While consistency has made Daum the championship points leader, he doesn’t want to be a winless champion

TULSA, OK (Oct. 12, 2022) – Zach Daum knows what it takes to win a title, already a three-time National Midget champion, but this weekend is a once-in-a-lifetime championship opportunity for him.

The Pocahontas, IL native enters the inaugural Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series pres. by Toyota championship finale, triple header weekend, with a 48-point lead over Bryant Wiedeman and 93-point lead over third-place Brenham Crouch.

While the points battle may not be decided until the final lap of the season Saturday night, Daum has been a master of consistently this season. In seven starts, he’s yet to finish outside the top 10 – currently the only driver with that stat – and five of those are top-fives finishes. However, he’s yet to win.

The championship is his main goal, but Daum doesn’t want to end the season as a winless champion. He’ll have three chances to change that with the Series racing – in conjunction with POWRi – at Port City Raceway, Thursday, Oct. 13, and I-44 Riverside Speedway, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14-15.

“Hopefully, we can go and win all three,” Daum said. “That would be ideal. We haven’t won in a Midget all year. We’ve given a few away. Not just with the Xtreme deal. I feel like in USAC, too, we’ve given a few away that maybe if the stars aligned should have won. Those hurt a little bit. I’d like to get a couple more wins before the end of the year. Just get something. I hate being the guy that wins the championship but doesn’t win the race.

“It can be done and there is a model for consistency in that but at the end of the day the only thing that matters in racing is winning. I would really like to get Bundy (Mitchell, his team owner) a win. That would mean a lot to me.”

Daum ran with the USAC National Midget tour at Port City in April, finishing ninth and 11th, respectively. He hasn’t run a national Midget race at I-44 since 2020 when he ran there with the POWRI National Midget tour, finishing 18th and 16th in the two-day event.

Despite that, he’s still confident he and the Bundy Built Motorsports team can enter with a shot at sweeping the weekend.

“Our car is pretty good right now,” Daum said. “The motors, we’re making good headway on the motors this year. I fully expect us to be in contention again and hopefully wrap up the championship.

“Our motor program, we’ve been working some kinks out. We feel like we’ve worked out something here with the latest motor.”

Even though the points battle is still close with three races to go, Daum said he isn’t focusing on “points racing.”

“Any time I think about points I end up screwing myself,” he said. “You know, I kind of race that way every night. If you feel like you have a car you can go win races with, when you go out that night, you have to go after the win.”

The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series championship will pay $10,000 to the winner, and due to Daum’s consistently good finishes, he’s already made more than that this season. He credits the Xtreme Outlaw Series for boasting higher than normal paydays throughout the field, saying it’s helped “revive” Midget racing.

If he can sweep the weekend, he’ll also add another $14,555 to his pocket as the Donnie Ray Crawford Sooner State 55 at Port City will pay $5,555 to win, the first night of the Meents Memorial at I-44 will pay $4,000 to win and the final night will pay $5,000 to win.

Aside from the money, Daum eyes a chance to write his name in history. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to look back 30 years from now and say he was the inaugural Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series champion.

“It’ll definitely be something cool,” Daum said. “Something we can hopefully look back on in 30 years and go, ‘Hey, I won the inaugural one.’ Hopefully, it is still going that long. Hopefully do what (Rich) Vogler did at Chili Bowl, getting to look back at having won the inaugural one.

“Hopefully something like that, that just grows. Which I think it is going to. If they can keep paying good purses, keep going to new racetracks, I think it is going to keep Midget racing alive. It would be awesome to say next year I’m the reigning champion and hopefully in 30 years get to say I was the first one.”

DENVER, NC (October 12, 2022) — After a week off following the start of the six-race NHRA Countdown playoffs rookie Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso is ready to get back on the track and chase her 2022 season goals. The third-generation driver will be wheeling the Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro with power from Titan Racing Engines during the 37th NHRA Texas Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex this weekend. It was just last year at the Stampede of Speed that Caruso announced she would be competing full time on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Since that press conference Caruso has been on a whirlwind of an experience as she and her Caruso Family Racing team have competed in every national event and with three races to go in the season are still in the championship mix.

“We are looking forward to these last three races of the season,” said Caruso. “Starting the Countdown with back-to-back-to-back races was tough but we made it. I have been working on my driving all season and our Sand Haulers of America Camaro is running quick again. We had a great race the last time we were in Texas and I am hoping to get one more win light.”

Camrie Caruso and Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro, photos by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

In the spring at just her fifth pro race Caruso, the favorite for 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year, earned the No. 1 qualifier at the NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston and then raced to the final round. It was a breakout event for the former Top Alcohol Dragster driver who like so many professionals started her career in junior dragsters. That weekend brought added media exposure and more marketing opportunities for the driver from Rochester, New York, who now lives in Denver, North Carolina.

“Houston was an amazing weekend and it really was a blur as it was happening,” said Caruso, who won her first round of racing as a pro in just her second start. “We have put in a lot of time this year building our team and doing things the right way. My crew chief Jim Yates has won the Pro Stock world championship and he has been a huge help both as a crew chief and a teacher.”

This season Caruso has qualified for every national event in a tough field of Pro Stock competitors but more importantly she has won rounds and is consistently great off the starting line quickly. The Sand Haulers of America Camaro which will also have branding from OZ Saferooms this weekend at Texas Motorplex has recorded six quarterfinal finishes in addition to the runner-up. Caruso was solidly in the Top Ten all season and this weekend’s race at Texas Motorplex could be an opportunity for her to move up and take a shot at a Top Five finish as a rookie.

“My goals at the beginning of the season included winning races and the championship,” said Caruso. “People thought I was nuts, but I am very competitive and we are out here to win every race. This class has been tough and I have learned a lot. I think we can compete with anyone and I am looking forward to four qualifying runs and then the race on Sunday.”

The return to the Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro look could be just the spark Caruso is looking for and throughout the season she has received strong support from businesses as she has competed across the country. Powerbuilt Tools, Tequila Comisario and Kinds of Vapor have all built marketing programs around Caruso who is one of the most popular drivers on the Camping World Drag Racing Series. A growing fan base along with improved on-track performance have highlighted the upside for another young star in the NHRA.

“I have a business and finance degree, so I put a lot of time into making sure the business and marketing side of our program is good for our partners and the team,” said Caruso. “I love driving but I also enjoy working with companies at the track and at appearances. We have done several shows this year and as the season winds down there will be more opportunities. Our focus now is on finishing 2022 strong and then getting even better in 2023.”

The NHRA Texas Fall Nationals will begin in earnest on Friday with two qualifying sessions followed by two more on Saturday. Caruso will be attending the Pre-Stage Fan Fest on Thursday night in downtown Waxahachie from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. signing autographs for fans at the free pre-race event. She will also be racing for $7,500 in bonus money during the Friday Night Live event. The quickest run of the nighttime session will win the big money and most likely be the No. 1 qualifier. Final eliminations of the quickest 16 Pro Stock cars will start on Sunday at noon CT with the race being broadcast on FS1.

ENNIS, Texas (October 12, 2022) – Competition between Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets and Dodge Challenger Drag Paks in the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown class will come to a head at this weekend’s season finale, the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex just outside of Dallas. 

David Barton and his Saw Mill Auto Chevrolet COPO Camaro are on a winning streak as they look to claim the championship crown. After two consecutive victories, Barton will need only to qualify for the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals on Saturday to clinch the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown championship.  

David Barton, final round Pep Boys Nationals, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“I’m trying not to change a whole lot and only worry about one pass at a time. I’ll be honest, though, I’ve never been so nervous to stage for the first round of qualifying,” Barton said. “We’re just going to do our normal deal, what else can I do? I don’t want to psych myself out. We’re definitely ready to celebrate but I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch. I’m proud of my team, their effort, our customers, all our friends and family, it takes a lot to assemble this dream that we’re going to be living this weekend.”

Barton first took over the points lead with his victory at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, sending Bill Skillman and his Ray Skillman Ford Cobra Jet to second in points. Heading straight into his home race, the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pennsylvania, Barton once again put his Saw Mill Auto Camaro in the winner’s circle. Both final round victories were over defending class champion Aaron Stanfield, who sits third in points in his Stanfield Racing Engines COPO Camaro. Through the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program, Barton now has a $2,000 target on his back that he’s hoping not to give up until the 2023 season. 

“Not to sound greedy, but I’d like to win another race. It would be nice to see a teammate win if not but we’re all going full force,” Barton said. “There’s definitely less pressure on me now. It’ll be nice to take a deep breath and just enjoy this race, but I wouldn’t mind putting another trophy on the shelf.”

David Barton, Pep Boys Nationals winner’s circle, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Thus far through 2022, Barton has raced to five of the seven final rounds picking up three wins in the process. If all goes well, this will be Barton’s second official Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Championship. 

