway is located at the fairgrounds in Chico, approximately ¼ mile west of U.S. 99. For more information, call 530-891-6535.
KINGOFTHEWESTSPRINTCARSERIES-PRESENTEDBYTHENORTHERNAUTORACINGCLUB
FINAL 2016 KWS-NARC POINT STANDINGS
Kyle Hirst, Paradise (6) 3183 Bud Kaeding, Campbell (5) 3164 Justyn Cox, Clarksburg 2962 DJ Netto, Hanford 2922 Sean Watts, Atwater 2729 Jason Statler, Grass Valley 2720 Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay 2681 Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford 2326 Chase Johnson, Penngrove 1942 Shane Golobic, Fremont (3) 1900
Number of 2016 Victories in Parenthesis
The King of West/NARC Sprint Car Series is sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Butler Built, FK Rod Ends, Flowmaster, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, Racing Optics Tear-Offs, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, System 1, Ultra Light Brakes, Weld Racing Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 8th – Kern County Raceway Park – Bakersfield, CA
April 22nd – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
May 6 – Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA
ROTH MOTORSPORTS TO CHASE 2017 KWS-NARC TITLE WITH KYLE HIRST
(2/20/17 - Fresno, CA) … Fresno-based Roth Motorsports announced that Paradise, CA driver Kyle Hirst will be driving their potent 410 sprint car during the 2017 King of the West-NARC season. Hirst is one of the hottest drivers in California, having captured three of the past four series championships, including last season’s hotly contested battle which was determined at the final event of the season.
“We are extremely excited to partner up with Kyle Hirst to chase the KWS-NARC championship title this season,” said Dennis Roth. “He’s a very talented young driver with a lot of open wheel experience and we plan to field a first-class car for him to drive every week.”
The Dennis and Teresa Roth owned team is title sponsored by HR Livestock Transportation. Open wheel veteran Troy Welty is the crew chief.
Roth Motorsports has a long legacy of winning sprint car races around the country featuring some of the best drivers in the business. This Hall of Fame list includes the likes of Sammy Swindell, Mark Kinser, Brent Kaeding, Danny Lasoski, Randy Hannagan, Tim Kaeding, and Kasey Kahne. They have literally won’s hundreds of races including the famed Knoxville Nationals and national titles such as the 2006 National Sprint Car Tour.
“The Roth team always has a positive attitude and a take no prisoners’ mentality no matter what the circumstances,” said Hirst of Sacramento. “Their expectations have always been very high, but they back it up with top notch equipment and a hardworking crew that seldom misses the mark as far as chassis set-ups are concerned. It’s hard to drive for a better car owner and the rest is up to me to deliver a King of the West championship to Fresno.”
The 18-race King of the West Series – presented by the Northern Auto Racing Club gets underway on March 4th at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. The event pays $5,000 to win.
News from the KWS-Northern Auto Racing Club Sprint Cars
(2/16/17) … By Jim Allen – info@NARC410.com
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Since the Northern Auto Racing Club is making a comeback with the King of the West Sprint Car Series in California, I figured it was time to bring back another regular feature from the 1990’s - my NARC NEWSLINE column. Yes, in the old days, there were these things called racing newspaper’s like Racing Wheels, National Speed Sport News, Western Racing News, and SPRINTCAR to name a few. Now they are just remnants of the days before smart phones, when diehard open wheel fans were perfectly content waiting four or five days to get last weekend’s news.
But say no more because the NARC NEWSLINE is not a column anymore, it’s a blog and it’s loaded with almost everything you need to know about the 410 sprint car racing in California. So with that intro, here we go:
As expected, there has been the typical naysayers’ complaining about bringing back the NARC name. I think these same people are still at home wondering why their last issue of Racing Wheels never showed up. Most of the negativity comes from an overall lack of communication, because they just don’t realize that this move was thoroughly researched, investigated and planned out before it was even considered. It’s a plan that should improve the headline sprint car class in the Golden State over the next several years, with its members taking a leading role in club management. The model is … the Northern Auto Racing Club; a sanctioning body that can promote from within, can provide premium racing entertainment to many generations of fans, and grow the sport. It’s not a cover up, or putting lipstick on a pig, it’s a new start for open wheel racing. We all knew it was time for a change – and most people hate change of any kind. So with that in mind, let’s communicate in a positive fashion!
COMPETITION MEETING: The Roth Motorsports compound in Fresno was packed with almost 90 car owners, drivers, promoters and 410 sprint car enthusiasts on February 12th. Was it the killer Tri-tip or the promise of a new direction for 410 sprint car racing in California that lured them in? The answer is pretty simple … it was BOTH! They sat through a Jim Allen KWS-Northern Auto Racing Club business plan presentation that not only addressed the strengths of the organization, but spent more time on the areas that must be addressed to ensure success in the future. The feedback was outstanding and now its full speed ahead into what can best be described as an infrastructure building year. This includes installing an Advisory Board in the weeks to come that will help shape the direction of the organization. Among those who have already stated their interest in a board position is three time King of the West champ Kyle Hirst, and Keller Auto Speedway (Hanford) promoter Bubby Morse.
FORMAT: A new fan-friendlier format was rolled out to the masses and it will be in play at the season opening Mini-Gold Cup. With 27 cars or less, the top three finishers’ in each heat race will qualify for the dash and the top five will earn a spot in the feature. The third heat race winner will pull a pill to determine the inversion in the dash. With four heats, the top three make the dash and the front four qualify for the feature. Yup, a 12-car dash … should be interesting. The finishing position in the dash determines the starting grid for the feature event.
RESTARTS: Remember the days of clean nose-to-tail single file restarts between turns three and four? The one’s where the leader set the pace and the cars powered out of turn four? The restarts that were high on excitement, low on controversy, and didn’t wad up a bunch of equipment in turn one? Well, they’re coming back this season. This was a hot topic at the meeting and it generated a lot of conversation among car owners. After much discussion on different starting scenarios, it ended with a unanimous decision.
POINT STANDINGS: The winner of a KWS-NARC feature event now earns 42 points, three more than second place, which places a premium on winning. However, from that point on it drops only one point per position. The only other way to earn points is to show up (20 points) and to be one of the four quickest qualifiers. The quick qualifier pockets four points, second fast – three points, etc.
Speaking of the point standings, that leads us to the 2017 KWS-NARC point fund, which currently sits at stout $40,000. The championship team pockets ten grand. Additional sponsors are being solicited and the fund and sidebar promotions are expected to grow.
TIRE RULE: The KWS-NARC series has once again teamed up with Hoosier Racing Tires again for the 2017 season. Special thanks to Hoosier Tires for donating a right rear for a raffle at the competition meeting. Owner/Driver Bobby McMahan was last seen walking out of the building with it slung over his shoulder. The season hasn’t even started yet and he has already won.
Well, that’s all for now. We hope that the Oroville Dam stays sturdy, and that Mother Nature goes on Spring Break, so we can see all of you at Silver Dollar Speedway on March 4th – without a life preserver. By the way, that would be the $5,000 to win Mini Gold Cup.
Coming to you live from Granite Bay, CA. … See ya!
E-mail info@NARC410.com
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