(10/10/2022) Sacramento, CA… The final double header weekend of 2022 for the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars is set for this weekend as on Friday, October 14th Hanford’s Keller Auto Speedway hosts the Anthony Simone Classic, and on Saturday, October 15th the inaugural Dennis Roth Classic will take place at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway.

The pair of races will be NARC’s final appearance of the year at the two central valley facilities, and the latter of the two will present an opportunity at a stout payday. On Saturday at Tulare, as a nod to Roth Motorsports’ iconic car number, the Dennis Roth Classic will pay $8,300 to win and $830 to start.

Friday pays tribute to versatile Anthony Simone who we unfortunately lost early last year. Nicknamed “Mr. Excitement,” Simone was known for a thrilling driving style and being one of the most fun presences in the pit area. The event also doubles as ladies night at Keller Auto Speedway meaning free admission for all ladies who attend. Friday’s format will be unique with full details to be found below in the Fan & Competitor Info section.

On Saturday, in addition to offering a lucrative purse, the Dennis Roth Classic will hand out some “meaty” bonuses on a night the man who has long fielded the Beef Packers car is saluted. The Fast Qualifier will take home 10 pounds of New York Strip Steak. Each Heat Race winner will load a 20-pound ice chest of Tri-Tip in the hauler at night’s end. Per usual, the Sunnyvalley Bacon Dash winner will be awarded 10 pounds of Sunnyvalley Bacon. And finally, the Fujitsu Feature winner will be given 30 pounds of Ribeye. If a driver can sweep the night, they likely won’t have to visit the meat department in the grocery store for at least a year.

Championship Chase

The standings didn’t shake up too much at this past weekend’s Morrie Williams Memorial as the top-five contenders all finished within six spots of each other in the points paying feature. Dominic Scelzi slightly stretched his advantage over Willie Croft, upping it by five markers to a total of 39.

Behind the top two it’s still Bud Kaeding, Mitchell Faccinto, and Max Mittry rounding out the top-five.

Who to Watch

A pair of drivers will each be making just one appearance this weekend and will be worth keeping an eye on.

While Kyle Hirst doesn’t spend much time behind the wheel these days, the four-time NARC champion is reuniting with Roth to strap back in a No. 83 on Saturday with hopes of what would be a popular victory. Hirst won three of his titles with Roth and has been one of the toughest competitors in a 410ci sprint car at the Thunderbowl over the years. The Paradise native is a six-time series feature winner at Tulare.

“Dennis is one of the biggest guys in my career,” Hirst said. “I’m pretty excited for him. To have a Dennis Roth Classic race is pretty cool, and I look forward to being back in the 83 for that. Hopefully I can put it up front, go bang the boards at Tulare, and try to get him another win.”

On Friday in Hanford, Tarlton Motorsports tentatively plans to field a second entry for Lemoore native Cole Macedo. With racing wrapping up in Ohio, this year’s Attica-Fremont champion is headed home with hopes of scoring his first career NARC victory. Through 12 career series starts, Macedo’s best finish is a fifth at none other than Keller Auto Speedway.

Among those expected to be on the roster for both nights, Fremont’s Shane Golobic stands out as someone who could find himself on the podium for each event. Golobic is coming off scoring his third top-three in his last five series events in Hanford. The team NOS Energy Drink driver has also podiumed in six of his last seven series features at the Thunderbowl and owns a 2.7 average finish over that stretch.

The late season central valley stretch continues to favor Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi as he looks to seal the deal on his second straight NARC championship. Scelzi is a four-time series winner at Keller Speedway and picked up a top-five there at this past weekend’s Morrie Williams Memorial. “The Dominator” has won three straight series events at the Thunderbowl, most recently the opening night of May’s Peter Murphy Classic. If he can claim Saturday’s Dennis Roth Classic, he’ll join Brent Kaeding as the only other driver to win four straight NARC races in Tulare.

While the stats might lean in Scelzi’s favor, Willie Croft is no slouch at either facility and can’t be counted out as he attempts to earn his first championship. Croft topped a 2016 NARC show at the Thunderbowl, is a former winner of the facility’s famed Trophy Cup, and owns a World of Outlaws podium there.

Kerry Madsen is due for a NARC win as he’s been banging on the door multiple times this year and nearly broke through this past weekend before the cushion bit him with just a few laps to go. The Roth Motorsports driver plans to compete on both nights and should be in contention to put the Roth machine in victory lane at the race honoring Dennis himself. The “Madman” owns three top-fives with the World of Outlaws at Tulare.

Other drivers expected to compete include Chico’s Jonathan Allard, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Redding’s Max Mittry, Aromas’ Justin Sanders, Sebastopol’s Joel Myers Jr., Clovis’ Corey Day, Hanford’s D.J. Netto, and more.

Fan & Competitor Info

Friday’s NARC King of the West Hoosier Tire format will feature ARP Fast Time Qualifying, either four six-lap Heat Races (if less than 30 cars) or five six-lap Heat Races (if 30 or more cars). The heats will be lined up straight up on qualifying times, and the top-two finishers will advance to the eight-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Dash. If the four heat race format is used, the two fastest qualifiers who did not finish in the top-two of their heat but did transfer will also make the dash and start no better than ninth and tenth. The Dash finish, Heat Race finishes, and Semi finish will set the lineup for the night’s 30-lap Fujitsu Feature.

Saturday’s NARC King of the West Hoosier Tire format will feature ARP Fast Time Qualifying, 10-lap Heat Races, a six-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Dash, a Starr Property Management Semi if necessary, and the 30-lap Fujitsu Feature.

General Admission tickets for Friday’s Anthony Simone Classic in Hanford will be $20. Seniors (ages 62+) and Juniors (ages 7-17) will be admitted for just $15. Military and ladies get in free! Tickets can be purchased at the gate on race day or in advance via the following link: https://www.myracepass.com/events/431445/tickets/

For Saturday’s Dennis Roth Classic in Tulare, Adult Grandstand tickets will be $30, and Adult Bleacher tickets are $25. Seniors will be admitted to the Grandstand for $28 and the Bleachers for $23. Kids (ages 6-12) Grandstand tickets are just $15 and $13 for the Bleachers. Kids 5 and under are free. Pit passes are $45. Tickets can be purchased at the gate on the day of the race.

On Saturday at Tulare the front gate will open at 4:00 P.M. Hot laps are slated for 5:00 P.M. Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 6:00 P.M. with racing to following at 7:00 P.M.

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.

Thunderbowl Raceway is located at 620 South K Street Tulare, CA 93274. For more information visit thunderbowlraceway.com or call (559) 688-0909.

Both the Anthony Simone Classic and Dennis Roth Classic can be viewed live on floracing.com along with the entire NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car schedule.

Image courtesy of Tim Holland