The conclusion of the 2022 Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown season begins with qualifying Friday at 1:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and continues Saturday with a final qualifying session at 10:45 a.m., the first round of eliminations at 3:15 p.m. and the second round at 6:45 p.m. The semifinal and finals will be held Sunday at approximately 2:55 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. 

Constant Aviation Bounty Program

Gatornationals (Gainesville, FL)

$1,000 bounty collected by Anthony Troyer, defeated Aaron Stanfield, Las Vegas winner

Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals (Charlotte, NC)

$1,000 bounty collected by Stephen Bell, defeated Lenny Lottig, Gatornationals winner

Virginia Nationals (Richmond, VA)

Bounty unclaimed, Charlotte winner Bill Skillman undefeated

Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol, Tenn.)

$2,000 bounty collected by Scott Libersher, defeated Bill Skillman, Charlotte Four-Wide and Virginia Nationals winner

Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals (Norwalk, Ohio)

$1,000 bounty collected by Bill Skillman, defeated David Barton, Thunder Valley Nationals winner

Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis)

$1,000 collected by David Barton, defeated Bill Skillman Summit Racing Equipment Nationals winner

Pep Boys NHRA Nationals (Reading, Pa.)

Bounty unclaimed, Indianapolis winner David Barton undefeated 

2022 Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Schedule/Results

Gainesville – Lenny Lottig, winner; Anthony Troyer, runner-up

Charlotte1 – Bill Skillman, winner, David Barton, runner-up

Richmond – Bill Skillman, winner, Dan Condon, runner-up

Bristol – David Barton, winner, Stephen Bell, runner-up

Norwalk – Bill Skillman, winner, David Barton, runner-up

Indianapolis – David Barton, winner, Aaron Stanfield, runner-up

Reading – David Barton, winner, Aaron Stanfield, runner-up

Dallas, Fall Nationals, October 13-16

Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Top Ten Points Standings:

1. David Barton           682

2. Bill Skillman             566

3. Aaron Stanfield      468

4. Lenny Lottig             405

5. Mark Pawuk            363

6. Daniel Condon        350

7. David Janac             336

8. David Davies           331

9. Jesse Alexandra      301

10. Anthony Troyer    300

Daum leads Wiedeman by 48 points as Series turns to Port City, I-44 TULSA, OK – Oct. 11, 2022 – The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota will crown its first-ever champion as the tour makes its debut in the Sooner State this weekend. Port City Raceway kicks off the weekend with the third annual Donnie Ray Crawford Sooner State 55 on Thursday, Oct. 13, paying $5,555 to the winner. The race honors Donnie Ray Crawford – a multi-time champion and racer in the Oklahoma Micro Sprint and Midget ranks who passed away in 2012 at the age of 24. The Series then heads to I-44 Riverside Speedway in Oklahoma City for the 18th annual Charlene Meents Memorial on Fri-Sat, Oct. 14-15. This two-day event pays $4,000 to Friday’s winner and $5,000 on Saturday, honoring longtime MARA Midgets officer and race official Charlene Meents. The $10,000 check and championship trophy will be hoisted at the conclusion of Saturday night’s events. Multiple drivers are still in the hunt to become the Series’ inaugural season champion, which is poised to come right down to the wire. Tickets for all three events will be available at the gate on race day. If you can’t be at the track, watch every lap live on DIRTVision. Here are the drivers to watch and storylines to follow this weekend: JUST A NUMBER – In its first year of operation, the Xtreme Outlaw Midget circuit has seen a wide array of winners, boasting a list of seven different names going to Victory Lane in the first seven races. Gavan Boschele (14), Taylor Reimer (22), Jade Avedisian (15), Chance Crum (25), Michael Pickens (39), Chase McDermand (22), and Bryant Wiedeman (17) have all graced Victory Lane thus far, combing for an average age of 22 years old. It’s a sign of youth that has defined the Midget world this year and offers a look toward the Series’ future leaders. With the number of Oklahoma and other Midwest-based teams expected to enter this weekend’s events, the odds of an eighth, ninth, or even 10th different winner is considerable. Bixby, OK-driver Cannon McIntosh is the highest-ranked driver in the Midget realm without an Xtreme Outlaw win, and is poised to change that this weekend, having won a whopping 11 of 22 POWRi National Midget League Features he’s started this year. FINISHING THE JOB – Consistency has been the name of the game for Xtreme Outlaw points leader Zach Daum. Top-10 finishes in all seven races has been the foundation for his 48-point lead over Bryant Wiedeman, while five top-five runs have held it into the final weekend of competition. Though the 48-point gap is not grounds to crown him Series champion, Daum, of Pocahontas, IL, has managed the pressure of championship points chases before, having won the 2013, 2014 and 2016 POWRi National Midget titles – most of any driver. Daum has been solid in POWRi competition this year as well, posting four top-five finishes in nine starts and is the only driver with less than 10 starts inside the top-20 in POWRi National points. ON THE RISE – Posting his best finish in the most recent Series event at Davenport Speedway in August, Kyle Jones could be a contender for his first Xtreme Outlaw win this weekend. Jones, the 29-year-old from Kennedale, TX, won the most recent Midget event held at Port City one month ago, besting “PCR Posse” members Jonathan Beason and Andrew Felker in POWRi West Midget League action. He’s also sitting fourth in Xtreme points with four top-10s in seven races and is one of five drivers to qualify for all seven Features thus far. TWO TITLES? – Bryant Wiedeman rides 48 points out of the lead in the Xtreme Outlaw standings and is the most recent winner with the Series, taking the checkers on night #2 of the August doubleheader at Davenport Speedway. Though he’s never won at Port City, he ran second to Buddy Kofoid at the POWRi National Midget event there in March. He does have a win at I-44, putting it in Victory Lane in a POWRi Outlaw Micro Sprint race there in October 2020. The defending POWRi National Midget champion will need three strong runs this weekend if he wants to catch Daum in points and collect national Midget championships in consecutive years – an impressive feat for the 17-year-old Kansan. GOT THE POWR – Currently sitting third in Xtreme Outlaw points, 16-year-old Brenham Crouch comes into the weekend as the POWRi National Midget points leader by a hefty 510 points over second-place Taylor Reimer with only four races remaining. While he currently rides 93 points behind in the Xtreme standings, he’s not mathematically out of the title fight yet. With some good finishes and a few misfortunes from his competitors, Crouch could potentially walk out of Oklahoma with both national Midget titles in-hand. THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE When and WhereThursday, October 13 at Port City Raceway in Tulsa, OK Friday & Saturday, October 14-15 at I-44 Riverside Speedway in Oklahoma City, OK On the Internet Xtreme Outlaw Series Twitter – @Xtreme_Outlaw Instagram – @XtremeOutlaw Facebook – Facebook.com/XtremeOutlawSeries.WRG YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month CURRENT STANDINGS (7/10 Nights): 1. 9M-Zach Daum (1,464 PTS); 2. 01-Bryant Wiedeman (-48 PTS); 3. 97-Brenham Crouch (-93 PTS); 4. 7U-Kyle Jones (-143 PTS); 5. 25K-Taylor Reimer (-200 PTS); 6. 26-Chance Crum (-208 PTS); 7. 71K-Dominic Gorden (-291 PTS); 8. 84-Jade Avedisian (-331 PTS); 9. 72J-Sam Johnson (-389 PTS); 10. 61-Jacob Denney (-407 PTS). TOYOTA FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers): 1 win – Gavan Boschele (Mooresville, NC) / Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian #5 1 win – Taylor Reimer (Bixby, OK) / Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian #25K 1 win – Jade Avedisian (Clovis, CA) / CB Industries #84 1 win – Chance Crum (Snohomish, WA) / Rudeen Racing #26 1 win – Michael Pickens (Auckland, NZ) / Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports #081 win – Chase McDermand (Springfield, IL) / Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports #19AZ1 win – Bryant Wiedeman (Colby, KS) / Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian #01 FEATURE LAPS LED (11 Drivers): 50 Laps – Bryant Wiedeman 39 Laps – Cannon McIntosh 31 Laps – Jade Avedisian 27 Laps – Jacob Denney 20 Laps – Chance Crum 18 Laps – Chase McDermand 10 Laps – Gavan Boschele 10 Laps – Karter Sarff 5 Laps – Michael Pickens 4 Laps – Jesse Love 1 Lap – Kyle Jones WHITZ QUICKTIME AWARDS (5 Drivers): 2 QuickTimes – Michael Pickens, Taylor Reimer 1 QuickTime –Kyle Larson, Hayden Reinbold, Cannon McIntosh HEAT RACE WINS (17 Drivers): 5 Heat Wins – Brenham Crouch 3 Heat Wins – Cannon McIntosh, Kyle Jones, Chase McDermand 2 Heat Wins – Bryant Wiedeman 1 Heat Win – Nick Drake, Ryan Timms, Jace Park, Taylor Reimer, Joe B. Miller, Jacob Denney, Michael Pickens, Karter Sarff, Cade Lewis, Jesse Love, Daison Pursley, Gavin Miller K1 LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (7 Drivers): 3 LCS Wins – Ethan Mitchell 1 LCS Win – Kyle Larson, Brent Crews, Kaylee Bryson, Chase Briscoe, Dominic Gorden, Bryant Wiedeman TJ FORGED HARD CHARGER AWARDS (6 Drivers): 2 Hard Chargers – Bryant Wiedeman 1 Hard Charger – Dominic Gorden, Rylan Gray, Zach Daum, Kyle Jones, Chance Crum PODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers): 4 Podiums – Zach Daum 3 Podiums – Jacob Denney 2 Podiums – Michael Pickens 1 Podium – Gavan Boschele, Nick Drake, Taylor Reimer, Jade Avedisian, Brenham Crouch, Ethan Mitchell, Chance Crum, Karter Sarff, Chase McDermand, Dominic Gorden, Bryant Wiedeman, Kyle Jones TOP 10 FINISHES (32 Drivers): 7 Top 10s – Zach Daum 6 Top 10s – Bryant Wiedeman5 Top 10s – Brenham Crouch, Jacob Denney 4 Top 10s – Taylor Reimer, Kyle Jones 3 Top 10s – Chance Crum, Chase McDermand 2 Top 10s – Nick Hoffman, Ethan Mitchell, Brent Crews, Karter Sarff, Michael Pickens, Dominic Gorden, Cannon McIntosh, Daison Pursley, Gavin Miller 1 Top 10 – Gavan Boschele, Nick Drake, Sam Johnson, Carson Kvapil, Kaylee Bryson, Rylan Gray, Chase Briscoe, Jade Avedisian, Jake Neuman, Joe B. Miller, Kaidon Brown, Jace Park, Jerry Coons Jr., Jesse Love, Mitchell Davis 2022 XTREME OUTLAW MIDGET SCHEDULE & WINNERS: No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Tues, May 24 / Millbridge Speedway / Salisbury, NC / Gavan Boschele (1) 2. Wed, May 25 / Millbridge Speedway / Salisbury, NC / Taylor Reimer (1) 3. Sun, June 26 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / Jade Avedisian (1) 4. Fri, Aug. 5 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Chance Crum (1) 5. Sat, Aug. 6 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Michael Pickens (1)6. Fri, Aug. 26 / Davenport Speedway / Davenport, IA / Chase McDermand (1) 7. Fri, Aug. 27 / Davenport Speedway / Davenport, IA / Bryant Wiedeman (1)

