$10,000 ON THE LINE FOR NARC MINI-GOLD CUP WINNER AT CHICO ON SATURDAY
2024-03-12 00:01
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(3/11/24 - Ben Deatherage) Chico, CA ... The NARC 410 Sprint Car Series is excited to lift the lid on its 65th competitive season on Saturday, March 16th, at Silver Dollar Speedway! The historic Chico ¼-mile clay oval hosts the opening leg of the 2024 campaign and will have $10,000 on the line to the driver that bests the field of the Mini Gold Cup main event.
After last weekend's rainout at Hanford, this marks the first of 25 premier racing events that will invade 17-different dirt oval tracks in California, Oregon, and Washington.
"This is going to be such a great event at this place, and it's great to have NARC back to Chico," commented Silver Dollar Speedway General Manager and Announcer Troy Hennig. "We've done some really wonderful things here over the offseason, and I think fans and drivers are going to like it, especially the brand-new catch fence."
With defending champion Corey Day moving to the national touring High Limit Series and two-time champ Dominic Scelzi touring around the country this Spring, the battle for the prestigious NARC championship is expected to be a wide open and highly-contested affair. The addition of several new up and coming drivers and teams promise to make it even more interesting.
Who to Watch
Justin Sanders, from Aromas, has amassed two of his series triumphs at Silver Dollar, achieved in 2019 and 2021. The Mittry Motorsports #2X pilot was runner-up at the April 30th show in 2022. Both Chico events were rained out last season. Sanders, a 15-time winner on the NARC circuit, is expected to be a top contender for the NARC championship this season.
Justyn Cox made it to Silver Dollar Speedway just a handful of times in 2023 but did manage to put the Bates-Hamilton Racing #42X in the main events during the Gold Cup Race of Champions. Cox posted 15 top ten NARC finishes last year including a huge victory at Tulare and will be a nightly force to be reckoned with.
Lemoore's Cole Macedo and Bud Kaeding of Campbell are also expected to be battling for the title this season. Both have ample experience to make that happen. Macedo, who has won several races around the country, captured his first NARC feature event last season and Kaeding was the 2017 NARC series champion. Kaeding has 21 series wins to his credit.
There's no doubt that the biggest target on anyone's back is Shane Golobic. The Fremont chauffeur, piloting the Matt Wood Racing #17W, is the most recent non-sanctioned 410 feature winner at SDS when he won the fair race on May 28th. The last time the facility was in action, he scored the victory on the final night of the 360 Fall Nationals last October.
Many young Central Valley competitors are expected to be in the field, including Lemoore's Gauge Garcia, Dominic Gordon from Clovis, 2019 NARC champion D.J. Netto from Hanford, and Caeden Steele of Fresno.
Other competitors include Penngrove driver Chase Johnson, Oakley pilot Dylan Bloomfield, Jarrett Soares of Gilroy, Benicia's Billy Aton, reigning Rookie of the Year Nick Parker from Tucson, Tim Kaeding of San Jose, Chico's Michael Ing, Ashlyn Rodriguez of Wilton, Lincoln's Tanner Carrick, Kaleb Montgomery of Templeton, Auburn's Andy Forsberg, and many more.
Fan & Competitor Info
Silver Dollar Speedway is located at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds at 2357 Fair Street in Chico, California. Tickets can be purchased online at silverdollar.ticketspice.com. Tickets are $30.00 for Adults, Juniors (13-17)/Seniors (65+)/Military $25, and Kids (12 and Under) are FREE.
Pit gates open at 2:00 p.m. Front gates open at 4:00 p.m., qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing by 6:30 p.m.
Additional information can be found at www.silverdollarspeedway.com.
The NARC racing format includes qualifying, four eight-lap heat races, an exciting six-lap trophy dash, a 12-lap last chance race, and a 30-lap main event. The lone companion division for the evening is the Hobby Stock division in what is expected to be a fast paced show.
The NARC 410 Sprint Series presented by Hoosier Tires, is the leading 410 Sprint Car tour west of the Rocky Mountains. Since 1960, they have enthralled countless thousands of fans from tracks up and down the Pacific Coast. For more information, visit their website at www.narc410.com or social media pages.
The event at Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway can be viewed live on Floracing.com, along with every NARC 410 Sprint Car Series race.
ED NOTE: Silver Dollar Speedway will host a 410 open show on Friday night, March 15th.
The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com. Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, Diversified Machine Inc., Jim Allen Promotions, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo's Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Enterprises, Lifeline LLC, Maxim Racing Products, Mettec Titanium, Pyrotect, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Scelzi Enterprises, SCI Racing Products, Starr Property Management, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Williams Roofing, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.
Mini Gold Cup Former Winners:
1987- Jac Haudenschild
1988- Jimmy Sills
1989- Jac Haudenschild
1990- Bobby Davis Jr.
1991- Brent Kaeding
1992- Steve Kinser
1993- Brent Kaeding
1994- Jimmy Sills
1995- Steve Kent
1996- Brent Kaeding
1997- Randy Tiner
1998- Paul McMahan
1999- Jason Meyers
2000- Eric Rossi
2001- Brent Kaeding
2002- Roger Crockett
2003- Tim Shaffer
2004- Willie Croft
2005- Tim Kaeding
2007- Tim Kaeding
2008- Jason Meyers
2009- Jason Meyers
2011- Craig Dollansky
2012- Donny Schatz
2013- Paul McMahan
2015- Donny Schatz
2016- Donny Schatz
2019- Carson Macedo
UPCOMING EVENTS:
March 23 - Merced Speedway - March Madness Sprint Car Show
April 6 - Stockton Dirt Track - Asparagus Cup with SCCT
April 13 - Kings Speedway (Hanford) - $11,000 to win Peter Murphy Classic
April 27 - Stockton Dirt Track - Salute to NARC champ Leroy Van Conett
May 4 - Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare) - Chris & Brian Faria Memorial
May 11 - Antioch Speedway - Contra Costa County Clash