By Gary Thomas
Hanford, CA – October 23, 2020…Peter Murphy’s Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford is excited to cap a huge month of October in the Golden State by hosting the inaugural “Tom Tarlton Classic” showcasing Winged 410 Sprint Cars and the USAC Western States Midgets this coming Friday.
The Halloween weekend extravaganza is expected to bring out a stellar field of Winged 410 Sprint Cars offering $21,000-to-win/ $500-to-start the main event. The Midgets will also hand out a solid purse, with the winner taking home $2,100 and the feature a guaranteed $200-to-start. All the action on Friday October 30th can be seen live via www.floracing.com
One of the many favorites will certainly be Lemoore’s Carson Macedo, who returns home to pilot the Tarlton & Son Inc. No. 21 with both the Winged 410 Sprint Cars and Midgets on Friday. Macedo is currently fifth in the World of Outlaws standings with one victory on the season. The 24-year-old racer earned USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year honors in 2016, one season after scooping up the KWS-NARC championship in California.
Elk Grove fan favorite Kyle Larson will look to continue his amazing 2020 campaign at the Tom Tarlton Classic, having captured 42 victories as of press. The 28-year-old picked up the Cotton Classic in 2010 at Keller Auto Speedway and claimed an ASCS National Tour triumph in Hanford one year later. Larson has been victorious in all forms of dirt racing this season and would like to add another marquee win in his home state.
Recently crowned three-time All Star Circuit of Champions titlist Aaron Reutzel is scheduled to re-unite with car owners Dennis and Teresa Roth at the event on Friday. The Clute, Texas native scored 11 wins en route to another All Star championship this season. Reutzel piloted the Roth Motorsports No. 83 to victory at the 2015 “Peter Murphy Classic” in Tulare and will be another hard-hitting competitor gunning for the 21 grand.
Former World of Outlaws champion and two-time Gold Cup winner Daryn Pittman has shown speed as of late on the national tour and will be another special entrant at the Tarlton Classic. The Owasso, Oklahoma veteran has claimed 86 career Outlaw wins, which places him ninth on the all-time win list.
The best of the best in California will also be searching to bring home the $21,000 grand prize including four-time KWS-NARC champion Kyle Hirst, who scored a pair of victories during the recent “Morrie Williams Tribute” at Keller Auto Speedway. The Paradise, California resident also drove the Williams Motorsports ZERO machine to a win at the “Howard Kaeding Classic” in Watsonville over the Summer.
Two-time “Chili Bowl” champ Rico Abreu of Rutherford is a multi-time victor of the Cotton Classic in his career and should be a strong contender, along with All Star Circuit of Champions main event winner this season Dominic Scelzi of Fresno. The owner and proprietor of “Dom’s Tacos” charged from 11th starting to win the second Twin-20 at the event honoring Morrie Williams on October 10th.
The Kaeding brothers, Tim and Bud, have both experienced success at the Keller Auto Speedway in their respective careers. “TK” brought home the overall points title at the Morrie Williams Tribute and has raced to a trio of victories at the Cotton Classic, along with earning the 2002 “Trophy Cup” crown in Hanford. Earlier this month Bud brought home the famed cotton bale trophy by winning the Winged 360 portion of the event aboard his father’s famed No. 69 Sprinter.
Recent “Johnny Key Classic” winner Mitchell Faccinto routinely gets around the Hanford oval with the best of them and will be another top contender, along with two-time Trophy Cup champion Shane Golobic from Fremont, reigning KWS-NARC titlist DJ Netto of Hanford, Aromas’ Justin Sanders, Lincoln’s Tanner and Blake Carrick, Hanford’s Michael Faccinto, Tracy’s Kyle Offill, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Sean Becker and Willie Croft, Clarksburg’s Justyn Cox, Fresno’s Craig Stidham and many more.
The USAC Western States Midget field is expected to be a solid one as well, with it being one of the final tune-ups prior to the USAC National Midgets invading California during the month of November.
The Keller Auto Speedway is a 3/8-mile clay oval and is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds in Hanford, California. The physical address is 801 S. 10th Ave. Hanford, Ca 93230. More info can be found at www.kellerautospeedway.com