BATAVIA, Ohio (October 11, 2022) – The battle for the Brandon Ford TV Race Challenge will end with this weekend’s 42nd Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by Optima Batteries. A tight battle for the $15,000 bonus between Ricky Thornton Jr., Tim McCreadie, and Brandon Sheppard will be decided at the conclusion of Saturday’s 100-lap finale. Thornton Jr. holds a slim 50-point advantage over McCreadie in the Brandon Ford TV Race Challenge standings – while Sheppard is only 80 points out of the lead in third.  The three drivers in contention for the Brandon Ford TV Race Challenge have each enjoyed recent success at Portsmouth Raceway Park in recent years. Ricky Thornton Jr. returns as the defending Dirt Track World Champion – while Tim McCreadie has finished in the top five twice in as many two years. Brandon Sheppard is a four-time winner of the crown jewel event at Portsmouth Raceway Park. The winner of the Brandon Ford TV Race Challenge points category will receive a $15,000 bonus, while second and third will receive $5,000 and $2,000 respectively at the year-end awards banquet. Drivers must maintain perfect attendance with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series to be eligible for these cash awards. Brandon Ford, World’s Largest Volume Ford Truck Dealer, continues their support of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series with the Brandon Ford TV Race Challenge. The mini-series within the 2022 schedule is awarding points to drivers at twenty (20) TV events; eighteen (18) LIVE televised events broadcast on the MAVTV Motorsports Network and the two (2) next day airings. The MAVTV Motorsports Network is the only cable television network in the U.S. dedicated solely to motorsports. With a total of 220+ providers across cable, satellite, telco, and digital broadcast platforms, MAVTV is now available to more viewers than ever before. For more information visit www.MAVTV.com. The talent of the nation’s top dirt late model drivers will be put on display along the way, not only during the 18 live events on MAVTV Motorsports Network, but also through the live stream of all Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events via MAVTV on FloRacing. Brandon Ford, located in Tampa, FL, has won Ford’s prestigious President’s Award for 19 consecutive years, saluting the top-performing Ford and Lincoln dealerships that pursue excellence in the highest levels of customer satisfaction in both sales and service. Brandon Ford has one of the largest inventories of new and pre-owned vehicles in the nation. Brandon Ford is centrally located just minutes away from the Crosstown, I-75 and I-4. They are located at the corners of State Roads 301 and 60, with entrances at both sides. Their hours are posted on their website for your convenience, as well as contact phone numbers for each of their departments. To learn more about Brandon Ford or if you are interested in purchasing a vehicle, visit: www.BrandonFord.com.

OCALA, FL (October 11, 2022) — Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster made a statement two weeks ago at the NHRA Midwest Nationals and they let the rest of the Top Fuel Countdown competitors know that the independent team from Ocala, Florida was not going to disappear into the background. A strong qualifying performance coupled with a runner-up finish closed the gap on the top five racers in the category. While Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team sit in sixth place they are only 66 points behind the Top Fuel points leader. For the second year Top Fuel driver and team owner he feels like he has momentum coming into the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex, October 14-16.

“We had a good race in St. Louis and I definitely would have liked to have gotten that win and the points,” said Hart, a two-time finalist in 2022. “I had a good race last year at Texas Motorplex and I think we will be in an even better position this year. We have three races left and this is the most Top Fuel races I have ever run in a season. My R+L Carriers team has been awesome and I think we will keep surprising people.”

Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Hart burst onto the Top Fuel scene last year winning the first Top Fuel race he entered, the historic Gatornationals and then to wrap up a strong rookie season on a limited schedule he won the Charlotte Countdown national event. Those two victories gave Hart the confidence and support from longtime marketing partners R+L Carriers and TechNet to make a commitment to run the full 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule. This season Hart has raced at new tracks across the country introducing his program and personality to new fans almost every weekend.

“This season has been a learning experience that has taken off as fast as my 11,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster,” said Hart. “We are a single car team and this is my first year taking on this kind of challenge. I have a great team with Ron Douglas as crew chief and Chris Armstrong bought into the team, so we have great funding to compete with these multi-car established organizations. This is where I want to be; racing the best competition every weekend.”

This season Hart overcame some early season hurdles shaking down a brand-new Top Fuel dragster and continuing to develop a very young team. He ran to a runner-up finish at the Norwalk Nationals and then a semifinal finish at the Mile High Nationals in Denver before a long streak of quarterfinal finishes at six of the next seven races. Hart held off his closest competitors to finish the regular season as the No. 5 seed coming into the Countdown.

Josh Hart, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“We started in the Countdown No. 5 and we have held our own but now is when we need to make a move,” said Hart. “These last three races are critical and I just want to have a shot on the last day of the season to win the championship. Anything’s possible and if we are racing at Pomona with points and a half I have a lot of confidence in this team.”

While Hart is living his dream racing professionally he knows it is the support from R+L Carriers, a five decade old family run company that is really fueling his racing career. As Hart and his team have travelled from state to state at every national event they are meeting with R+L Carriers employees celebrating career achievements with the company and also recruiting new team members. At national events Hart is hosting R+L Carrier guests and talking with fans about life-changing career opportunities with a national company that extend beyond driving long haul carriers.

DENVER, NC (October 11, 2022) — With three races remaining in the NHRA Countdown rookie of the year front-runner and Pro Stock championship contender Camrie Caruso along with Caruso Family Racing have added OZ Saferooms to their Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock race car during the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals this weekend. OZ Saferooms builds the first and only above ground seamless concrete tornado structure. Caruso is battling a tough field of Pro Stock competitors and marketing support continues to assist the young driver as the 2022 NHRA season winds to a close.

“We have been very fortunate to race and compete against established multi-car teams all season thanks to our marketing partners,” said Caruso, the No. 1 qualifier at the Sporing Nationals earlier this season. “We will have Sand Haulers of America as the primary sponsor at Texas Motorplex, but the addition of OZ Saferooms is a great addition and their product saves lives which is amazing.”

OZ Saferooms became a FEMA mitigation success story when they took a direct hit, in the direct path of an F5 Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. The OZ Saferooms sustained no damage and saved lives. The seamless saferooms can be formed and poured directly on a client’s lot and there are also prefabricated saferooms available as well.

