(7/18/2022) Sacramento, CA… This weekend the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars will honor one of the best to ever compete with the Northern Auto Racing Club as Stockton Dirt Track hosts the Salute to LeRoy Van Conett.
Before Brent Kaeding became the man to beat with NARC, Van Conett, nicknamed The Dragon from Galt, held that title for nearly two decades. Over a 16-year period (1969-1984), The Dragon claimed all eight of his series titles, which still ranks second all-time, and dozens of victories. Saturday’s racing represents a tip of the cap to the West Coast legend.
Van Conett will be on hand to take in the racing on Saturday and give fans an opportunity to get an autograph or a photo with the eight-time NARC champion.
The Stockton stop will be the second of a series-high four for NARC in 2022 with the remaining pair of trips set for August 27th and November 5th. Saturday’s Fujitsu Feature will award a stout $6,000 to the winner.
Joining the NARC 410 Sprint Cars this weekend will be the Tri-State Pro Stocks and California Hardtops.
Championship Chase
Dominic Scelzi continues to lead the standings, but for the first time all season Willie Croft cut a good chunk of the deficit off. Croft came home seventh at the Howard Kaeding Classic while a cut tire for Scelzi resulted in him finishing 18th. Croft also earned Fast Time at the HK, giving him an extra point and chopping off a total of 12 markers from Scelzi’s advantage. The gap between the two is down to 32 points.
Behind the top-two, Justin Sanders’ Howard Kaeding Classic win propelled him onto the standings podium. He’s now in third slightly ahead of Bud Kaeding, and a little further back is Mitchell Faccinto completing the top-five.
Who to Watch
The last two series champions, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi and Hanford’s D.J. Netto, will be a pair to keep an eye on.
The defending titlist, Dominic Scelzi, owns a trio of NARC victories at Stockton, most recently pocketing $6,000 in last August’s Champions Classic. The Dominator has also shown consistency at the San Joaquin County oval. Excluding a lone DNF, Scelzi’s last five series starts at Stockton have yielded three podiums, a 3.2 avg. finish, and no result worse than fifth.
D.J. Netto is always a threat when he signs in at Stockton. The 2019 champion had an incredible streak ended at this year’s season opener hosted by the 3/8ths mile. Leading into that race back in April, Netto had nine straight top-four series finishes at Stockton, so he’ll look to start another impressive streak Saturday. Another noteworthy number is that eight of Netto’s 26 career podiums (31%) have come at the Central Valley facility.
Fremont’s Shane Golobic is Stockton’s all-time leader in sprint car victories. While a majority of those victory lane trips have been outside of NARC action, he does own a pair of 410 triumphs with NARC.
Two-time series champion, Tim Kaeding, will look to add to his current tally of 72 career NARC victories at a track that’s been very kind to him. In eleven series starts at Stockton, the San Jose wheelman has picked up a pair of wins, notched six podiums, and only missed the top-10 once. TK also owns an impressive seven top-10s in nine Stockton features with the World of Outlaws.
Bud Kaeding will continue to try and end his winless drought at a track where he’s found success. The Campbell driver’s most recent series win came at Stockton in August of 2019, and he won a NARC show there in 2016. In his last 45 series events Kaeding has stood on the podium in eight of them just not on the top step, a streak he hopes ends Saturday.
Other drivers expected to compete include Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Colfax’s Willie Croft, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Sebastopol’s Joel Myers Jr., Redding’s Max Mittry and more.
Fan & Competitor Info
The NARC-King of the West Hoosier Tire format will feature ARP Fast Time Qualifying, 8-lap Heat Races, a 6-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, and the Fujitsu General USA 30-lap Feature.
The pit gate will open at 3:00 P.M. with the front gate following at 5:00 P.M. Racing is scheduled to begin around 7:00 P.M.
General Admission tickets will be $25. Kids (ages 5-12), seniors (ages 65+), and military with valid ID will be admitted for $20. Kids 4 and under are free.
The Stockton Dirt Track is located on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds at 1658 S Airport Way Stockton, CA 95206. For more information call 209-466-9999 or visit stocktondirttrack.com.
The Salute to LeRoy Van Conett can be viewed live on floracing.com along with the entire NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car schedule.
2022 NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series
Championship Points Standings (After 14 events in 20-race series – 7/18/22)
- Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1548
- Willie Croft, Colfax – 1516
- Justin Sanders, Aromas – 1490
- Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 1487
- Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 144
- Max Mittry, Redding (R) – 1439
- Shane Golobic, Elk Grove – 1387
- Billy Aton, Benicia – 1365
- Joel Myers Jr, Sebastopol – 1313
- Logan Forler, Boise, ID – 1195
- Corey Day, Salinas – 949
- Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 909
- anner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR (R) – 904
- DJ Netto, Hanford – 844
- Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 721
- Garen Linder, Central Point, OR – 708
- Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ (R) – 695
- Colby Copeland, Roseville – 670
- Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 633
- Sean Becker, Roseville – 628
The NARC Fujitsu General USA Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com. Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, Dirt.Travel, FK Rod Ends, Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, Mettec Titanium, Pyrotect, Roth Motorsports, Safecraft Safety Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, Scelzi Enterprises, Starr Property Management, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Vortex Wings, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.
SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION
Website: www.NARC410.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NARCKingoftheWest
Facebook (history page): https://www.facebook.com/NARCSprintCarHistory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NARC410
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YouTube: NARC410
TikTok: NARC410
Live Stream PPV: Floracing.com
UPCOMING EVENTS:
August 27 – Stockton Dirt Track – $6000 to win Champions Classic
