From James Allen
(12/5/2022) Sacramento, CA… The NARC 410 Sprint Cars are set for another busy campaign in 2023 with the unveiling of a 24-race schedule for the West Coast’s best drivers and teams as the series enters its 63rd season of racing.
For the second straight year NARC will visit all three states that comprise the West Coast at tracks as far south as Bakersfield and all the way up north nearly to the Canadian border. Overall, 13 different facilities are on the calendar.
Teams will compete for more than $800,000 in prize money throughout the entirety of the schedule, plus another $50,000 in product and cash awards up for grabs. Shares of a lucrative championship points fund will also be on the line.
March-ing Into Chico
The season opener will see the revitalization of a historic, fan-favorite race.
On March 18th the series kicks off the 2023 campaign with the return of Mini Gold Cup at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway.
Originally starting in 1987, the Mini Gold Cup has been a spring staple in California but took a brief hiatus after the 2019 edition. Throughout its history, the event has alternated between NARC and World of Outlaws sanctioning. With the 2023 edition being a NARC event, it again gives locals a shot at Mini Gold Cup glory and placing their name alongside some legends of sprint car racing.
The Classics
The state of California has established a handful of “Classic” races that have become fan-favorites, and per usual some of those coveted events have found a home on the NARC schedule.
The first of five Classics on the calendar is on the second weekend of April and will be the third edition of the Anthony Simone Classic at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford on April 8th. The night honors the versatile driver known as “Mr. Excitement” and offers a $10,000 payday to the winner.
The very next weekend will be another lucrative event as Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway will host the second Dennis Roth Classic. As a nod to Roth’s iconic car, the feature winner will again be awarded $8,300. The Roth Classic has grown by a day for 2023 and will showcase two nights of racing on April 14th and 15th with the winner of the latter taking home the big check.
The wildly popular Peter Murphy Classic is set for May 12th and 13th and will take place at the site of the two aforementioned Classics. Night one will be at Thunderbowl Raceway with Keller Auto Speedway taking center stage for the $11,000 to win finale. Like last year, NARC will be joined by the Sprint Car Challenge Tour both nights.
Another one of the most anticipated races of the campaign can be found in July as the Howard Kaeding Classic continues as a summertime staple. Unlike recent years, the event will now feature two nights of the NARC 410 Sprint Cars at Ocean Speedway as opposed to 410s only partaking on the final night. “The HK” is slated for July 14th and 15th.
On August 26th the series heads to Stockton Dirt Track for the Champions Classic. After a cancellation this year due to the tire shortage, teams will be eager for its return and to fight for a $6,000 payday by visiting victory lane.
A Busy Road To Dirt Cup
For the second straight year NARC will hit the Road to Dirt Cup, but this year’s edition will include a few more stops and double as the Fastest Four Days in Motorsports.
In lieu of making a pair of trips to the Pacific Northwest like in 2022, the series will make one extended journey to make logistics easier on the teams.
The four straight nights of action begins on Thursday, June 15th at Central Point, Oregon’s Southern Oregon Speedway. The next night it’s up to Douglas County Dirt Track in Roseburg, Oregon, a track that was converted from pavement to dirt over the off-season under the new promotional leadership of Roseburg Racing Promotions. Night three is a visit to Lebanon, Oregon’s Willamette Speedway, where Justin Sanders set a new track record when NARC invaded last year. And the Road to Dirt Cup meets an end at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Washington on June 18th.
Overall, the trip promises to provide four fantastic nights of racing at four different facilities and will feature a special bonus to any driver that can sweep all four events.
Dirt Cup
After a wildly successful 2022 Jim Raper Memorial Super Dirt Cup, NARC will again support the West Coast crown jewel as it enters its second year of a return to 410 sprint cars at Burlington, Washington’s Skagit Speedway.
The Dirt Cup will again feature a trio of nights (June 22nd – 24th) with the final night’s winner taking home a whopping $50,000.