“We are excited to be racing with Camrie and Caruso Family Racing,” said Andrew Zagorski, CEO OZ Saferooms. “We know how important safety is to Camrie and all the NHRA race teams. We take the same attention to detail to build our saferooms and we want to get the word out about our seamless and prefabricated saferooms. This will be a great weekend for OZ Saferooms and we are looking forward to meeting the NHRA community.”

Caruso will begin racing Friday, October 14, with two qualifying sessions including the Friday Night Live session when $7,500 in bonus money will be available to the quickest Pro Stock competitor during the second qualifying session. On Saturday Caruso will wheel the Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro with OZ Saferooms getting two more shots to qualify for the 16-car field. Final eliminations will begin at noon CT on Sunday with FS1 broadcasting the race nationally.

PLAINVIEW, NY (October 11, 2022) — Top Fuel points leader and defending Texas Fall Nationals champion Justin Ashley can’t wait to get back to Texas Motorplex to defend his 2021 Countdown win. The rising star of the NHRA will be celebrated on Wednesday night along with the three other Texas Fall Nationals champions Ron Capps (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) during the inaugural Champions’ Dinner at the track, a ticketed gala style event that will include Ashley’s favorite meal Chicken Prima Vera. He will be one of the top stars at the Pre-Stage Fan Fest at Railyard Park in downtown Waxahachie on Thursday night for the free fan autograph event before turning all his attention to going back-to-back at the Texas Fall Nationals with the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy.

“I am very much looking forward to heading back to Texas Motorplex for the Stampede of Speed and NHRA Texas Fall Nationals,” said Ashley, who has two runner-up finishes so far in the 2022 Countdown. The events leading up to and during the race, including “The Champions’” Dinner and autograph session, are a great way to provide a first-class entertainment experience for our fans. Track owners Billy Meyer and Christie Meyer Johnson go above and beyond for all involved. This is an excellent opportunity to enjoy everything this weekend has to offer while putting our best foot forward to defend the FallNationals title.”  

Justin Ashley and Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy, photo by Ron Lewis

This year’s Countdown has been loaded with excitement already for Ashley and his Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team powered by Vita C Energy. The 2020 Rookie of the Year started the playoffs in third place and with a runner-up finish at the Reading Nationals he raced to the points lead. The following week in Charlotte Ashley and Davis Motorsports recorded another runner-up and extended their lead. A quick exit two weeks ago in St. Louis didn’t hurt the four-time national event winner and he enters the Texas Fall Nationals looking to recapture his momentum.

“St. Louis was a tough weekend, but we put that behind us,” said Ashley. “The championship isn’t won by looking at the past or focusing on the future. It’s won by concentrating on the present. Right now, the present is the Fall Nationals so that is where our attention goes. This is an exciting time, and the Stampede of Speed and Texas Fall Nationals will have a real playoff atmosphere. Mike Green, Tommy DeLago, and the Phillips Connect crew are the best in the business and are ready for a good weekend.”

On Friday night at Texas Motorplex there will be $15,000 on the line for the quickest elapsed time of the second qualifying session. Conditions could be favorable for teams to post strong numbers and on top of the Motorplex bonus the Phillips Connect $30,000 first to 300 mph at the 1/8-mile bonus could be in jeopardy. Ashley, a driver and team owner, takes all the additional elements in stride when he gets inside his 11,000-horsepower land rocket.

“We want to put ourselves in the best position for success on race day by qualifying well. But we understand the importance of capitalizing on the special bonuses that are available. It’s important to our team that we are the first to go 300MPH to the 1/8-mile. Phillips Connect put the program together and we want to be the best representatives that we can be for their organization on and off the racetrack. That includes putting our Phillips Connect team in a better position to win the Camping World Top Fuel championship by having success on Sunday in Dallas.” 

Over the past 11 races Ashley has a win at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, three runner-up finishes and five semifinal finishes. The Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster has an average qualifying position of 3.4 over the past ten races with a No. 1 qualifier at the second Countdown race in Charlotte.

Ashley and his team will get four qualifying sessions during the Texas Fall Nationals over Friday and Saturday with final eliminations starting at noon CT on Sunday.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 11, 2022) – Progressive American Flat Track is pleased to announce that Zo CBD will serve as a presenting sponsor of the highly anticipated 2022 season finale, now officially titled the Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I & II presented by Daytona Dodge and Zo CBD. In its role as co-presenting sponsor, Zo CBD will be prominently featured throughout the hugely anticipated Progressive AFT season finale weekend. The brand will have a fan activation space at Volusia Speedway Park, along with significant signage, jumbotron ads, and PA announcements. Zo CBD is a multi-time award-winning manufacturer of CBD products. Grown on a family farm and processed in America’s heartland using non-GMO, pesticide-free farming methods in order to ensure the full chain of custody of its products from seed to bottle, Zo CBD products stand out in a crowded industry. Included among Zo CBD’s offerings available for purchase are Full Spectrum Hemp Extract, Full Spectrum for Pets, Broad Spectrum (THC-free), Pain Relief Muscle Rub, Pain Relief Body Butter, and Full Spectrum Gummies (Blue Raspberry or Fruit Punch).For more information on Zo CBD visit https://zocbd.com/. The epic 2022 Progressive AFT season will conclude with the Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I & II presented by Daytona Dodge and Zo CBD at Volusia Speedway Park, in Barberville, Florida, on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/4054/ to reserve your tickets today.For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com. To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.

Alton, VIRGINIA – October 10, 2022 – In his inaugural race for Showtime Motorsports, Keith Grant scored a runners-up spot in the prestige TA class race Sunday afternoon at Virginia International Raceway. The race result comes the day after the double-top-ten finish the team achieved with Cameron Lawrence and Dylan Archer in the TA2 race. But while the team was celebrating, it was a bittersweet experience for team principal Ken Thwaits, who is chasing the runners-up spot in the TA driver championship. The likeable Tennessean endured a luckless weekend that saw him exit the TA Class race in the opening stages. Grant arrived in Virginia and quickly got to grips with the 850 BHP behemoth that is a TA1 car and he posted impressive times all weekend. Keith recorded a lap of 1:46:023 in the No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Showtime Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in practice. Team boss Ken Thwaits was right behind him in 1:46:929. Grant then posted 1:46:081 in difficult conditions for qualifying with an impressive P3 on the starting grid. Although the headline of the race itself would have to be Matthew Brabham’s last-to-first drive in the ALTWELL Mustang, it could scarcely have gone much better for Grant who took advantage of Championship winner Chris Dyson’s retirement to claim P2 on the podium. We spoke to Keith after the race, and he’d clearly had a tremendous experience with a result to match, “The weekend was great. I really enjoyed running with Showtime. Ken gave me a great car. Jeremy [Chief Mechanic] was on the car the whole time. I didn’t have to do any engineering. It was a great overall effort.” Ken on the other hand was unlucky all weekend, with several factors hindering his progress. The No. 7 Showtime Motorsports Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro was parked in the middle of the pack starting P9 on the grid. Ken had a challenging position on track for the start with drivers getting bottled up and tight going into Turn 3. There was contact that involved multiple cars. That incident caused him to leave the track with only a few minutes on the clock into the feature race. He recounted the catalogue of problems to our trackside reporter. “We had a suspension failure in the first session and then we had a nose problem in the second session, so we were playing catch up all weekend. When we got to qualifying, the conditions were so dark that you couldn’t see the track and it was dirty. Not qualifying well leads to what just happened [the incident]. Better luck next time!” Three out of four excellent finishing positions must be regarded as a success for the team and Ken himself is a truly optimistic and resilient guy. He’ll be leading the team when the muscle car series returns at Circuit of The Americas in early November and is already making plans for 2023. With teams like Showtime around, the future for Trans Am looks very bright indeed. TV Broadcasting for this weekend is as follows: TA2 – Oct 12, 7:00p.m. ET on CBS Sports NetworkTA2 (Encore Presentation) – Oct 13, 12:30 a.m. ET on CBS Sports NetworkTA/XGT/SGT/GT – Oct 13, 8:00p.m. ET on CBS Sports NetworkTA/XGT/SGT/GT (Encore Presentation) – Oct 14, 12:30 a.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

