(10/31/2022) Sacramento, CA… Another season of NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car racing will come to an end this Saturday, November 5th as Stockton Dirt Track hosts the 39th Annual Tribute to Gary Patterson.

After beginning in April, visiting 12 different tracks, and journeying to three states, the 2022 campaign will conclude with NARC’s 23rd overall trip to Stockton on a night one of the most admired racers to hail from California is honored.

Patterson, known as “The Preacher,” raced as a true outlaw in his day, venturing wherever he felt on a given weekend, and was widely respected for his talent behind the wheel. “GP” wheeled a variety of cars to victory lane at a variety of racetracks until he unfortunately passed in an accident at Calistoga Speedway in 1983. As one of the most notorious figures not only of west coast sprint car racing, but racing across the country, an event was born to honor him and approaches four decades of existence with its running this Saturday.

The night will be full of celebration as the event doubles as Triple Crown Championship Night with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour and Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprints also capping their campaigns at the central valley 3/8ths mile.

Championship Chase

Even after a DNF this past weekend in Bakersfield, a second consecutive NARC championship is all but in Dominic Scelzi’s hands. All the Fresno native needs to do Saturday is complete a qualifying lap which will guarantee him, at the least, 75 show up points and make his gap atop the standings insurmountable.

Willie Croft still firmly holds the second spot, and barring any severe misfortune at Stockton, he should finish runner-up.

In the fight for the final step on the points podium, Bud Kaeding put a little more distance between himself and Mitchell Faccinto, but the gap is still close enough where Faccinto could pass Kaeding on Saturday.

Who to Watch

The Kaeding brothers, Tim and Bud, are a threat anywhere but especially when they roll into Stockton.

In Tim’s last nine NARC starts in Stockton, he’s bagged a pair of wins, notched six top-fives, and finished no worse than eighth. One of those wins (2016) came aboard a Roth Motorsports No. 83, the same car the San Jose driver will wheel on Saturday.

Bud is also a two-time Stockton series winner, picking up victories in the same years as Tim, 2016 and 2019. The latter of those is his most recent NARC victory, so the Campbell native will look

to end the winless drought at a track that’s been good to him. Bud’s most recent podium also occurred at the 3/8ths mile this past July.

Anytime a race is hosted at Stockton, Shane Golobic is guaranteed to be a contender. The Fremont native is the track’s winningest driver since it opened in 2013 with a pair of his overall victories coming in NARC competition. Back in July he nearly won another, falling just short to D.J. Netto. He’s fresh off his first series victory of the year and looks to cap the season with back-to-back triumphs.

Bill Balog is expected to make his second NARC appearance of the year and the fifth of his career. The 10-time IRA Sprints champion will wheel a Snow Racing entry. Back in 2017, the North Pole Nightmare made his NARC debut driving for Clayton Snow at none other than Stockton and earned a top-five.

Other drivers expected to compete include Redding’s Max Mittry, Aromas’ Justin Sanders, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Oklahoma’s Ryan Timms, 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 25-lap Feature.

The pit gate will open at 1:00 P.M. The front gate will open at 3:00 P.M., and racing is scheduled to kickoff around 6:00 P.M.

Pit passes are $40. General Admission tickets are $30. Kids 4 and under will be admitted for free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online in advance for the discounted price of $25 via the following link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nov-5th-triple-crown-championship-finales-at-the-stockton-dirt-track-tickets-431216950507.

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 Tribute to GP can be viewed live on floracing.com along with every NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car Series race.

2022 NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series
Championship Points Standings (After 19 events in 20-race series – 10/31/22)

  1. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 2096
  2. Willie Croft, Colfax – 2031
  3. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 2008
  4. Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 2000
  5. Shane Golobic, Elk Grove – 1951
  6. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 1938
  7. Max Mittry, Redding (R) – 1926
  8. Billy Aton, Benicia – 1765
  9. Joel Myers Jr, Sebastopol – 1490
  10. Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 1463
  11. Corey Day, Salinas – 1407
  12. Logan Forler, Boise, ID – 1382
  13. DJ Netto, Hanford – 1269
  14. Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR (R) –  904
  15. Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ (R) – 878
  16. Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 836
  17. Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 815
  18. Blake Carrick, Lincoln – 813
  19. Dylan Bloomfield, Discovery Bay 715
  20. Garen Linder, Central Point, OR – 708

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.

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Live Stream PPV:  Floracing.com

UPCOMING EVENTS:
November 6th – Championship Celebration @Brookside Country Club (Stockton, CA)

Dominic Scelzi (41) of Fresno will clinch the 2022 NARC Championship at the Stockton Dirt Track. Photo by Donna Peter