By Ben Deatherage
Hanford, California … After a long summer break, the 900+ horsepower fire-breathing monster machines of the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series are set to return to battle on Saturday, October 5th, for the Morrie Williams Memorial. For fans from all over the Golden State craving heart-stopping and ground-pounding action at Kings Speedway, you don’t want to miss this one, as there will be not one but two 20-lap features on the card.
The Morrie Williams Memorial, a unique event run in honor of iconic California car owner Morrie Williams, features a format that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Established in 2020, the event runs twin main events, with an overall champion crowned at night’s end. The first feature lineup is based on qualifying and heat race finishes. 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. This twist adds an extra layer of excitement and unpredictability to the event. Past overall champions include Justin Sanders (2021 & 2023), Tim Kaeding (2020), and Corey Day (2022).
“We’re proud to be able to continue this twin feature event with the chance of two different winners on the same night,” commented Ashley Smith, Morrie Williams’ son-in-law and crew chief of the Williams Motorsports #0.
“Morrie always enjoyed watching cars coming from the back and powering through for a win. This is a good way of honoring the legacy he put out there during his tenure as a Sprint Car owner over multiple decades.”
Contributing sponsors for the event include EMADCO Disposal, Roth Motorsports, Southern Pacific Farms, Bandey & Associates, Alviso Rock, and Hoosier Racing Tires. What makes these folks unique is that they have helped since the beginning of the event.
The companion division for the evening will be the Southern California Dwarf Car Association.
Who To Watch
Justin Sanders will look to create some breathing room in the super tight championship for the King of the West title. The Aromas pilot leads both the point standings and the current win list with five victories. The driver of the Mittry Motorsports #2X entry is the defending event champion and earned his lone NARC win at Kings last year.
Cole Macedo returns to his stomping grounds as the Lemoore native will look to add another NARC trophy to the cabinet for Tarlton Motorsports. Already a winner three times this season, there’s no doubt the battle for the championship will be exciting as he currently trails by only three points after 18 NARC events. In the last race Macedo ran with NARC at Kings, he was second in the final feature of the Morrie.
2017 NARC champion Bud Kaeding will look to build off a pair of fourth-place finishes. No doubt it would be a sentimental win for the Campbell chauffeur as he raced for Morrie Williams for several seasons, as noted above. Since 2000, he has only won once at Kings with NARC, and that was in 2012.
Justyn Cox of Roseville
Easton teenager Caeden Steele has been close to opening his winning account with NARC. What better place to do it than on your “home turf”? Steele did compete at last year’s Morrie Williams event and will look to improve off a Kings Speedway career-best twelfth. He still leads the charge in the Rookie of the Year Award race.
Aboard the Dave and Debbie Vertullo #83V-fielded entry Bloomfield is also hunting for his first NARC win. The young man from Oakley has shown some speed over the last couple of seasons at the Hanford 3/8-mile oval and has a pair of Top 10 finishes at the facility, including a career-best sixth the previous year.
Two-time NARC title winner Dominic Scelzi has won two Morrie Williams features over 2021 and 2020, respectively, but has yet to win the overall title. The Fresno phenom has five career NARC wins at Kings and the win in 2020 was aboard a Williams Motorsports car.
A gaggle of other Golden State gassers will look to claim NARC glory on Saturday night.
2019 NARC champion D.J. Netto will no doubt be a favorite as the Hanford hot shoe won the second leg of the Morrie in 2023.
Tim Kaeding would love to win his second career Morrie Williams championship. The San Jose driver and two-time NARC champion won the inaugural edition in 2020 aboard the Bates-Hamilton Racing #42X and will be behind the wheel of the Williams Motorsports #0 in this year’s edition.
Another notable is Fremont’s Shane Golobic in the Matt Wood Racing #17W, who you can never count out of winning a marquee event.
Two other young guns from the Central Valley that are also in the hunt for Rookie of the Year honors are Lemoore’s Gauge Garcia, in the Keller Motorsports #2K, and Dominic Gorden from Clovis.
Also expected to compete will be Billy Aton of Benicia, Chico traveler Nick Parker, Gilroy’s Jarrett Soares, Sacramento’s Kalib Henry, Landon Brooks of Yuba City, Dawson Faria from nearby Tipton, Kaleb Montgomery making the journey from Templeton, and more!
Fan & Competitor Info
Kings Speedway is located at the Kings Fairgrounds at 801 S 10th Avenue in Hanford, CA.
Ticket prices are $30.00 for adults, $25.00 for Seniors/Military (with valid I.D.)/Students (7-17), and Kids (6 and under) are FREE. For online ticket purchases, log on to www.myracepass.com/tracks/1797/tickets/1417128. Additional information and start times will be available at www.racekingsspeedway.com.
Pit Gates open at 1:00 pm.
The NARC racing format includes qualifying, four 10-lap heat races, an exciting 6-lap trophy dash, a 12-lap last chance race, and two 20-lap Morrie Williams Memorial main events.
The Morrie Williams Memorial at Kings Speedway can be live-streamed on Floracing.com.
The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com. Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, Diversified Machine Inc., Jim Allen Promotions, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Enterprises, Lifeline LLC, Maxim Racing Products, Mettec Titanium, Pyrotect, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Scelzi Enterprises, SCI Racing Products, Starr Property Management, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Williams Roofing, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.
NARC 410 SPRINT CARS SERIES
CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS
(AFTER 18 EVENTS IN 23-RACE SERIES – 9/30/24)
Justin Sanders, Aromas – 2321
Cole Macedo, Lemoore – 2318
Justyn Cox, Clarksburg – 2253
Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 2247
Caeden Steele, Fresno (R) – 2244
Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 2227
Gauge Garcia, Lemoore (R) – 2206
Nick Parker, Chico – 2176
Dominic Gorden, Clovis (R) – 2054
Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 1972
Billy Aton, Benicia – 1843
Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 1808
John Clark, Windsor (R) – 1439
Shane Golobic, Fremont – 1364
Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1327
DJ Netto, Hanford – 1211
Sean Becker, Roseville – 1209
Jarrett Soares – Gilroy – 1207
Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR – 1200
Burt Foland Jr., San Jose – 11164
Upcoming Events:
October 12th – Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare) – Chris & Brian Faria Memorial w/SCCT
October 25th – Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (Bakersfield) – October Classic
October 26th- Kings Speedway (Hanford) – Anthony Simone Classic
November 2nd – Stockton Dirt Track – Tribute to Gary Patterson Triple Crown w/SCCT & Hunt Wingless Tour
November 3rd – Brookside County Club (Stockton) – Championship Celebration Awards Banquet