06/10/17  – Tulare, CA …  Gio Scelzi continues to be the hottest sprint car driver in the King of the West-NARC competition by scoring his second consecutive Fujitsu Racing Series 30-lap headliner Saturday night at the Thunderbowl Raceway.

Scelzi has captured three of the past four races on the schedule in the potent Roth Motorsports H&R Livestock Transportation KPC sprint car.  With the win, he assumed the championship point lead by a single marker over eventual race runner-up Bud Kaeding  (407-406).

Kaeding won the initial drag race down the frontchute on the initial green, but Scelzi regained the advantage on the backstretch to take the point.  Sixth starter Mitchell Faccinto made an aggressive move in the first corner and shuffled into the third spot by the time the field rocketed out of the second corner.  Once the field sorted itself out, the opportunities to pass were very limited as the track surface had taken rubber.

The event was stopped only once and that was for a red flag on the fifth circuit when Mathew Moles rode the wall and flipped hard in the first turn.  He walked away unhurt.

Scelzi put on a driving clinic during the final 25-laps having absolutely no problems navigating his way through traffic.  He was never seriously challenged the remaining distance to nail down his third KWS-NARC victory of the season.  He also set quick time.

Kaeding had to settle for second in the William Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim, a full turn behind the leader.  Faccinto secured his best KWS-NARC finish of the season with his third place showing in Stan Greenberg’s Western Metal Company sprinter.  Fifteen year-old Michael Kofoid was fourth in the DSR-Gary Silva Ranches ride.

The best racing of the evening was a race long battle between Cory Eliason and DJ Netto.  The pair battled wheel-to-wheel throughout the contest, but it was Netto who rounded out the top five driving the AG Netto/Tri-C Machine sprint car.

Eliason, whose Antaya Motorsports crew performed a motor changes minutes before the feature, was sixth.  He is currently third in points, just six points off of Scelzi’s pace.

Kyle Hirst took the Roth Motorsports Tailgater Challenge after winning the Hoosier Tires Dash.  He started last and battled to seventh.  He was chasing an additional $2500 in bonus money.

Willie Croft, Sean Watts and Bobby McMahan rounded out the top ten.

RACE RESULTS:

KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Giovanni Scelzi, Bud Kaeding, Mitchell Faccinto, Michael Kofoid, DJ Netto, Cory Eliason, Kyle Hirst, Willie Croft, Sean Watts, Bobby McMahan, Jarrett Soares, Nathan Rolfe, Mathew Moles, Craig Stidham

Lap Leaders:  Scelzi 1-30

Fast Qualifier: Scelzi 13.495 seconds