By Ben Deatherage
(6/11/23 – ) Sacramento, CA … Things will get wild and western for the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series as it embarks on a four event open-wheel racing extravaganza from June 15th to the 18th. The Fastest Four Day In Motorsports is a stretch of four races, in four nights, at four different race tracks in Oregon and Washington. This adventure erupts at Southern Oregon Speedway, in White City, Oregon on Thursday, June 15th, for the opening leg of the tour.
From there, the series heads north to the Douglas County Dirtrack for a Friday Night Frenzy event. The Roseburg racetrack was a paved track for several decades before a dirt racing surface was installed last fall.
Willamette Speedway will be stop three on the journey with the “Sprint Car Invasion” on Saturday, June 17th. Last year, the all-time track record was shattered multiple times at the Lebanon, OR track, producing an incredible race. The stint wraps up at Grays Harbor Raceway on Sunday, June 18th, when the Elma, Washington speed factory hosts the Timber Cup on Father’s Day.
To date, the NARC sprint car series has completed eight events of the 21-race 2023 campaign.
Championship Chase
The incredible NARC 410 Sprint Car Series championship point battle will be turned up several degrees as this stretch of events could quite possibly determine who will earn the 2023 King of the West title. Clovis teenager Corey Day, in the Jason Meyers Racing #14, has maintained the top spot in the standings since the first race on April 8th. However, he enters Thursday night’s contest with a razor-thin eight-point difference over Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi.
“I really like racing up there,” stated Scelzi, the two-time and defending NARC series champion, “I’ve only been there a couple of times, but the race tracks are a little different from California. I’m looking forward to going back to Southern Oregon Speedway, obviously, because we won there last year. Every place we’re going to, we’ve run either first or second, whether it’s been a NARC race or another kind of series.
“I’ve got high expectations,” continued Scelzi, “and I hope we can have good speed and be consistent every night. I think for the championship points, it’s going to be very telling on the outcome of the year with how these four races go.
Day is visiting Southern Oregon Speedway for the first time in his career, while Scelzi is looking to rack up his second straight win. Scelzi was the runner-up at Willamette Speedway last year, with Day’s only visit coming in 2021 in the 360 competition and posting a fourth-place run. The only time Day went to Grays Harbor Raceway was the previous year when he scored an impressive eighth place finish against the World Of Outlaws.
Scelzi, who was runner-up at the 2022 Timber Cup, has won the last two Fastest Four Days in Motorsports titles.
Californians Invade
Aromas racer Justin Sanders anticipates returning to racing in the Pacific Northwest with the Demo Mittry #2X team. Sanders is hungry for a NARC 410 Sprint Car Series, and he will undoubtedly be the guy to beat at the Douglas County Dirtrack as he won a 360 Sprint feature there during Memorial Day Weekend. He’s the only driver among the incoming group to earn a victory at the new facility. He has six career wins in Oregon but has yet to open up his winning account in the Evergreen State.
Oregon has historically been very good to Roseville’s Justyn Cox. Piloting the Bates-Hamilton Racing #42X machine, he has won a Speedweek Northwest title and earned a hefty payday at Cottage Grove Speedway in 2019, all in 360 sprint car.
Bud Kaeding represents another strong runner of the California contingent. The Campbell chauffeur was fifth at Willamette a year ago and fourth at Southern Oregon. An exciting thing about Kaeding is that he has won at Elma. That was back in 1998, but he etched his name in history as the first-ever 360 Speedweek Northwest champion.
Penngrove’s Chase Johnson has only been to the Pacific Northwest once in his career. That was in 2014 when he finished ninth at Southern Oregon and seventh at Willamette in a 360 sprint car. He will be in the Josh Ford Motorsports #73 ride on this trip.
Other NARC 410 Sprint Car regulars include the Dave Vertullo #83V piloted by Oakely teenager Dylan Bloomfield, Arizona driver Nick Parker, Billy Aton of Benicia, Sebastopol sensation Joel Myers Jr., Cole Macedo of Lemoore, and Campbell driver Burt Foland Jr.
A pair of Australians drivers have joined the NARC tour for this stretch of races, including Jessie Attard, representing Landilo, New South Wales, and Karl Hoffman.
Protecting Home Turf
The Emperor of the North in 2022 was Trey Starks, and he is undoubtedly still a threat to win wherever he rolls into town. The Puyallup, Washington phenom dominated the Grays Harbor Raceway bout to win the Timber Cup. Starks also is undefeated in Skagit Speedway 410 action and is a perfect three-for-three.
“It will be cool to be battling some of the California and Oregon guys on some middle ground at some tracks we only get to run on sometimes,” said Starks. “To finish it off at Grays Harbor is going to be exciting. I love racing there in a 410.”
