By Ben Deatherage
(April 3, 2023) Hanford, CA … For the third time in about as many weeks, the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series, presented by NAPA Auto Parts, hopes to fire off the 2023 season in California. The previous two races have been washed away due to wet weather but that streak will end when the tour heads to Kings Speedway for the Anthony Simone Classic on Saturday, April 8th. Good weather is in the forecast and the winner of the 30-lap NAPA headliner will pocket a cool $10,000 at the end of the night.
“We’ve been waiting for the weather the change so that we can race,” commented Kings Speedway promoter Peter Murphy. “Hopefully we can be one of the first ones to get going here so everyone can come out and celebrate racing again, especially with the Anthony Simone being ‘Mr. Excitement’ as he was as last year’s race you had to be there.”
It will be the third edition of the Anthony Simone Classic, a tradition that began in 2021. Shane Golobic of Fremont won the inaugural event, while the defending race winner is Rico Abreu.
Returning to the program will be a non-wing, non-points race to cap the night off. The only time this happened was in the first incarnation of the event, and Indiana driver Tyler Courtney won it. It also was the first time since 1985 that NARC sanctioned a wingless event.
“I appreciate the NARC Series, Peter Murphy, and everybody at Kings Speedway that’s going to put this race on,” said Anthony Simone’s son Mauro, “It’s a great way to get everybody together, and it’s a great race. My dad started running NARC all the way back in 1978.”
Of the twenty-seven winners in the past fifty-three trips to Kings, Tim Kaeding has amassed the most wins since 2001 with eight trips to victory. In addition, Brent Kaeding has bagged five trophies, while Jonathan Allard and Dominic Scelzi have four each.
Who to Watch
D.J. Netto will make a hometown stand at Kings looking for his first win with the NARC 410 Sprint Series at Hanford. Netto has accumulated four podiums finishes, seven Top 5s, and seventeen Top 10s in twenty starts. Last season, D.J. won at the Stockton Dirt Track, the fifth of his career in 148 starts with the group.
Roseville’s Justyn Cox looks forward to hitting the 3/8-mile in the Bates Hamilton Racing #42X entry. Cox posted his lone podium finish of the 2022 campaign with the NARC 410 Sprint Series at Kings and went along with his total of two Top 5s and three Top 10s in six starts in Hanford. Cox is running his first full NARC season since 2016 when he finished third in the final championship standings. Justyn has qualified for forty-one main events throughout his career with the tour and has nineteen Top 10s and five Top 5s.
Dylan Bloomfield only made nine starts with the NARC 410 Sprint Series last season in the famed Dave Vertullo #83V machine. Nevertheless, the Oakley teenager had two Top 10 results, one happening at Hanford on October 8th during the Morrie Williams Memorial. He will be representing a large contingent of young drivers that include last seasons rookie of the year Max Mittry of Redding, Clovis driver Corey Day, Joey Ancona of Concord, Templeton driver and Oregon driver Tanner Holmes.
Billy Aton was eighth in NARC 410 Sprint Series final points last year. The Benicia-based chauffeur has five career starts at Kings and has just one Top 10, a seventh-place result on September 25th, 2021. Aton has one series career win, at Santa Maria Raceway in 2021, two Top 5s, and fifteen Top 10s in forty-six feature appearances.
Also competing for the huge winners payday will be two-time defending series champion Dominic Scelzi of Fresno, Aromas pilot Justin Sanders, Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Penngrove’s Chase Johnson, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Geoffrey Strole from Hanford, Nevada driver Bill Smith, and many more!
Fan & Competitor Info
Kings Speedway powered by Keller Motors is located at the Kings Fairgrounds at 801 S 10th Avenue in Hanford, California. For ticket information, log on to https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1797/tickets/1325082 for online purchases. Tickets are priced at $20.00 for Adults and $15.00 for Children (7-17), Military, and Seniors (65+). Also, be sure to visit the track website, www.racekingsspeedway.com.
Pit Gates open at 1:00 pm, Front Gates at 4:00, Hot Laps at 5:00, and Racing is scheduled to kick off around 6:00. Be sure to visit Pete’s Pub after the Front Gates open and take advantage of special deals on food and beverages before the races start.
The NARC 410 Sprint Series, presented by Napa Auto Parts, is the leading 410 Sprint Car tour west of the Rocky Mountains. Since 1960, they have enthralled countless thousands of fans from tracks up and down the Pacific Coast. For more information, visit their website at www.narc410.com or social media pages.
The Anthony Simone Classic can be viewed live on Floracing.com, along with every NARC 410 Sprint Car Series race.
The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires, Floracing.com, and NAPA Auto Parts. Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies-Raymond James, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, D & D Roofing, Diversified Machine Inc., Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Enterprises, LifelineUSA LLC, Starr Property Management, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Williams Roofing, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.
SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION
Website: www.NARC410.com
Facebook: NARCKingoftheWest
Facebook (History page): NARCSprintCarHistory
Twitter: NARC410
Instagram: NARC410
YouTube: NARC410
TikTok: NARC410
Live Stream PPV: Floracing.com
UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 14-15 – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway – $18,383 to win Dennis Roth Classic
April 29th – Antioch Speedway – The Contra Costa County Clash
May 6th- Silver Dollar Speedway – David Tarter Memorial