By Ben Detherage
Placerville, CA…The thunderous roar of the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series will once again fill the air at Placerville Speedway on Saturday, June 1st for the 33rd Annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial race. This marks the only appearance of the season of the NARC sprint cars at the high-banked quarter-mile oval as they battle it out for the $5,500 to win prize.
With five races in the books already for the series’ 65th anniversary season, there has been some incredible action, a tight points race, and an incredibly tough contingent of drivers populating the pit area.
The Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial not only features a lucrative payday but also pays tribute to an incredible driver, Dave Bradway Jr. who tragically passed away in a racing accident in June of 1987 at Skagit Speedway. The event, initially held at Silver Dollar Speedway from its inception in 1991 until it was relocated to Placerville in 2021.
Among the “locals” who experienced a great finish in the 2023 Bradway race was Hanford driver Michael Faccinto, who drives the Friends and Family #X1 sprint car.
“Last year was their second 410 race ever, and to be able to put a good night together with NARC that night was pretty special,” explained Faccinto, referring to his second-place finish with car owners Alan Bradway and Steve “Tooch” Tuccelli.
“Tooch and Alan put a lot into the race and it’s very important to them. Hopefully we can be one spot better this year.”
Several additional prizes are up for grabs, including $5,200 in additional lap money, and a $5500 payday to the winner of the 40-lap main event.
Other awards include $1,000 to the leader of lap three of the main event, $1000 to the driver that pulls the number 3 pill during the dash redraw, $700 for the Carwash Mike Avila Quick Time, $550 for the Hardcharger award, $300 to win each heat race, $300 for the third quickest qualifier, and many more.
The Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial weekend starts with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360 sprint cars on Friday night. The NorCal Dwarf Cars will be the companion division on both nights.
Championship Chase
Cole Macedo continues to reign atop the current NARC 410 Sprint Car Series point battle. He will enter the Bradway with a 14-point advantage. The Lemoore chauffeur won the season’s first two rounds and has yet to have the Tarlton Motorsports #21 finish outside the top five in main event action. Macedo has one career NARC start at Placerville.
Currently second in points, Justin Sanders of Aromas has Macedo in his sight. He will try to further slim down the points difference as the Mittry Motorsports #2X team has been in top form recently, including winning two of the last three features. In seven NARC starts at Placerville, Sanders managed to win twice, in 2018 and 2019. Also, in 2019, he was the victor of the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial.
Shane Golobic enters the weekend third in the standings and is the only driver with a single win with NARC in 2024 to his credit. The Fremont pilot is no stranger to success at Placerville as he has an incredible track record with NARC, including a victory in 2016 and 17 top tens in 18 starts at the track. The Matt Wood Racing #17W entry was third in last year’s race.
Roseville’s Sean Becker is coming off a sensational runner-up result in the most recent NARC race and is currently fourth in the table of the championship standings. The 2005 NARC champion won the Bradway in 2006 and is seeking his first series win since 2021. Twice a winner when the tour came to town, achieved in 2004 and 2014, he also posted 15 top ten finishes in nineteen starts.
2017 NARC champion Bud Kaeding completes the top five in points, in fifth. The Campbell chauffeur has collected three finishes in the top five in the first five starts of the 2024 season. Winning twice in NARC competition in 2016 at Placerville, Kaeding has accrued 20 top ten finishes in 22 starts since. He was fifth at last year’s Bradway Memorial.
Who to Watch
Colby Copeland enters the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial as the defending winner. The Roseville racer captured an emotional victory for car owners Jim and Annette Van Lare after Jim’s father had recently passed away. Copeland may not race a full schedule, but he is always a threat to win whenever he’s in the starting lineup.
Tanner Carrick had some impressive results at Placerville when NARC visited. Finishing fourth last year and the runner-up in 2022, the Lincoln driver has been so close to breaking through for his first career NARC win. Could this year be the year he finally wins at the Bradway?
Andy Forsberg is one of the drivers with the most laps at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds facility, and he has nine track titles to his credit. Hailing from Auburn, Forsberg is coming off a solid fifth place running at Stockton and is looking for his first career Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial victory.
Roseville’s Justyn Cox will search for the big check on Saturday night. He’s qualified for five career NARC features at Placerville, with a fourth-place result in 2016. Last year, the Bates-Hamilton Racing #42X entry, driven by Cox, was eighth at the Bradway Memorial.
Other regulars of the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series that will be in action include Chase Johnson of Penngrove, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Dylan Bloomfield from Oakley, Gilroy gasser Jarrett Soares, current rookie of the year point leader Caeden Steele of Easton, Clovis’ Dominic Gorden, Gauge Garcia from Lemoore, Wilton’s Ashlyn Rodriguez, and Chico drivers Nick Parker and Michael Ing.
Other notable drivers to make the trip are 2021 and 2022 NARC champion Dominic Scelzi of Fresno, 2019 NARC crown winner D.J. Netto from Hanford, Templeton’s Kaleb Montgomery, and Joey Ancona from Clayton, and many more!
Fan & Competitor Info
Placerville Speedway is located at the El Dorado Fairgrounds at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville, California. Front Gates open at 3:00 PM, with cars on the track around 5:15. Hot Laps and ARP Qualifying will follow. Tickets are $28.00 for Adults, Junior/Senior/Military $25.00, Kids (6-11) $10.00, and 5 & Under are FREE. For more information, log on to www.placervillespeedway.com.
The NARC racing format includes qualifying, four 8-lap heat races, a six-lap trophy dash, a 12-lap last chance race, and a 40-lap main event.
The NARC 410 Sprint Series is the leading 410 Sprint Car tour west of the Rocky Mountains. Since 1960, it has enthralled countless thousands of fans from tracks up and down the Pacific Coast. For more information, visit its website at www.narc410.com or social media pages.