Tanner Holmes wants to make a significant defensive stand against the invading competition. The defending Western Sprint Tour 360 champion already has some wins in his native state. The Jacksonville, Oregon jockey achieved all his successes in 360 action at Cottage Grove Speedway. He was sixth when the nights concluded at Southern Oregon and Willamette in 2022.
Tyler Thompson also will be hoping to represent his home region vigorously. The Harrisburg, Oregon driver had a fantastic run at Grays Harbor, earning his only career NARC Top five result with a fourth-place finish. He also did well at the track closest to his hometown, where he was eighth in Lebanon. Thompson has two wins at Cottage Grove Speedway in 360 Sprint competition.
Fan & Competitor Info
The NARC 410 Sprint Car Series on all four nights will feature ARP Fast-Time Qualifying, three 10-lap Heat Races, a six-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, and a 30-lap headliner feature event. Spintech or small Schoenfeld mufflers are required throughout the tour.
On Thursday at Southern Oregon Speedway, the pit gate will open at 2:00 P.M. with the front gate opening at 5:00 P.M. Qualifying is slated for 6:00 P.M. and opening ceremonies at 7:00 P.M. Teams are welcome to stay in the pits overnight, and fan camping is permitted on the grounds. Adult GA tickets on Thursday will be $20. Seniors (62+), Juniors (ages 7-12), and veterans with a valid I.D. will be admitted for $15. Family passes for two adults and four kids can be purchased for $60. Kids six and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the Ticket Hoss app. Southern Oregon Speedway is located at 6900 Kershaw Rd, White City, Oregon 97502. For more information, visit http://www.southernoregonmotorsports.com/ or call 458-220-6272.
On Friday at the Douglas County Dirt Track, the pit gate opens at 2:00 PM and the front gates at 4:00 PM. Hot Laps kick off around 6:00 PM, followed by Racing at 7:00 PM. Tickets will only be sold at the front gate. Adult GA tickets will be $25. Seniors, Juniors and military are $15., and kids (ages 6-11) will be admitted for $5. The race track is located at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Complex at 2110 SW Frear Street, Roseburg, OR 97471.
On Saturday at Willamette Speedway, the pit gate will open at 1:00 P.M. with the grandstands opening at 3:30 P.M. Qualifying is set for 5:00 P.M. with racing at 6:00 P.M. Teams are welcome to stay in the pits, and fan camping is permitted on the grounds. Adult GA tickets will be $40. Seniors, military, and kids (ages 13-17) will be admitted for $20. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the following link: https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1916/tickets/1320687
Willamette Speedway is located at 36606 Airport Dr, Lebanon, Oregon 97355. For more information, visit http://www.trophymotorsports.com/ or send an email to willamettespeedway@hotmail.com.
On Sunday at Grays Harbor Raceway, the pit gate will open at 2:00 P.M. and the fairgrounds will open at 10:00 A.M. on Sunday to help accommodate the luncheon and parade. The remainder of the program will look the same on both nights, with the drivers meeting scheduled for 4:00 P.M., wheel packing at 4:30 P.M., and racing at 6:00 P.M.
Adult GA tickets each night at Grays Harbor will be $28. Seniors, juniors (ages 7-17), and military with a valid I.D. will be admitted for $22. Children ages 2-6 will be just $5. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online in a variety of package options via the following link: https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1942/tickets/1306530 Grays Harbor Raceway is located at 30 Elma McCleary Rd, Elma, Washington 98541. For more information, visit https://www.graysharborraceway.com/ or call 360-482-4374.
The Fastest Four Days in Motorsports can also be viewed live on floracing.com.
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 Financial, 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, Lifeline LLC, Maxim Racing Products, Mettec Titanium, Pyrotect, Safecraft Safety Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Scelzi Enterprises, SCI Racing Products, Starr Property Management, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Williams Roofing, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.
NARC 410 SPRINT CAR SERIES
CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS
(AFTER EIGHT EVENTS IN 21-RACE SERIES – 6/11/23)
Corey Day, Clovis – 1107
Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1099
Justin Sanders, Aromas – 1068
Justyn Cox, Roseville – 1066
Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 1060
Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 1017
Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ (R) – 958
Billy Aton, Benicia – 945
Shane Golobic, Fremont – 938
Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 926
Joey Ancona, Concord (R) – 773
Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton (R) – 876
Colby Copeland, Roseville – 772
DJ Netto, Hanford – 760
Ryan Bernal, Roseville – 656
Tanner Holmes, Central Point, OR – 641
Joel Myers Jr., Sebastopol – 632
Michael Pombo, Easton – 619
Craig Stidham, Fresno – 607
Cole Macedo, Hanford – 513