BATAVIA, Ohio (October 10, 2022) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will close out the 2022 season this week in Portsmouth, Ohio. The 42nd Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by Optima Batteries takes place October 13th-15th, at Portsmouth Raceway Park. The weekend will get underway on Thursday night with preliminary events for the Modified division. On Friday, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will take center stage with Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, and Heat Races. Additionally, the Limited Late Models will compete in their preliminary events. The Ohio Valley Legend Car Series will have a complete program on Friday night, while the Modified division will contest their 30-lap A-Main. Saturday’s festivities kick off with a Dirt Racing Outreach Service at 3:30 PM. The on-track action will begin at 6:00 PM with Hot Laps, followed by the crowning of the 2022 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion and O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year. Then, the 15-lap B-Mains for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will be contested, followed by the 100-lap, $100,000-to-win 42nd Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by Optima Batteries. After that, the Limited Late Models will compete in their 25-lap feature event, followed by the 25-lap, $3,000-to-win Jim Dunn Memorial Non-Qualifiers Race for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. All gates will open at 1:00 PM with Hot Laps slated for 6:00 PM each day at Portsmouth Raceway Park. For more information on the 42nd Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by Optima Batteries, visit: www.thedtwc.com; www.portsraceway.com; or call (740) 354-3278. Tim McCreadie will officially claim his second consecutive Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Championship by registering for competition on Friday night. Brandon Sheppard is second, followed by Ricky Thornton Jr. The battle for fourth through sixth is still a tight race between Hudson O’Neal, Earl Pearson Jr., and Tyler Erb. Garrett Alberson has clinched the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year title. About Carl Short’s Dirt Track World Championship:Founded in 1981 by Hall of Fame event promoter Carl Short, the Dirt Track World Championship set the foundation for high paying crown jewel dirt late model events. Jim Dunn claimed the first Dirt Track World Champion crown which boasted $30,000, double the winner’s share of any other major event that year. Over the past 40 years, dirt late model veterans and rising young stars alike have etched their name in the Dirt Track World Championship history book.  In 2022, the historic event saw a more than $30,000 purse increase – bringing the grand total for the two-day Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event to $238,950. About General Tire:General Tire for over 100 years has offered a complete quality line of ultra-high performance, passenger, light truck, off-road, and commercial tires to meet all your needs. To learn more about General Tire, visit: www.generaltire.com. About Optima Batteries:With a 40-year history of technological innovation and engineering, Optima products offer unstoppable power for extreme enthusiasts and others who require “The Ultimate Power Source.” In the past decade, Optima has revolutionized the industry with the introduction of its unique Spiralcell Technology, as well as developing the first digital battery charger and maintainer. Additional information can be obtained by visiting: www.optimabatteries.com.  Track Information:Portsmouth Raceway ParkPhone Number: 740-354-3278Location: 25648 State Route 73, West Portsmouth, OH 45663Directions: 0.5 mile south of US 52 on SR 73, then right just before bridgeWebsite: www.portsraceway.com Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Friday, October 14th:Left Front – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300 or harderRight Front/Left Rear – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1300 NRM, (29.0) 1300 NRMW *Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials and Heat Races*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound & construction to retain starting position. Saturday, October 15th:Left Front – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300 or harderRight Front/Left Rear – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300, (28.5) 1425Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1300 NRM, (29.0) 1300 NRMW, (29.0) 1425 NRM, (29.0) 1425 NRMW, (92) LM40, (92) NLMT4 *Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*For the B-Mains, competitors may use 4 new tires.*For the Non-Qualifiers race, competitors may use 4 new tires.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 4 new tires. Purse Information:Dirt Track World Championship A-Main (100 Laps): 1. $100,000, 2. $20,000, 3. $10,000, 4. $8,000, 5. $7,500, 6. $7,000, 7. $6,000, 8. $5,000, 9. $4,500, 10. $4,000, 11. $3,500, 12. $3,250, 13. $3,000, 14. $2,750, 15. $2,700, 16. $2,650, 17. $2,600, 18. $2,575, 19. $2,550, 20. $2,525, 21. $2,500, 22. $2,500, 23. $2,500, 24. $2,500, 25. $2,500, 26. $2,500 = $215,100 Jim Dunn Memorial Non-Qualifier (25 Laps): 1. $3,000, 2. $2,000, 3. $1,500, 4. $1,250, 5. $1,200, 6. $1,150, 7. $1,100, 8. $1,075, 9. $1,050, 10. $1,025, 11. $1,000, 12. $900, 13. $800, 14. $700, 15. $600, 16. $500, 17. $500, 18. $500, 19. $500, 20. $500, 21. $500, 22. $500, 23. $500, 24. $500, 25. $500, 26. $500 = $23,850 Previous Dirt Track World Champions:2021 – Ricky Thornton Jr.2020 – Brandon Sheppard2019 – Brandon Sheppard2018 – Josh Richards2017 – Josh Richards2016 – Brandon Sheppard2015 – Scott Bloomquist2014 – Scott Bloomquist2013 – Brandon Sheppard2012 – Jimmy Owens2011 – Don O’Neal2010 – Earl Pearson Jr.2009 – Jimmy Mars2008 – Brian Birkhofer2007 – Chub Frank2006 – Shannon Babb2005 – Scott Bloomquist2004 – Rick Eckert2003 – Darrell Lanigan2002 – Shannon Babb2001 – Bart Hartman2000 – Wendell Wallace1999 – Steve Francis1998 – Freddy Smith1997 – Marshall Green1996 – Billy Moyer1995 – Jack Boggs1994 – Ronnie Johnson1993 – Freddy Smith1992 – Ronnie Johnson1991 – Freddy Smith1990 – Jack Boggs1989 – John Mason1988 – Donnie Moran1987 – Larry Moore1986 – Billy Moyer1985 – Freddy Smith1984 – Jack Boggs1983 – Freddy Smith1982 – Charlie Swartz1981 – Jim Dunn

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 10, 2022) – Matthew Brabham missed qualifying at Virginia International Raceway following a practice session mechanical issue but then came the rear of the 22-car grid in his CD Racing #20 allgram / Concord American Flagpole Ford Mustang to win Sunday’s Trans Am by Pirelli 100-mile sprint race. “In the end this was a great day,” Brabham said after climbing from his car. “But it was a difficult one. At times it felt like it was just a matter of survival.” Brabham set the race’s fastest lap before settling into a controlling lead. A slight miscue on the penultimate lap of the race erased much of Brabham’s nine-second lead over second-place finisher Keith Grant. “It was a silly mistake on my part, going too deep (into the corner) trying to pass a car I was lapping. The team did a terrific job all weekend and I have to thank Chris and the whole Dyson team today.” It was Brabham’s second Trans Am win of the season for CD Racing. He won at Mid-Ohio and finished second behind Dyson at Lime Rock Park. Brabham claimed his first series victory at the final race of the 2021 season, substituting for Chris Dyson. For the first half of the Virginia International Raceway event it looked like it might be a CD Racing sweep of the podium. With the season championship already his, Dyson was using the race as a competition shakedown for the team’s new chassis. Dyson demonstrated the new #16 ALTWELL CBD Riley Technologies-designed Mustang’s potential by setting the fastest practice time and winning the pole with a track-record speed. Dyson’s domination of the weekend continued through the first half of the race, leading handily before tangling with a car that was already three laps down. “We had a commanding lead and I was really rolling but giving myself plenty of margin. I came up on that lapped car and gave him plenty of room and he saw me but he still turned right into me. It was shocking. But the new car was amazing to drive, a real dream. Over the summer, we’d tested it and addressed all the issues we could find. But you never really know until you race a car. I’m super happy with the Riley, but disappointed didn’t have the chance to run the full distance. I’m convinced we had a race winner. So we’ll go to CoTA and try to end the season with a victory. “Congratulations to Matty, who did his usual superb job,” Dyson said. “And hats off to our guys. They worked late into the night last night and we still took the win home. Paul made some good progress in the race, too. He ran strong at Watkins Glen, finishing fifth, and was even stronger here.” After running as high as third place, Fix finished sixth in the team’s #21 allgram/StopFlex.com/ClassicTube Ford Mustang.

(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.

2022 NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series
Championship Points Standings (After 16 events in 20-race series – 10/9/22)

1. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1771
2. Willie Croft, Colfax – 1732
3. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 1706
4. Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 1686
5. Max Mittry, Redding (R) – 1654
6. Shane Golobic, Elk Grove – 1614
7. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 1600
8. Billy Aton, Benicia – 1365
9. Joel Myers Jr, Sebastopol – 1400
10. Logan Forler, Boise, ID – 1195
11. Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 1136
12. DJ Netto, Hanford – 1069
13. Corey Day, Salinas – 1066
14. Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR (R) –  904
15. Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ (R) – 878
16. Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 815
17. Garen Linder, Central Point, OR – 708
18. Kerry Madsen, Knoxville, IA – 687
19. Colby Copeland, Roseville – 670
20. Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 633

McPherson now leads by 19 points in Sportsman Series with four dates remaining

OSWEGO, NY – Oct. 9, 2022 – He’s been the most dominant DIRTcar Sportsman Modified driver in the nation this year, and now, Cody McPherson has the most coveted trophy to prove it.

In one of the most impressive displays put on at Oswego Speedway in recent editions of NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week, McPherson showed the same prowess he’s shown all season long in DIRTcar-sanctioned action, leading all 75 laps around the 5/8-mile oval to collect the $4,000 grand prize and his first career Super DIRT Week title.

“This one’s been on the bucket list since I was a little kid going to the [Syracuse] Mile,” McPherson, of St. Catharines, ON, said. “Watching everyone race, and hearing about all the stories of Super DIRT Week and the legacy. This is the 50th one, so I feel like this one will be talked about a little bit more.”

