(4/27/23) NARC BY THE NUM8ER5! – Antioch, California, By Ben Deatherage … After a week off, the NARC 410 Sprint Series will return for their fourth race of 2023. The battleground will be Antioch Speedway for the Contra Costa County Clash in the East Bay Area of the Golden State. Antioch is the third different track the series has competed at this season.
Since 2001, 147 drivers have started at least one main event at the 3/8-mile clay oval. Sammy Swindell holds the current track record at 11.563 seconds, established on September 12th, 2011. In addition, two drivers have set winning streaks, and both were a back-to-back pattern. Brent Kaeding swept the 2004 shows, while Tim Kaeding won in July 2011 and April 2012.
Brent Kaeding and Jonathan Allard are tied for the most triumphs at Antioch, with four each. Tim Kaeding is the only other multi-feature winner with three trips to victory lane. The ten drivers to hit pay dirt on one occasion include Craig Stidham, Dennis Moore Jr., Giovanni Scelzi, Jason Statler, Kyle Hirst, Kyle Larson, Lawrence Edlund, Robert Ballou, Tyler Walker, and Willie Croft.
Brent Kaeding is the King of Antioch not just in the wins department but also Podiums (11), Top 5s (13), Top 10s (17), Starts (19), and the best Average Finish (5.26). His win on July 18th, 2009, was also the site of his final NARC 410 Sprint Series career victory.
Fresno veteran Craig Stidham has put in some decent numbers at Antioch. His lone win at the track was on July 21st, 2012. He is also fourth on the all-time list for Podiums with three. Stidham has the third-best Average Finish with a 5.42 produced from seven starts.
Willie Croft is a notable entrant on the all-time Antioch list. He is fifth in Top 5s (5) and Top 10s (10). The Colfax chauffeur procured a triumph on April 20th, 2013.
Sean Becker may have no wins at Antioch, but he has good consistency. The Roseville rocket has the second-best Average Finish, a 5.28 from seven starts, and has five Top Five results.
Tim Kaeding is always a force to reckon with. The San Jose veteran, as mentioned above, has visited the winner’s circle thrice, with the most recent trip being on April 7th, 2012. Tim is also considered fourth in the all-time podium category, with three total.
Well, that does it for this edition of NARC By The NUM8ER5, but one thing is sure to come Saturday, it will be one entertaining race. Antioch is a wildcard track with limited Winged Sprint Car events and is the only time the NARC 410 Sprint Series makes the trip. Also, there are a lot of drivers that have never run at the facility when NARC has been in town. So that will make things interesting. We will see everyone on April 29th at the Yock!