(10/3/22) Sacramento, CA… It’s been a long two and a half months, but at long last the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars return to action this Saturday, October 8th at Hanford’s Keller Auto Speedway for the Morrie Williams Memorial.
The race will serve as number 16 on the NARC calendar and the second of three at Keller Auto Speedway this season. In store for Saturday is a unique twist. Instead of one 30-lap Fujitsu Feature to conclude the program, drivers will partake in two 20-lap, $3,000 to win features with the second being lined up based on a complete invert of the first’s finish. The first feature will be set by NARC’s standard format. The driver who has the best overall performance across the two main events will earn an extra $1,000 as the Morrie Williams Memorial champion. Overall, there is more than $30,000 up for grabs.
The reason for the additional main event with the top finishers heading to the back of the second is to honor the man that the race is named for, Morrie Williams. One of the most revered car owners of the West Coast, Williams fielded the iconic No. 0 sprinter for many years and saw some of the sport’s top talent take his machine to victory lane before he sadly passed in 2019. The late legend enjoyed formats that emphasized drivers having to work their way forward, so the race in his honor provides just that in the second feature.
Williams’ zero car helped pave the path to a wildly successful career for one driver in particular, Jonathan Allard, and “JA” has reunited with the Williams crew this year and will have the honor of driving the car on Saturday with longtime team crew chief, Ashley Smith, on the wrenches.
“It’s quite a team bond with Ashley and the whole family with Katie and Morrie,” Allard said. “And now we’ve brought Dalton’s (Landscaping) on board, and they’re part of my racing family down in New Zealand, so it’s quite special to bring the two groups together and have them a part of this.”
Championship Chase
As the west coast’s premier 410 sprint car series hits the home stretch, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi continues to lead the standings in his bid for back to back titles.
Colfax’s Willie Croft sits second in points still with a realistic shot at his first NARC championship just 34 markers behind Scelzi.
Behind the top-two it’s 2017 champ Bud Kaeding (-59 points behind the lead) in third, Mitchell Faccinto (-79) in fourth, and 16-year-old Max Mittry (-105) completing the top-five.
Who to Watch
With Jonathan Allard returning to California aboard the Williams No. 0, he’ll undoubtedly be hungry with hopes of honoring Morrie with a trip to victory lane. The Chico native owns a trio of NARC wins at Keller Auto Speedway, all three of which he earned in Williams’ car.
As Dominic Scelzi continues to chase his second consecutive championship, he’s heading to perhaps the ideal track to contribute to that effort. Keller Auto Speedway is the winningest track on Scelzi’s NARC resumé with four of his 19 series triumphs coming at the 3/8ths mile. The Scelzi Motorsports driver has won half of the past six NARC races there including May’s Peter Murphy Classic.
One of the hometown heroes with a strong chance at victory this Saturday will be Hanford’s own Mitchell Faccinto. The Tarlton Motorsports pilot is still seeking his first NARC victory of 2022, and fortunately for him, two of his three career series wins were at his home track. The 30-year-old claimed both the 2017 & 2018 editions of the Cotton Classic and looks to make it a trio of Keller Auto Speedway NARC triumphs this weekend.
Two young guns will all be eying their first career NARC wins and have a solid chance in Hanford. Leading series Rookie of the Year candidate, Redding’s Max Mittry, finished a season-best 6th in May at Keller Auto Speedway. Just last weekend Sebastopol’s Joel Myers Jr. notched his first every sprint car victory, and one of his three career NARC top-fives came last October in Hanford.
Other drivers expected to compete include Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Clovis’ Corey Day, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Aromas’ Justin Sanders, Hanford’s D.J. Netto, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, and more.
Fan & Competitor Info
The NARC-King of the West Hoosier Tire format will feature ARP Fast Time Qualifying, eight-lap heat races, a six-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, a Starr Property Management Semi if necessary, and the pair of 20-lap Fujitsu Features.
After the conclusion of the first feature, drivers are to park in the infield to prepare for the second. Driving to the pits will result in starting in the back of the second feature regardless of finish in the first. No tire changes are permitted between the first and second feature.
General Admission tickets for the Morrie Williams Memorial are $20. Seniors (ages 62+) and Juniors (ages 7-17) will be admitted for just $15. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the following link: https://www.myracepass.com/events/402015/tickets/
Keller Auto Speedway is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds at 801 South 10th Avenue Hanford, CA 93230. For more information visit racekingsspeedway.com or email kellerautospeedway@yahoo.com.
The Morrie Williams Memorial can be viewed live on floracing.com along with the entire NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car Series schedule.
2022 NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series
Championship Points Standings (After 15 events in 20-race series – 10/1/22)
- Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1659
- Willie Croft, Colfax – 1625
- Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 1600
- Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 1575
- Max Mittry, Redding (R) – 1545
- Shane Golobic, Elk Grove – 1501
- Justin Sanders, Aromas – 1490
- Billy Aton, Benicia – 1470
- Joel Myers Jr, Sebastopol – 1313
- Logan Forler, Boise, ID – 1195
- Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 1021
- DJ Netto, Hanford – 961
- Corey Day, Salinas – 949
- Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR (R) – 904
- Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ (R) – 803
- Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 721
- Garen Linder, Central Point, OR – 708
- Colby Copeland, Roseville – 670
- Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 633
- Geoffrey Strole, Hanford – 629
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
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Live Stream PPV: Floracing.com
UPCOMING EVENTS:
October 14 – Keller Auto Speedway (Hanford) – Anthony Simone Classic
October 15 – Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare) – Dennis Roth Classic
October 29 – The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park (Bakersfield) – Sprint Car Showdown
November 5 – Stockton Dirt Track – Tribute to Gary Patterson Championship Night
November 6 – NARC Championship Celebration – Brookside Country Club (Stockton)
