By James Allen
(9/25/23) Hanford, California … The cars and stars of the NARC 410 Sprint Series, presented by NAPA Auto Parts, make their highly anticipated return to racing on Saturday, September 30th, for the Morrie Williams Memorial at Kings Speedway. The Hanford 3/8-mile clay oval will host two exhilarating 20-lap feature events. This show also marks the final appearance by the traveling NARC series at Kings Speedway this season.
“We look forward to this race every year,” said Ashley Smith, longtime crew chief for the Williams Motorsports #0 team and Morrie’s son-in-law, “we try and make this a special event, not just a regular race, and I think the twin feature format gives a lot back to the fans.”
The Morrie Williams Memorial is raced in honor of iconic California car owner Morrie Williams. Williams fielded an incredibly successful team that won NARC 410 Sprint Series titles in 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2017 with drivers Jonathan Allard and Bud Kaeding.
Established in 2020, the Morrie Williams Memorial runs twin features, with an overall champion crowned at night’s end. The first feature lineup is based on the standard NARC 410 Sprint Car Series format. In contrast, the second main event is a complete inversion of the finishing order of the finish from the initial one. So, a driver that finished towards the back of the opening main could win the concluding feature. Past overall champions include Tim Kaeding (2020), Justin Sanders (2021), and Corey Day (2022).
“We’re leading points with NARC by a good margin, and going back to Hanford gets me excited with how consistent and good we’ve been there,” stated Day, “hopefully, we can extend our lead a little bit.”
Friday’s show will feature the Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360s for the Cotton Classic. It will be accompanied by the Western RaceSaver Sprints. The Southern California Dwarf Car Association will join the card for Saturday only as the companion division.
Who to Watch
Defending Morrie Williams Memorial winner Corey Day already has two 410 Sprint Car scores at Kings in 2023. He is coming off a remarkable World of Outlaws West Coast Swing, including winning the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway for his first Outlaw win. The Clovis teenager also turned heads at the Knoxville Nationals by making the main event.
2023 Dirt Cup winner Justin Sanders enters the Morrie Williams Memorial second in championship points and is looking to earn his second career overall title in this special race. Running the Mittry Motorsports #2X, the Aromas racer was fourth at the 49er Gold Rush Classic at Placerville Speedway and the runner-up at the Gold Cup to Day, with an impressive stint against the Outlaws in California.
Two-time defending NARC 410 Sprint champion Dominic Scelzi has been very fast at this event in years past and is third in the series points table. The Fresno phenom won the second feature in 2020 and the first one in 2021, as well as the Peter Murphy Classic finale in May. Scelzi is coming off a third-place performance in Hanford against the Outlaws at the Tom Tarlton Classic on September 15th.
2019 NARC champ D.J. Netto will make a big hometown stand to win his first Morrie Williams Memorial. Netto was the 2021 Dave Helm Memorial winner at Kings for his lone 410 triumph at the facility. He was an impressive second at the Kings of Thunder 360 event on September 14th, a week ago.
Jonathan Allard is expected to make his long-awaited 2023 debut with the NARC series. The three-time series champion, originally from Chico and now calling Waimauku, Auckland, New Zealand home, has four Kings Speedway wins since 2001, including last year’s Morrie Williams Memorial second main event. Allard drove for Morrie Williams from 2005-2013,
The Bates-Hamilton Racing #42X team is ready to get back to NARC 410 Sprint Series competition. Driven by Justyn Cox, earned two seventh-place results at Kings with the series in the spring. The Roseville racer is a force to be reckoned with, as he won the Dennis Roth Classic in April at Thunderbowl Raceway. He also has found a lot of speed in the summer by winning back-to-back 360 features at Placerville Speedway in early August.
Bud Kaeding is another former Williams Motorsports pilot and earned the team their last NARC 410 Sprint Car Series title in 2017. The third-generation Campbell native drove for Morrie Williams from 2014-2019 and has come very close to capturing his first NARC win of the current campaign and no doubt is a threat this weekend.
Also, look out for more stars of the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series circuit, including Chase Johnson of Penngrove, Oakley youngster Dylan Bloomfield, Benicia’s Billy Aton, and Tucson transplant Nick Parker. Several other Central Valley challengers, such as Fresno veteran Craig Stidham, Tipton’s Dawson Faria, and Gauge Garcia of Lemoore, will be on tap, among others.
Fan & Competitor Info
Kings Speedway is located at the Kings Fairgrounds at 801 S 10th Avenue in Hanford, CA.
Ticket prices are $25.00 for Adults, $20.00 for Seniors/Military (with valid I.D.)/Students (7-17), and Kids (6 and Under) are FREE. For online ticket purchases, log on to https://tinyurl.com/8m2jr6m7. Additional information is available at 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 racing format includes qualifying, four 8-lap heat races, an exciting six-lap trophy dash, a 12-lap last chance race, and two 20-lap NAPA Auto Parts-sponsored Morrie Williams Memorial main events.
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 Morrie Williams Memorial 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 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 17 EVENTS IN 20-RACE SERIES – 9/24/23)
Corey Day, Clovis – 2239
Justin Sanders, Aromas – 2192
Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 2190
Justyn Cox, Roseville – 2165
Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 2159
Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 2098
Billy Aton, Benicia – 2028
Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 2028
Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ (R) – 2017
Tanner Holmes, Central Point, OR – 1483
Joel Myers Jr., Sebastopol – 1465
DJ Netto, Hanford – 1453
Shane Golobic, Fremont – 1381
Cole Macedo, Hanford – 1354
Burt Foland Jr., San Jose (R) -1220
Colby Copeland, Roseville – 1207
Joey Ancona, Concord (R) – 1023
Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton (R) – 1010
Karl Hoffmans, Australia – 816
Andy Caruana, Australia – 799
Upcoming Events:
October 28th – The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park (Bakersfield) – Halloween Spectacular
November 4th – Stockton Dirt Track – 40th Annual Tribute to Gary Patterson
November 5th – Championship Celebration at the Brookside Country Club in Stockton, CA.