Last year the race attracted more than 40 competitors as promoters Peter Murphy and Kevin Rudeen restored a ton of prestige to one of the most historic events on the left-coast.
*On Tuesday, June 20th there will be a Dirt Cup Tune-Up race at Skagit, but it will not be a NARC event.
Making History
A pair of historic races with winners lists that read like a California Hall of Fame will again be a part of the NARC campaign with many drivers hungry to add their names in one of those coveted slots.
The 32nd Annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race will occur on June 3rd at the scenic Placerville Speedway, marking the third straight year the El Dorado County track has hosted one of the most prestigious races in California. With lap money and other awards, this show features one of the largest one-day purses of the year.
The season finale will see a historical race enter another decade of existence as Stockton Dirt Track hosts the 40th Tribute to Gary Patterson on November 4th.
And More
A few other racetracks and events help complete the 2023 schedule.
Petaluma Speedway has a pair of dates with the Salute to First Responders set for May 20th and the Salute to Baylands Raceway Park scheduled for July 8th.
The second race of the season will be the fourth annual Asparagus Cup on April 1st at Stockton Dirt Track with the SCCT joining the card.
Silver Dollar Speedway’s second and final NARC race of 2023 will be on April 29th as the series will again partake in the David Tarter Memorial.
The fourth edition of the Morrie Williams Memorial will be run on September 30th at Keller Auto Speedway. The unique event will again showcase a twin-20 lap features to conclude the evening.
NARC will make its lone trip to The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park on October 28th for the Halloween Spectacular.
NARC 410 Sprint Cars 2023 Complete Schedule
March 18: Silver Dollar Speedway (Chico, CA) – Mini Gold Cup
April 1: The Stockton Dirt Track (Stockton, CA) – Fourth Annual Asparagus Cup w/SCCT
April 8: Keller Auto Speedway (Hanford, CA) – Anthony Simone Classic ($10,000 to win)
April 14: Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare, CA) – Dennis Roth Classic
April 15: Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare, CA) – Dennis Roth Classic ($8,300 to win)
April 29: Silver Dollar Speedway (Chico, CA) – David Tarter Memorial
May 6: RAIN DATE
May 12: Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare, CA) – Peter Murphy Classic w/SCCT
May 13: Keller Auto Speedway (Hanford, CA) – Peter Murphy Classic ($11,000 to win) w/SCCT
May 20: Petaluma Speedway (Petaluma, CA) – Salute to First Responders
June 3: Placerville Speedway (Placerville, CA) – 32nd Annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial
June 15: Southern Oregon Speedway (Central Point, OR) – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports/Road to Dirt Cup
June 16: Douglas County Dirt Track (Roseburg, OR) – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports/Road to Dirt Cup
June 17: Willamette Speedway (Lebanon, OR) – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports/Road to Dirt Cup
June 18: Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA) – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports/Road to Dirt Cup
June 22: Skagit Speedway (Burlington, WA) – Super Dirt Cup
June 23: Skagit Speedway (Burlington, WA) – Super Dirt Cup
June 24: Skagit Speedway (Burlington, WA) – Super Dirt Cup ($50,000 to win)
July 8: Petaluma Speedway (Petaluma, CA) – Salute to Baylands Raceway Park
July 14: Ocean Speedway (Watsonville, CA) – Night One of the 13th Annual Howard Kaeding Classic
July 15: Ocean Speedway (Watsonville, CA) – Night Two of the 13th Annual Howard Kaeding Classic
July 29: OPEN
August 26: The Stockton Dirt Track (Stockton, CA) – Champions Classic ($6,000 to win)
September 30: Keller Auto Speedway (Hanford, CA) – Morrie Williams Memorial Twin-20s w/SCCT
October 28: The Dirt Track at KCRP (Bakersfield, CA) – Halloween Spectacular
November 4: The Stockton Dirt Track (Stockton, CA) – 40th Annual Tribute to Gary Patterson w/SCCT
November 5: Championship Awards Celebration at Brookside Country Club (Stockton, CA)