NARC NEWSLINE, By Jim Allen, October 28, 2017 … Even though it’s no longer politically correct in today’s charged environment, I’m going to say it anyway.  “It’s not over until the fat lady sings!”  Okay, I said it.  At this point, all I know is that proverbial lady will be singing loudly about 10:30 p.m. on November 4th at the Stockton Dirt Track.  That will be about the time the final checkered is waved after the 30-lap King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Sprint Car Series season finale (weather permitting.)  The only question will be — who will she be singing about?  Considering that at the October 14th Cotton Classic, the King of the West-NARC championship point lead swapped hands for the sixth time this season, it’s anyone’s guess!  It was the fifth time Bud Kaeding and Gio Scelzi have traded places.

KELLER AUTO SPEEDWAY NOTES:   If there was a wheelie contest, Buddy Kofoid would’ve won it hands down with a massive salute to the sky down the backchute in Hanford.  Problem was, there wasn’t a contest going on.  This happened during his heat race.  #justsaying … Mitchell Faccinto became KWS-NARC winner number 10 in Stan Greenberg’s KPC sprint car. It was his first career King of the West win.  With the success this team has enjoyed this season, he was “overdue” to pull this one off. … Quick qualifier Kyle Hirst didn’t help his own cause when he managed to pull a “12” pill for the Hoosier Dash Inversion.  Yes, with three cars transferring from each heat race, there was a 12-car dash at Hanford.  Thank goodness he drives better than his pill-pulling ability as he methodically worked his way to an impressive runner-up finish. … 30-cars. … Other activities surrounding the Cotton Classic include a fund raising golf tournament and raffle for Bailey Schweitzer, the daughter of Bakersfield Speedway promoters Scott and Crissy Schweitzer.  For those who may not know, young Bailey was among the victims at the tragic Las Vegas shooting. … Specials thanks to BR Motorsports and Penny Newman Grain for their support of the overall event. …

… Gio Scelzi took an unexpected detour in his heat race, vaulting and flipping over the second turn.  However, the Roth Motorsports team did what they do best and replaced about half the car in about 25-minutes.  The best way to describe it would be to say it was “organized mayhem.”  In a show of great sportsmanship, several teams and drivers contributed to the effort.  After repairs, Scelzi proceeded to run away with the semi.  He started 14th in the feature and scored eighth. … By comparison, Bud Kaeding started 10th and was a rocket during the second half of the main to finish third.  There was so much slicing and dicing in lap traffic, Bud wasn’t sure where he finished.  Neither did anyone else as there were six cars at the scales for the top three spots.  End result:  Kaeding 855, Scelzi 852.

… Dominic Scelzi had the Scelzi Motorsports Schnee purring in the feature.  After leader Buddy Kofoid ran amuck with a broken right front shock tower on lap four, Scelzi was the class of the field.  However, on a lap 14 restart, the torque tube exploded out of the bottom of the car and his night was over.  It blew out of the back of his car like a cruise missile and pretty much destroyed the top wing of the Harley Van Dkye ride piloted by Tim Kaeding.  Despite the direct hit, Kaeding finished fourth.  Watch the video in slow motion on NARC410.com … Cole Macedo knocked out a top five in the Tarlton Motorsports ride. …

… There are some great improvements that are going to take place this winter at Keller Auto Speedway.  With local support, promoter Bubby Morse promises a complete facelift of the track surface.  They plan to rebuild and add a ton of new clay to elevate their track to premier status!  Look for a press release from the track in the near future. … Announcer Gary Thomas perfectly described the Cotton Classic track surface as “having character.”  Yes, it was rough, but it was rough for everyone, which builds character – and made for some great racing. … Mathew Moles scored a heat race victory and a season-best 10th place finish in the feature. … The RaceSaver sprinters had a tough night negotiating their way away from the front straightaway fence.  Two incidents had cars tangled in the wires and slowed the program so repairs could be made. …  You’ve got to love the “Cotton Bail” trophy at the Cotton Classic. …

HANFORD QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  This one comes by way of car owner Clyde Lamar.  When asked how many parts they were able to save from their crashed Tri-C/Netto Ag ride from Ocean Speedway, Lamar answered without pause, “It could’ve fit in the trunk of your car.”

CHAMPIONSHIP BANQUET:  With the King of the West-NARC in the process of becoming a club and separate entity this year, proactive plans for the championship banquet slid to the backburner.  However, thanks to Prentice Motorsports, we are going to join the All-Star Modified Tour, Ocean Sprints, and Civil War sprints and bootleg onto their banquet on Saturday, December 16th.  It’s being held at the Coconut Grove Ballroom on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.  Dinner at 7:00 p.m. and checks are being distributed shortly thereafter.  Tickets will go on sale this week and can be had by clicking here ! … KWS-NARC will be awarding a stout $62,000 point fund to the top 15 teams in the final standings, plus there is a ton of other great stuff we are raffling off. … We also hope to roll out our 2018 schedule at the banquet. … Don’t miss it.

NARC NOTES:   And once again, we must thank longtime NARC-KWS supporter and racer Peter Murphy.  At the Trophy Cup, Murphy presented the NARC Benevolent Fund with a check for $4500.  Murphy has been giving from his heart since his bad accident at Antioch Speedway in 2013. … Fremont’s Brent Bjork announced that he has made the commitment to race the entire King of the West-NARC schedule in 2018.  Due to a busy work schedule, he has only managed to compete in 10-races so far this season. … Along those lines, Jenna Frazier will be running for rookie of the year next season. … Did we mention that Fujitsu is back as title sponsor next season? … Trivia questions of the week?  Who has more heat race victories this season?  DJ Netto, or the combined group of Cory Eliason, Bud Kaeding, and Kyle Hirst? … Question number two:  How many Hoosier Tires Dash Winners have gone on to win the Fujitsu main event on the same night? … And finally, who has more top five finishes this season?  Gio Scelzi or Kyle Hirst?

ANSWERS:  DJ Netto has 10.  The other three have a total of nine. … Just ONE dash winner has gone on to win the main.  Think about that for a moment! … Both Roth Motorsports drivers have scored eight top five finishes.

By the way, Dave Pusateri for President!  His efforts at the Trophy Cup and his contributions to the Make-A-Wish Foundation have no peer. … We will see all of you at the Stockton Dirt Track on November 4th.  It’s time for the big-boned woman to sing her heart out!

Coming to you live from Auburn, CA.  See ya!