NARC NEWSLINE, News, Notes & Quotes from the KWS-Northern Auto Racing Club Sprint Cars, (2/16/17) … By Jim Allen – info@NARC410.com
Since the Northern Auto Racing Club is making a comeback with the King of the West Sprint Car Series in California, I figured it was time to bring back another regular feature from the 1990’s – my NARC NEWSLINE column. Yes, in the old days, there were these things called racing newspaper’s like Racing Wheels, National Speed Sport News, Western Racing News, and SPRINTCAR to name a few. Now they are just remnants of the days before smart phones, when diehard open wheel fans were perfectly content waiting four or five days to get last weekend’s news.
But say no more because the NARC NEWSLINE is not a column anymore, it’s a blog and it’s loaded with almost everything you need to know about the 410 sprint car racing in California. So with that intro, here we go:
As expected, there has been the typical naysayers’ complaining about bringing back the NARC name. I think these same people are still at home wondering why their last issue of Racing Wheels never showed up. Most of the negativity comes from an overall lack of communication, because they just don’t realize that this move was thoroughly researched, investigated and planned out before it was even considered. It’s a plan that should improve the headline sprint car class in the Golden State over the next several years, with its members taking a leading role in club management. The model is … the Northern Auto Racing Club; a sanctioning body that can promote from within, can provide premium racing entertainment to many generations of fans, and grow the sport. It’s not a cover up, or putting lipstick on a pig, it’s a new start for open wheel racing. We all knew it was time for a change – and most people hate change of any kind. So with that in mind, let’s communicate in a positive fashion!
COMPETITION MEETING: The Roth Motorsports compound in Fresno was packed with almost 90 car owners, drivers, promoters and 410 sprint car enthusiasts on February 12th. Was it the killer Tri-tip or the promise of a new direction for 410 sprint car racing in California that lured them in? The answer is pretty simple … it was BOTH! They sat through a Jim Allen KWS-Northern Auto Racing Club business plan presentation that not only addressed the strengths of the organization, but spent more time on the areas that must be addressed to ensure success in the future. The feedback was outstanding and now its full speed ahead into what can best be described as an infrastructure building year. This includes installing an Advisory Board in the weeks to come that will help shape the direction of the organization. Among those who have already stated their interest in a board position is three time King of the West champ Kyle Hirst, and Keller Auto Speedway (Hanford) promoter Bubby Morse.
FORMAT: A new fan-friendlier format was rolled out to the masses and it will be in play at the season opening Mini-Gold Cup. With 27 cars or less, the top three finishers’ in each heat race will qualify for the dash and the top five will earn a spot in the feature. The third heat race winner will pull a pill to determine the inversion in the dash. With four heats, the top three make the dash and the front four qualify for the feature. Yup, a 12-car dash … should be interesting. The finishing position in the dash determines the starting grid for the feature event.
RESTARTS: Remember the days of clean nose-to-tail single file restarts between turns three and four? The one’s where the leader set the pace and the cars powered out of turn four? The restarts that were high on excitement, low on controversy, and didn’t wad up a bunch of equipment in turn one? Well, they’re coming back this season. This was a hot topic at the meeting and it generated a lot of conversation among car owners. After much discussion on different starting scenarios, it ended with a unanimous decision.
POINT STANDINGS: The winner of a KWS-NARC feature event now earns 42 points, three more than second place, which places a premium on winning. However, from that point on it drops only one point per position. The only other way to earn points is to show up (20 points) and to be one of the four quickest qualifiers. The quick qualifier pockets four points, second fast – three points, etc.
Speaking of the point standings, that leads us to the 2017 KWS-NARC point fund, which currently sits at stout $40,000. The championship team pockets ten grand. Additional sponsors are being solicited and the fund and sidebar promotions are expected to grow.
TIRE RULE: The KWS-NARC series has once again teamed up with Hoosier Racing Tires again for the 2017 season. Special thanks to Hoosier Tires for donating a right rear for a raffle at the competition meeting. Owner/Driver Bobby McMahan was last seen walking out of the building with it slung over his shoulder. The season hasn’t even started yet and he has already won.
Well, that’s all for now. We hope that the Oroville Dam stays sturdy, and that Mother Nature goes on Spring Break, so we can see all of you at Silver Dollar Speedway on March 4th – without a life preserver. By the way, that would be the $5,000 to win Mini Gold Cup.
Coming to you live from Granite Bay, CA. … See ya!