(5/23/22) Sacramento, CA… The NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars haven’t visited the Pacific Northwest since 2012, but that will change in a big way this week as the series heads north for The Fastest Four Days in Motorsports.
The event will consist of four races in four days at three tracks in two states. The racing gets rolling Thursday, May 26th at Southern Oregon Speedway located in Central Point, Oregon. On Friday, May 27th it’ll be up to Lebanon, Oregon’s Willamette Speedway. The final two nights will both take place at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Washington on Saturday, May 28th and Sunday, May 29th. (Note: Monday, May 30th is a rain date if needed.)
The venture will be a lucrative one with all four Fujitsu Features awarding $5,000 to the winner. There is also a whopping $40,000 bonus on the line for any driver who can sweep the mini-speedweek, meaning they’d walk away with $60,000 total. If someone wins three of the four, they’ll earn an extra $5,000.
On Sunday in Elma before the racing there will be a Drivers BBQ Luncheon in the Borden Building followed by a parade through town featuring the NARC racers and teams. Full details on both events can be found below in the Fan & Competitor Info section.
Championship Chase
Heading into the FFDM, Dominic Scelzi extended his point lead to 27 markers courtesy of his third straight victory.
Tarlton Motorsport pilot, Mitchell Faccinto, continues to hold the runner-up spot with four top-fives through five races this season.
Eleven points behind Faccinto is Shane Golobic, and he’s got Willie Croft (two points behind) and Bud Kaeding (three points behind) pressuring him for the final spot on the points podium early in the season.
Full-time drivers Justin Sanders, Max Mittry, Billy Aton, Tim Kaeding and Joel Myers Jr. complete the top-10.
Californians Invade
Many of the NARC regulars from California have few or no starts at all at the Oregon and Washington ovals, but some of the drivers have had success in limited appearances up north and will look to bring the trophies back to the Golden State.
Colby Copeland has been one of the strongest drivers with NARC in 2022, and he’ll have a good chance to continue his impressive run. The Roseville native has won at two of the three tracks on the FFDM schedule, picking up Western Sprint Tour victories at both Oregon facilities. Copeland’s Willamette Speedway triumph came just last year.
Another driver with some impressive showings up north is Colfax’s Willie Croft. He owns a sprint car win at Grays Harbor Raceway. Back when NARC more frequently visited Oregon, Croft managed to make four series starts at Southern Oregon Speedway with a best showing of fourth and not finishing worse than seventh. He also picked up an ASCS Regional top-five at Willamette back in 2014.
Other California drivers expected to make the trip north for at least part of the trip include Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi, Hanford’s D.J. Netto, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Clovis’ Corey Day, Aromas’ Justin Sanders, Sebastopol’s Joel Myers Jr., Yuba City’s Landon Brooks,
Protecting Home Turf
While the NARC drivers from California will be tough to beat, the Pacific Northwest natives with more laps around the tracks will look to top them in front of their home fans.
Logan Forler may be focusing primarily on NARC in California this year, but he was born in Washington and has spent a good chunk of his career racing in the Pacific Northwest and will aim for some strong runs. The former ASCS standout has wins at both Grays Harbor and Willamette, and one of his two career NARC top-fives came at Southern Oregon Speedway in 2010.
After getting his first 410 engine at the start of last year, Jacksonville, Oregon’s Tanner Holmes has made strides and is looking for success at his home tracks. Holmes has won at both Southern Oregon Speedway and Willamette. He’s also had some solid runs with the Interstate Sprint Car Series up at Grays Harbor.
Central, Point Oregon native, Garen Linder, has been competing with NARC in California early this season and will look for some good results in more familiar territory. Linder has won at both Southern Oregon Speedway and Grays Harbor. He notched his best career NARC finish with an 11th-place effort in Tulare on night one of the Peter Murphy Classic and will almost certainly crack the top-10 on home turf.
Other drivers native to the Pacific Northwest expected to compete on at least one night include Harrisburg, Oregon’s Tyler Thompson, Puyallup, Washington’s Trey Starks, Burlington, Washington’s Jason Solwold, Lake Stevens, Washington’s Austen Wheatley and more.
Fan & Competitor Info
The NARC-King of the West Hoosier Tire Format on all four nights will feature ARP Fast-Time Qualifying, 10-lap Heat Races, a six-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, a Kaeding Performance Semi if necessary, and the 30-lap Fujitsu Feature.
On Thursday at Southern Oregon Speedway the pit gate will open at 1:00 P.M. with the front gate opening at 5:00 P.M. Qualifying is slated for 6:00 P.M. and racing at 7:00 P.M. Teams are welcome to stay in the pits overnight, and fan camping is permitted on the grounds.
Adult GA tickets on Thursday will be $20. Seniors (62+) and veterans with a valid I.D. will be admitted for $15. Juniors’ tickets (ages 7-12) will be just $10. Family passes for two adults and four kids can be purchased for $60. Kids six and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the Ticket Hoss app.
Southern Oregon Speedway is located at 6900 Kershaw Rd, Central Point, Oregon 97502. For more information visit http://www.southernoregonmotorsports.com/ or call 458-220-6272.
On Friday at Willamette Speedway the pit gate will open at 1:00 P.M. with the grandstands opening at 3:30 P.M. Qualifying is set for 5:00 P.M. with racing at 6:00 P.M. Teams are welcome to stay in the pits, and fan camping is permitted on the grounds.
Adult GA tickets on Friday will be $25. Seniors, military, and kids (ages 6-12) will be admitted for $20. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or via the following link: https://www.myracepass.com/events/404532/tickets/
Willamette Speedway is located at 36606 Airport Dr, Lebanon, Oregon 97355. For more information visit http://www.trophymotorsports.com/ or send an email to willamettespeedway@hotmail.com.
On Saturday at Grays Harbor Raceway the pit gate will open at 2:00 P.M. and will open at 10:00 A.M. on Sunday to help accommodate the luncheon and parade. The remainder of the program will look the same on both nights with the drivers meeting scheduled for 4:00 P.M., wheel packing at 4:30 P.M., and racing at 6:00 P.M.
Adult GA tickets each night at Grays Harbor will be $28. Seniors, juniors (ages 7-17), and military with a valid I.D. will be admitted for $22. Children ages 2-6 will be just $5. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online in a variety of package options via the following link: https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1942
The Drivers Luncheon on Sunday will begin at 11:00 A.M. in the Borden Building (Dog Barn). Fans are welcome to attend. Donations are encouraged with the proceeds benefitting the Elma Raceway Hall of Fame. Drivers eat free.
Cars and haulers are to head to the parade at 12:30P.M., which will begin at 1:00 P.M. in the Elma High School parking lot.
Grays Harbor Raceway is located at 30 Elma McCleary Rd, Elma, Washington 98541. For more information visit https://www.graysharborraceway.com/ or call 360-482-4374.