By Andrew Kunas
Tulare, CA … The closing stretch of the 2025 NARC King of the West sprint car season is upon us. The first of four races in five weeks is this Saturday as the NARC teams tackle the famous Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare for the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial. This action-packed racing card will also feature the Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360’s.
The race is one of the cornerstone events at the popular 1/3-mile clay oval. First contested in 2002, the event honors a pair of brothers from the Faria family, longtime participants in California racing. Chris Faria, who was an up and coming racer, passed away after a farming accident in 1993. His older brother Brian, who was active behind the scenes at Thunderbowl Raceway, tragically passed away in early 2006 in a traffic accident, and Brian’s name was soon put alongside his brother’s for this race.
The 2025 race was originally scheduled for April 26th, but Mother Nature interfered and forced its postponement. NARC and Thunderbowl Raceway officials agreed to reschedule the event for October 4th to start a busy stretch to finish NARC’s season.
The event, held at one of California’s most challenging dirt tracks, has long been looked forward to by NARC competitors and fans, and the list of past winners of the race reads like a who’s who of west coast sprint car racing. Jason Meyers, a future World of Outlaws champion, won the inaugural event in 2002. National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Brent Kaeding won it twice in the latter years of his legendary career. A young kid named Kyle Larson, years before the NASCAR world got to know him, was the 2010 winner of the race. NARC champions such as D.J. Netto and Kyle Hirst are also past winners.
Last year’s event, ironically postponed by weather to a later date also, was won by Cole Macedo aboard the Tarlton Motorsports No. 21.
WHO TO WATCH
Speaking of NARC champions, former series champ D.J. Netto, who lives just down the road from Thunderbowl Raceway in Hanford, holds a slim 14-point lead over another former champion in Sean Becker of Oroville. Netto has two NARC wins to his credit this season, but hasn’t won since May. Netto, however, has seen success in Tulare over the years, including winning the 2015 edition of the Faria. Netto hopes his past success at Thunderbowl Raceway will continue as he seeks his second NARC championship.
After winning six NARC races during the summer with Australian ace James McFadden in cockpit, the Tarlton Motorsports team will welcome back Oregon’s Tanner Holmes, who piloted the car back in the spring. Holmes was victorious in NARC competition with the Tarlton team in May when he took the first of the Twin 20’s at the Morrie Williams Memorial in Tulare. After piloting his family’s car during the summer, Holmes will rejoin the Tarlton’s and is hoping for a repeat of May this Saturday.
Between Holmes and McFadden, the seven NARC wins by the Tarlton Motorsports No. 21 team are tied for the most this season with the Mittry Motorsports No. 2x, all of theirs with Justin Sanders behind the wheel.
The second of the Twin 20’s in May was won by Caeden Steele, and it was the young Fresno-area driver’s first NARC win. Steele is another driver hoping that past history will repeat itself on Saturday.
Sean Becker, despite running second in points, is winless this season, but has been competitive all season and is coming off a podium run at the last NARC race at Placerville Speedway on September 6th. Another driver expected this Saturday include Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, a winner in August at the Johnny Key Classic at Ocean Speedway. Kaeding enters the night third in the points, just 23 tallies back of Netto with four races remaining.
Also expected this Saturday are Dominic Scelzi of Fresno, Dominic Gorden of Clovis, Mariah Ede of Fresno, Gauge Garcia of Lemoore, Shane Golobic of Fremont, Billy Aton of Benicia, John Clark of Windsor, Kaleb Montgomery of Templeton, Tanner Carrick of Lincoln, Landon Brooks of Rio Oso, Oakley’s Dylan Bloomfield and Cannon McIntosh from Bixby, OK. Arlington. Washington’s Jesse Schlotfeldt will be making the journey from the Pacific Northwest also to join NARC for its remaining races. Schlotfeldt won his first career NARC event in June at Cottage Grove Speedway.
FAN INFO
It will be ALL sprint cars for the fans on Saturday as NARC will be joined by the 360 Sprint Car Challenge Tour. Tickets will be available at the front gate. Grandstand tickets are $35, and $33 for seniors. Bleacher seats are $30 for adults, $28 for seniors and $15 for kids 12 and under. Pit passes are $45. Front gates open at 4:00 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled for 5:45 with qualifying at 6:00 and racing beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Thunderbowl Raceway is located along K Street at the Tulare County Fairgrounds.
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.
The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is 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 23 EVENTS IN 27-RACE SERIES – 9/28/25)
DJ Netto, Hanford – 2970
Sean Becker, Roseville – 2956
Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 2947
Dominic Gorden, Clovis – 2907
Caeden Steele, Fresno – 2614
Gauge Garcia, Lemoore – 2590
Tyler Thompson, Harrisburg, OR (R) – 2550
Mariah Ede, Fresno (R) – 2529
Justin Sanders, Aromas – 2454
Shane Golobic, Fremont – 2053
Billy Aton, Benicia – 2029
Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 2020
John Clark, Windsor – 1998
Landon Brooks, Rio Oso – 1881
Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR – 1760
Max Mittry, Redding – 1698
Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ – 1684
Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 1477
Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton – 1462
Jesse Schlotfeldt, Arlington, WA – 1348
Upcoming Events
October 11 – Antioch Speedway – Antioch, CA (Open Wheel Octoberfest)
October 25 – Dirt Track at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway – Bakersfield, CA (October Classic)
November 1 – The Stockton Dirt Track (Tribute to Gary Patterson)
November 2 – Championship Celebration @ Brookside Country Club – Stockton, CA
NARC 2025 Winners
March 8 – D.J. Netto at Stockton Dirt Track (Salute to Leroy Van Connett)
April 12 – Justin Sanders at Silver Dollar Speedway (Mini Gold Cup)
May 10 – D.J. Netto at Antioch Speedway (Contra Costa County Clash)
May 16 – Justin Sanders at Ocean Speedway
May 17 – Tanner Holmes (Race 1) & Caeden Steele (Race 2) at Thunderbowl Raceway (Morrie Williams Memorial)
May 31 – Dominic Gorden at Placerville Speedway (Dave Bradway Jr Memorial)
June 7 – Justin Sanders at Silver Dollar Speedway (David Tarter Memorial)
June 11 – James McFadden at Southern Oregon Speedway
June 12 – James McFadden at Douglas County Dirt Track
June 13 – Jesse Schlotfeldt at Cottage Grove Speedway
June 14 – James McFadden at Willamette Speedway
June 15 – James McFadden at Grays Harbor Raceway (Timber Cup)
June 19 – Levi Klatt at Skagit Speedway (Super Dirt Cup – Night 1)
June 20 – Justin Sanders at Skagit Speedway (Super Dirt Cup – Night 2)
June 21 – Trey Starks at Skagit Speedway (Super Dirt Cup finale)
July 12 – Tim Kaeding at Petaluma Speedway (Dave Lindt Memorial)
July 18 – Justin Sanders at Ocean Speedway (Howard Kaeding Classic – Night 1)
July 19 – Justin Sanders at Ocean Speedway (Howard Kaeding Classic – Night 2)
July 26 – Kaleb Montgomery at Santa Maria Speedway
August 2 – Bud Kaeding at Ocean Speedway (Johnny Key Classic)
August 30 – James McFadden at Calistoga Speedway (Louie Vermeil Classic – Night 1)
August 31 – James McFadden at Calistoga Speedway (Louie Vermeil Classic – Night 2)
September 6 – Justin Sanders at Placerville Speedway (Pay Dirt Showdown)