By James Allen
The first doubleheader weekend of the season is next up for the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series, with races at Ocean Speedway and Thunderbowl Raceway on tap.
On Friday, May 16th, the NARC teams will head to Ocean Speedway in Watsonville for the Salute to First Responders. Police officers, fire fighters and EMT’s with proper identification are all getting in for $10 off that night.
The event is the first of four NARC events scheduled to take place at the quarter-mile clay oval this season. The April event was canceled due to bad weather. Justin Sanders, on his way to the 2024 NARC championship, won the lone NARC event in Watsonville last season when he picked up the prestigious Howard Kaeding Classic.
After the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial was rained out on April 26th and subsequently rescheduled for this fall (October 4th), the series will make the first of its two visits this season to Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, with this Saturday’s (May 17th) event being the ever-popular Morrie Williams Memorial Twin 20’s.
The event honors one of California’s legendary sprint car team owners. Morrie Williams achieved many victories in races and championships, including four NARC King of the West titles. His iconic white No. The “0” car has been driven by numerous highly skilled racers over the years.
After the first 20-lap race, all lead lap cars will be inverted for the second race. Numerous prizes will be up for grabs, thanks to the members of the Williams Motorsports team. A cash bonus of $1,000 also awaits the driver who accumulates the most points over the two features. Overall, more than $33,000 in prize money and product awards are on the line.
Sanders and Tim Kaeding won the Morrie Williams Memorial Twin 20 features at Kings Speedway last year, with Cole Macedo earning the overall title by accumulating the most points across both races. Shane Golobic and Cole Macedo won the NARC events at Thunderbowl Raceway in 2024.
Hanford’s D.J. Netto has won two out of three NARC races to start the season. The former series champion won the March 8th opener at the Stockton Dirt Track and then last Saturday took the eventful Contra Costa Clash at Antioch Speedway.
Netto, winner of nine NARC 410 races in his career, has sprint car victories to his credit at both tracks NARC is visiting this weekend.
WHO TO WATCH
Tim Kaeding of San Jose finished fourth in last Saturday’s feature at Antioch after moving up eight positions aboard the Williams Motorsports No. 0, and it wasn’t the first time he passed a lot of cars this season as back on March 8th at Stockton Kaeding moved up 15 positions to earn the Williams Roofing Hard Charger nod.
In the Morrie Williams Memorial, the “Zero Heroes” have seen much success at the event bearing the name of their late team owner as they have scored a win in one of the Twin 20 features each year and with different drivers piloting the car. In the second feature last year, Kaeding charged from the 12th starting position and took the lead on the 15th lap on his way to a victory.
Fremont’s Shane Golobic has seen success at both of this weekend’s tracks with the Matt Wood Racing No. 17w team. Golobic was the winner of last May’s NARC race at Thunderbowl Raceway, and in 2023 he was the winner of the Howard Kaeding Classic at Ocean Speedway. Those wins are among the 16 career NARC triumphs by Golobic.
FAN INFO
Ocean Speedway is located at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds at 2601 E. Lake Ave. Friday’s event will also have IMCA modifieds and the South Bay Dwarf Cars on the schedule. All police, fire fighters and EMT’s with proper identification will get $10 off their admission. Front gates open at 4:30 p.m. with qualifying at 6:00 p.m. and racing at 7:00 p.m.
Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on K Street. Saturday’s show is all sprint cars as it will also feature 360 sprint cars and the California Racesaver sprints. Grandstand tickets are $35, seniors getting in for $33. Bleacher seats are $30 for adults, $28 for seniors and $15 for kids 12 or younger (kids 5 and younger are free in the bleachers). Front gates open at 4:00 pm with hot laps scheduled for 5:00 pm, qualifying at 6:00 p.m. and racing at 7:00 p.m.
ABOUT NARC
The Northern Auto Racing Club is the premier 410-winged sprint car series in the western United States. Since 1960, the traveling organization has thrilled fans at dirt tracks up and down the West Coast and crowned a “King of the West” champion. For more information on the NARC 410 sprint car series, including race results, points standings, and upcoming events, go to www.narc410.com. You can also follow on various social media platforms.
NARC 2025 winners
March 8 – D.J. Netto at Stockton Dirt Track (Salute to Leroy Van Conett)
April 12 – Justin Sanders at Silver Dollar Speedway (Mini Gold Cup)
May 10 – D.J. Netto at Antioch Speedway (Contra Costa County Clash)
The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com. Associate sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, Jim Allen Promotions, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, Mettec Titanium, MyRacePass, Red Rose Transportation, Tarlton & Son, Wedg High Performance Karts, Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.
2025 NARC 410 SPRINT CARS SERIES
(AFTER THREE EVENTS IN 27-RACE SERIES – 5/11/25)
DJ Netto, Hanford – 422
Shane Golobic, Fremont – 407
Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 405
Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton – 397
Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 395
Sean Becker, Roseville – 394
Tyler Thompson, Harrisburg, OR (R) – 393
Billy Aton, Benicia – 390
Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 390
Dominic Gorden, Clovis – 379
John Clark, Windsor – 374
Gauge Garcia, Lemoore – 373
Caeden Steele, Fresno (R) – 370
Max Mittry, Redding – 370
Justin Sanders, Aromas – 368
Miriah Ede, Clovis (R) – 363
Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 269
Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR – 267
Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 262
Jake Andreotti, Castro Valley (R) – 260
UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 31 – Placerville Speedway – Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial
June 7 – Silver Dollar Speedway (Chico) – David Tarter Memorial
June 11 – Southern Oregon Speedway (Medford, OR) – Fastest Five Days in Motorsports
June 12 – Douglas County Dirtrack (Roseburg, OR) – Fastest Five Days in Motorsports
June 13 – Cottage Grove Speedway (Cottage Grove, OR) – Fastest Five Days in Motorsports
June 14 – Willamette Speedway (Lebanon, OR) – Fastest Five Days in Motorsports
June 15 – Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA) – Fastest Five Days in Motorsports