The win tops-off a record season for the 30-year-old Canadian. With 16 total DIRTcar Feature wins (most of any driver), the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Racing Series championship, and now a 19-point lead in the Sportsman Series Fall Championship, this level of domination has not been seen in the division since the likes of Rocky Warner, Dave Marcuccilli and Brad Rouse ruled the ranks.

McPherson made it a goal to win the Hoosier Weekly title this year, racing as much as possible around home and in the States at some of his favorite venues. Now with the Super DIRT Week title in-hand, he reflected on the work it took to get to this point.

“It was a grind; it was always just me and [crew member] Rick,” McPherson said. “Just the two of us going to all these shows. Luckily, my dad was able to come here this weekend and help out. But for the most part, it’s me and Rick in the shop, me and Rick at the racetrack, it’s me and Rick going five-and-a-half hours down the road to Albany-Saratoga, three-and-a-half to Fulton and back… it’s a grind.”

Though the box score will show he led all 75, McPherson had anything but an easy time out front.

He won the mad dash into Turn 1 at the drop of the green, putting fellow heavy-hitters Matt Janczuk and Chris Mackey behind him for the first 30 laps. Behind them, a hard-charging Zach Sobotka was making a break for the head of the field – reminiscent of his run from 19th in last year’s event.

Sobotka, the defending Chevy Performance 75 winner from Parish, NY, was putting his knowledge of Oswego to work, making his way through the top-10 and up to fourth by Lap 35. After a quick caution, Sobotka took advantage of a mistake by Matt Janczuk on the restart to move to third and could see the leaders within his reach.

When Janczuk nearly spun on the restart, Chad Edwards followed Sobotka through the open door into Turn 1 to take fourth. The very next lap, the two caught and passed Chris Mackey the same way to advance to second and third – continuing a drastic swing in momentum for Edwards, who was going backwards in the early stages.

“We kinda sank back to seventh or eighth there early in the race, and came back up through,” Edwards said. “Every caution, it seemed like we’d get one car on the restart.”

After a few late-race cautions, the top-five continued to chase each other into the closing stages. With eight-to-go and just under a second lead, McPherson reached lapped traffic with Sobotka right on his tail. He moved swiftly past the first two cars and appeared to be in the clear for the final laps, until the yellow was displayed once again with three laps left on the board.

Restart time. Single-file, last year’s winner right on his bumper, and a big check on the line. With the pressure on, McPherson kept a cool head.

“With the yellow at three-to-go, I wasn’t too worried,” McPherson said. “I knew Sobotka would be right there; he’s such a good runner, just like Janczuk was there the whole time.

“I just knew to calm myself down, hit my marks and if it was meant to be, it was gonna be, and if not, it wasn’t.”

McPherson stomped the throttle in Turn 4. Sobotka looked to his inside down the frontstretch and nearly found some space but was met with a left-rear fender as McPherson closed the door on him.

“I tried to make a hole where there wasn’t,” Sobotka said. “I really expected Cody to slide-up a bit, and he came down to the bottom.

“I tried to put my nose in there, and Cody was there, and I just hit him with the right-front. It kicked the car back around, and that’s when Chad [Edwards] was able to get under me.”

Edwards took advantage of the situation, peeking underneath Sobotka before they reached Turn 1. He made the pass at the exit of Turn 2 and made a beeline for McPherson, but time was nearly out. McPherson led the field back around to the checkers to seal the win.

“Definitely not easy,” McPherson said. “I was confident, no doubt. I knew we had a good car, but I also knew there was a lot of other good cars here too – a lot of talent. I just knew I had to hit my marks and do 75 perfect laps.”

October 9, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team emerged from a chaotic race at the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a 28^th-place finish.

Burton, racing on his 22^nd birthday, started the Bank of America ROVAL 400 from 23^rd place and drove into the top 20 before making his first pit stop with three laps remaining in the first 25-lap Stage.

He wound up 23^rd in that segment but moved into the top 15 after other drivers made pit stops during the Stage break.

As the laps wound down in the second Stage, and numerous drivers made pit stops, he took second place and ended the Stage there, earning nine bonus points.

Burton made his second pit stop at the end of the second Stage and since he was one of the last drivers to pit, he rejoined the field near the back of the pack.

From that point on, he battled hard for every spot and was involved in several multi-car bump ups. Even with a spin in the frenetic final laps, he took the checkered flag in 28^th place, one lap off the pace.
 
Still, he earned 18 points for the day and moved up one spot in the points standings to 27^th.
 
Burton and the No. 21 team now turn their attention to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and next week’s South Point 400.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Team Earn Strong Top-10 Finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL

10th

15th

14th

“We had a strong Get Bioethanol Chevrolet today at the ROVAL. It was probably one of the best road course cars we’ve had, so props to everyone at RCR and ECR. I made a mistake early and had to serve a pass-through penalty for missing the front stretch chicane on lap 1. Luckily, we were able to rebound and raced our way into the top-10 fairly early in the race. Our pit crew was fast all day and gained us spots on pit road, and Justin Alexander made the right adjustments to keep the No. 3 Chevy in the hunt. It was challenging to make the call to pit or stay out during the last few restarts. It was wild at the end of the race. Everyone was shoving and racing hard. I’m happy to leave with a top-10 finish and look forward to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next week.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick, 3CHI Team Grab 14th Top-10 of the Season At The ROVAL

8th

4th

13th

“Overall, it was a solid day for our 3CHI team. We brought a really fast race car to the ROVAL and we followed our strategy. We did a lot of things right, but we’re naturally disappointed because we wanted to win today since we’ve had a lot of speed on road courses this year. Unfortunately, we had a little hiccup on our Stage 2 pit stop that forced us to take long when we refueled and we lost track position in the third stage. We fell a little bit behind, but we were in a position where if a caution had come out we could have been okay. I pushed really, really hard to try to close the gap to the No. 9 car and burned my tires up. When those cautions came at the end of the race, I didn’t have much left to lean on.” -Tyler Reddick

NASCAR CUP SERIES

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY R.C.

BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT

OCTOBER 9, 2022

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 RACE RESULTS:

POS.   DRIVER

4th      AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

5th      Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

8th      Tyler Reddick, No. 8 3CHI Camaro ZL1

10th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1

11th    Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1

12th    Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Raze Energy Camaro ZL1

16th    William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1

19th    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Harris Teeter / Scott Camaro ZL1

20th    Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: 

POS.  DRIVER

1st      Christopher Bell (Toyota)

2nd     Kevin Harvick (Ford)

3rd      Kyle Busch (Toyota)

4th      AJ Allmendinger (Chevrolet)

5th     Justin Haley (Chevrolet)

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 will get underway next Sunday, October 16, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the South Point 400 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 37th 

What are you thinking when you have to go to the garage to make some repairs?

“Really nothing going through my head.. just a testament to the No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevy team to get my car back out there that quick. They got the suspension fixed and got us back out there to finish.”

You go onto the next round. How are you feeling? 

“I’m human, so it hurts to make the mistakes that I made today and yesterday. I’ll take some time here with my guys and when I drive out of this parking lot, I’m going to make a big effort to leave the ROVAL here. Normally, it’s Monday morning when I’m done with it and look through everything, but we’re onto another round.

It’s a testament to our season and our finish in points today. The strategy by Phil Surgen (Crew Chief) and our strategy with Trackhouse and Team Chevy to get the stage win in Stage Two is ultimately the difference that gave me the buffer when I needed it the most. I will drive off the property here in Concord and leave this here. It’s number one priority.”

Take me through the incident that caused the damage? 

“Lack of awareness of car placement in turn two and hit the wall.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 35th 

At what point in the race were you worried? 

“As soon as I hit the wall. Yeah, you just give up that many spots; you know it’s going to be close and then the caution there. So, yeah, I just made way too many mistakes all year long. Made another one today and it ultimately cost us a chance to go chase another championship. Just extremely mad at myself because I let the team down a number of times this year and let them down in a big way today. We will keep fighting and we will come back stronger. I will definitely come back stronger, smarter and make better moves out there. Just mad at myself. Bummer.”

Seems like you take a lot of the blame for this. How do you make it up to the team? 

“Go race hard. There is no other person to blame than myself for today. I feel like our team put ourselves in a position as well as we could on points today. We got as many stage points as we could and I think we were plus 27 or 28 at the time when I screwed up. Just for no reason either. I wasn’t even pushing all that hard at that moment. It got loose and caught me off guard.

So yeah, just keep working on my craft, get better and make a lot less mistakes. Like I said, I made way too many mistakes this whole year and you can’t win a championship like that.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 20th 

You led the most laps today, but chaos there at the end of the race. How do you describe it from your perspective? 

“I’m not 100 percent sure.. I haven’t seen a replay yet. 

I thought I had a pretty good launch and thought I got through (turns) one and two good. I thought I gave AJ (Allmendinger) enough room through one and two to not run into the fence. I don’t know if he just got loose, overdrove turn three or whatever, but I ended up on the outside. Whatever the reason, he ran wide and I ended up the track in a super compromised situation. 

Bummer. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) called a great race. Our No. 9 NAPA Chevy wasn’t great, but it was plenty good enough to win. Our team called a perfect race to get us the lead, and our pit stops were really good to not to have any mistakes and get us a really nice cushion. We had a lot of laps on our tires, but I could maintain my pace out there with having a nice gap. We’ll try again next week.”

We restack things next week with Las Vegas, Homestead and Martinsville. How is your confidence level in the Round of 8?

“I think it’s going to be a really tough round. Vegas was a struggle for us in the spring. Homestead, we’ve just been really hit-or-miss there. We did have a test there a couple weeks ago, so hopefully we’ve learned from that. Martinsville, it’s just going to be about how you qualify because I don’t see anybody passing there. We’ll see how it goes. Try to bring our A-game. It would have been nice to have some more points from today, but we didn’t and we’ll try again out in Las Vegas.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 4th 

How are you feeling with the crazy way that race finished? 

“When you are that close to winning, it’s for sure disappointing. But I’m happy with the way this No. 16 Action Industries Chevy was. It was really fast. We just need to work a little bit on pit road. We lost that little bit of track position, and it was a track position game. Once I got around the 8 (Tyler Reddick), I was burning my stuff up trying to catch the 9 (Chase Elliott). With those restarts, I knew I was kind of used up already. I got a good restart there and when Chase and I touched kind of through (turn) two, I went to set up for three and it turned me sideways and I slid a little more. That was unfortunate because that allowed the 4 (Kevin Harvick) to get to my bumper and we know Kevin is going to do that if he gets any chance. That’s a part of racing and going for the win. That second restart there, it was just a couple of guys with better tires, and you are just a sitting duck.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 16th 

“Give enough room, try to not barrel it into the chicane and get hooked in the left- or right-rear. Certainly, just not how you want to race there at the end, but it was just crazy racing with the green-white-checkered and the way that guys are able to get into each other, make contact, guys spin out and the track gets blocked. It just gets wild there at the end. 

But we did what we needed to do, which was to get some stage points and finish the race. We’ll move on and get ready for Las Vegas.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 36th 

How hard was today for you? 

“Very tough. The second-half of the race was probably the most difficult race I’ve driven in my life, but it is what it is. Unfortunately, me as a driver, that’s something that’s out of my control.”

As you look back on this year, certainly there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a very encouraging year, isn’t it? 

“It’s been good. Certainly we have to continue to work and continue to get better.”

It was hard to pass out there. What did it look like from inside the race car? 

“The first-half of the race was good; and then we had a mechanical failure with the steering and after that, it was game over. It’s very disappointing to lose a race like that. Our No. 99 CommScope Chevy was good; it was fast. I felt like it was going to be an easy transition based on the speed that we had, but once we lost the steering, I was just trying to survive. My arms are destroyed right now. My hands are destroyed. It’s just unfortunate.” 

TEAM CHEVY RACE QUICK NOTES

Stage One:

·       William Byron led Chevrolet to the green in the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 playoffs elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, taking a front row starting spot in his No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1. 

·       Chevrolet playoff contender, Ross Chastain, moved to the rear of the field in the starting lineup after damage sustained in an accident in yesterday’s qualifying session forced the team to make repairs to his No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1. 

·       The 25-lap Stage One went caution free, with five Chevrolet drivers taking spots in the top-10 of the stage. Leading the Bowtie brigade was William Byron, driving his No. 24 Camaro ZL1 to a second-place finish in the stage. 

·       Stage One Team Chevy Top-10: 

2nd      William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1

3rd      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 CommScope Camaro ZL1

6th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

9th      Tyler Reddick, No. 8 3CHI Camaro ZL1

10th     AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

Stage Two: 

·       Crew chief Randall Burnett called the No. 8 3CHI Camaro ZL1 to pit road with two laps remaining in Stage One, allowing Tyler Reddick to stay out during the stage break to give the No. 8 Camaro ZL1 a front row restart position for the start of stage two. 

·       Stage Two also went caution-free, with pit strategy atop the No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1 pit box putting Chastain into position to be at the top of the leaderboard and take the stage win. This marks Chastain’s sixth stage win of 2022. 

·       Stage Two Team Chevy Top-10:

1st      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

3rd      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

4th      AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

5th      Tyler Reddick, No. 8 3CHI Camaro ZL1

6th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 CommScope Camaro ZL1

10th    Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

Final Stage / Post-Race Notes: 

·       Chevrolet drivers took four of the top-10 finishing positions, led by AJ Allmendinger and the No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1 team in fourth. Allmendinger’s Kaulig Racing teammate, Justin Haley, rounded out the top-five in his No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1. 

·       Rounding the Team Chevy top-10 was Richard Childress Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon, who placed eighth and tenth, respectively. 

·       Three Chevrolet drivers advanced to the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8, including Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and William Byron; and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain.

Alton, VIRGINIA – October 9, 2022 – Showtime Motorsports with partner Franklin Road Apparel continued their upward trajectory at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday, October 8 when the Tennessee based team scored two top ten finishes in a highly competitive TA2 race for Round 11 of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli championships. Team principal Ken Thwaits has made a major investment in Trans Am, his trademark Chevrolet Camaros are now a fixture of the paddock and the team continues to evolve. The race at VIR saw the debut in a Showtime car with the exciting young driver Dylan Archer and the young up-and-comer didn’t disappoint. Sponsored by the Food Processing Equipment Company, Dylan made relentless progress through the race in the No. 4 Camaro to nab a top ten finish in P8 at the checkered flag. A fine result to go alongside Cameron Lawrence in the Franklin Road Apparel No. 6 car who was one place ahead of him. Billed as the Mission Foods VIR Speed tour, the weekend began well for Cameron Lawrence who made the top ten testing session with a time of 1:51:785. Quicker conditions for the second testing session saw Cameron post an even better time 1:50:748 for an impressive P3 in the list. Driving out of Keller, Texas Dylan Archer was P11 in the same session with the time of 1:52:803. In official practice Cameron in the No. 6 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro sat P6 after a lap of 1:50:612. The Lakeway, Texas driver then maintained his good form in qualifying with a time of 1:50:513 to secure a top ten on the grid.  It was no surprise that Ken had a smile on his face when we spoke to him after the race, “It was a great race for us. Both cars were driving well off the trailer which helps on these weekends. Cameron qualified P10 and finished in P7 and had some good battles. Dylan was P15 on the grid and finished P8. This was his first race for Showtime Motorsports and he showed us what a great driver he is. He did a great job. We want to get a better result eventually but we’re digging and we’ll get there. We’ll see what happens but two top ten finishes is definitely something to smile about!”  The Showtime TA Class cars are in action on Sunday when Ken in the No. 7 Franklin Road Apparel car is joined by Keith Grant in the sister No. 5 car. Meanwhile the final round and climax of the season is now just a few weeks away. November 4 to 6 are the days when the muscle car road show hits the Formula One home of the United States Gran

(10/8/2022 – Alex Nieten) Hanford, CA… Two features, two vastly different stories as the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars visited Keller Auto Speedway for the Morrie Williams Memorial.

The first saw perhaps the nation’s top young sprint car talent collect yet another victory as he continues his rise to stardom. The latter provided one of the most emotional celebrations in NARC history as a series legend took a storybook trip to the winner’s circle.

In the opening twin-20 lapper Corey Day capitalized on some good fortune to earn his sixth series victory in only his 23rd career start, and then Jonathan Allard followed it up by dominating the second 20-lapper in none other than the car that helped him establish his legacy, the Williams Motorsports No. 0.

The first feature looked like it would be all Kerry Madsen as he wheeled the Roth Motorsports machine from row two to the lead by the end of the opening circuit, taking the top sport from polesitter, Day.

“When you start on the front row, it’s hard to gauge what people are doing behind you and where the fast line is,” Day said of losing the early lead to Madsen. “I definitely thought in my head that race was going to be won on the top, and it wasn’t he drove right by me on the bottom.”

The “Madman” expertly worked traffic in the early going, only being slowed by a mid-race yellow and then a nasty red flag as Ryan Bernal and Craig Stidham flipped entering turn one. Both were unharmed.

As the laps waned, Day began to search on what had been a bottom dominant track. It appeared the Clovis native cost himself a chance at victory when the turn two cushion tripped him up inside of five laps to go, giving Madsen more breathing room. However, on the next trip around, the same spot bit Madsen as he negotiated a slower car. Madsen wasn’t as lucky as Day as his incident sent him flipping, ending his night.

“I definitely got a Christmas gift on that one with him (Madsen) taking himself out,” Day admitted. “He just got in there a little too hard behind the lapped car and slid too hard into the cushion and turned it over.”

On the restart, the new leader Day pulled ahead in his Meyers Constructors/Four CCCCs Construction No. 14 as runner-up Tim Kaeding attempted to run him down. Ultimately, Day would not be denied after inheriting the lead as he cruised to the checkered flag with a 2.066 second advantage, marking his fourth NARC win in his 10th start of 2022.

Completing the podium in the first main event was Tim Kaeding in the Works Limited No. 57 and Shane Golobic in Matt Wood’s NOS Energy Drink/Elk Grove Ford No. 17W.

Courtesy of the full-field invert based on the first feature’s finish (excluding lapped cars), Jonathan Allard started on the front row of the second next to Justyn Cox who was reunited with Bates Hamilton Racing.

Allard darted ahead from the outside as the green flag flew aboard Morrie Williams’ iconic ride with backing from Allard’s New Zealand racing family, the Daltons. The three-time NARC champion immediately glued the No. 0 to the bottom as the field sliced and diced behind him.

A few challengers, Justyn Cox, Bud Kaeding, and Austin McCarl, all appeared that they might give Allard a strong fight at various times throughout the second feature, but every time one of them would muster a run, Allard would stretch the lead again.

The veteran continued to piece together solid laps on the bottom as the battle raged for runner-up behind him and the laps dwindled. Inside of five laps to go, Cox secured the second spot and began to charge at Allard. The white flag flew with Cox just behind him. The duo entered turns three and four for the final time, and Cox let it all hang out on the cushion, drawing even with Allard and bringing the crowd to their feet, but the grip on the bottom proved too strong as Allard pulled ahead and took the checkered flag.

“The biggest thing is I was trying not to make any mistakes. At my age, that happens quite a bit,” Allard said of his race with a smirk. “We’ll take what we can get, and I was just trying to get the car where it needed to be.”

Allard’s 41st career series victory might just be the most special of all. It was Morrie Williams who took a chance on him in 2005 when he didn’t have a ride. It was Morrie Williams’ car he drove to his three NARC championships. It was Morrie Williams who helped Allard cement his status as a sprint car legend. And Allard, reunited with the Williams Motorsports team for the first time in nearly a decade, drove the No. 0 to a win in his first NARC California appearance in three years in the racing honoring Morrie himself.

“As they say, I’d rather be lucky than good any day,” a humble Allard said, crediting the invert for some help. “The guys have been working so hard to try to make me feel comfortable, but it’s going to be a lot of work to keep getting up to speed with these guys. We’ve got a few features to run in a row to try to sort things out. I definitely think Morrie was looking after me tonight.”

Rounding out the podium in the second feature was Justyn Cox in Josh Bates and Roger Hamilton’s Teichert/Vinyltech No. 42X and Austin McCarl in the Country Builders Construction No. 88.

Corey Day claimed the Morrie Williams Memorial overall championship courtesy of his win in the first feature and a fourth-place result in the second.

FUJITSU GENERAL USA FEATURE ONE (20 laps): 1. Corey Day 14 2. Tim Kaeding 57 3. Shane Golobic 17W 4. Dominic Scelzi 41 5. Mitchell Faccinto 21 6. Justin Sanders 2X 7. Max Mittry 2XM 8. D.J. Netto 88N 9. Willie Croft 29 10. Bud Kaeding 69 11. Andy Forsberg 92 12. Dylan Bloomfield 83V 13. Austin McCarl 88 14. Jonathan Allard 0 15. Justyn Cox 42X 16. Kurt Nelson 72W 17. Cody Key 18. Burt Foland Jr. 4 19. Connor Danell 5D 20. Kerry Madsen 83JR 21. Ryan Bernal 22 22. Chase Johnson 24 23. Craig Stidham 36 24. Kaleb Montgomery 2K

FUJITSU GENERAL USA FEATURE TWO (20 laps): 1. Jonathan Allard 0 2. Justyn Cox 42X 3. Austin McCarl 88 4. Corey Day 14 5. Justin Sanders 2X 6. Bud Kaeding 69 7. Tim Kaeding 57 8. Dylan Bloomfield 83V 9. Dominic Scelzi 41 10. Shane Golobic 11. Willie Croft 29 12. Max Mittry 2XM 13. Mitchell Faccinto 21 14. Kurt Nelson 72W 15. Cody Key 15 16. D.J. Netto 88N 17. Andy Forsberg 92 18. Connor Danell 5D 19. Burt Foland Jr. 4

METTEC TITATIUM LAP LEADERS FEATURE ONE: Madsen 1-17, Day 18-20

METTEC TITATIUM LAP LEADERS FEATURE TWO: Allard 1-20

SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER FEATURE ONE: Cody Key

SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER FEATURE TWO: Corey Day

ARP FAST QUALIFIER (30 cars): Tim Kaeding 13.771

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (8 laps): T. Kaeding, Scelzi, Faccinto, Bloomfield, Netto, Forsberg, K. Nelson, C. Nelson, Key, Myers Jr.

KIMO’s TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (8 laps): Mittry, Madsen, Sanders, Croft, Bernal, Cox, Danell, Montgomery, Shaw, Hodges

DIRT.TRAVEL CLUB HEAT THREE (8 laps): Day, Golobic, B. Kaeding, Stidham, McCarl, Allard, Johnson, Coelho, Foland Jr.

SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” TROPHY DASH (4 laps): Day, Kaeding, Madsen, Golobic, Scelzi, Mittry

STARR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SEMI (10 laps): Johnson, Montgomery, K. Nelson, Danell, Key, Foland Jr., Coelho, Hodges, C. Nelson, Shaw, Myers Jr.

EASTABOGA, Ala. (October 8, 2022) – Tim McCreadie led all the way for his sixth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of 2022 on Saturday night at Talladega Short Track. With the victory, McCreadie now has a 215-point advantage over Brandon Sheppard heading into next week’s season finale at Portsmouth Raceway Park. Ricky Thornton Jr. tracked down McCreadie in the final stages of the race, finishing 0.661 seconds behind the 48-year-old New York racer. Dale McDowell finished in third followed by Garrett Alberson and Brandon Sheppard. Michael Page, a multi-time Ice Bowl winner at Talladega, crossed the finish line in fourth but was disqualified after failing post-race droop check. McCreadie had to fight lapped traffic late in the race but held on for the win. “I was trying to get by Ross [Robinson] there and I know he was trying to lay low down the straightaway and let me get a good run on the outside. Ross was trying to help me out, but I just figured if I backed up a little bit and let him get out a little further maybe it won’t mess me up so much in the middle so once I did that I thought just stay where you are, and we got it done.” Thornton, with his runner-up finish looks to secure third place in the championship points heading to Portsmouth next week where he will defend his Dirt Track World Champion title. “I thought about one time a Hail Mary on the top in three and four. Then I thought better of it. I was like at this point if I could run second, it was a lot better than destroying a car. We’ll take it. T-Mac was really good. The only reason I got close to him was because of lapped traffic.” McDowell rounded out the podium with his third-place run. “We were pretty decent. We just needed a little bit there in the feature. You know it was just where you start. Hats off to the track crew they tried to make that top work. We really couldn’t use the top like they was hoping. I give them an A for effort. It’s hard to do. I have done it myself.” The winner’s Paylor Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Mega Plumbing HVAC, Armslist.com, New Point Lighting and Design, Bilstein Shocks, Racing for Heroes, Walker Performance Filtration, Baker Mitchell Company, SCT, and The Aesthetic Haus. Completing the top ten were Spencer Hughes, Tyler Erb, Ross Bailes, Dylan Knowles, and Earl Pearson Jr. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Saturday, October 8th, 2022Talladega Short Track – Eastaboga, AL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Tim McCreadie / 13.287 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Garrett Alberson/ 13.717 seconds Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 12-Scott Crigler[2]; 3. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 4. T1-Todd Morrow[3]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[5]; 6. 44D-Dalton Cook[6]; 7. 25-Tim Roszell[7]; 8. M96-Marty Lunsford[8] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 11-Spencer Hughes[3]; 3. 18X-Michael Page[2]; 4. 35-Chris Mullinax[5]; 5. 46J-Chris Jones[8]; 6. 4-Ryan Wilson[6]; 7. 42-Cla Knight[7]; 8. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[4] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 4. 79-Ross Bailes[7]; 5. 38-Dillon Tidmore[4]; 6. 71-Hudson O’Neal[6]; 7. 05-TJ Brittain[8]; 8. 76-Brandon Overton[5] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 17M-Dale McDowell[1]; 2. 16S-Sam Seawright[2]; 3. 66K-Dylan Knowles[3]; 4. 25C-Shane Clanton[8]; 5. 5-Chase Oliver[4]; 6. 15-Tim Busha[5]; 7. 22R-Will Roland[6]; 8. (DNS) 46P-Jason Papich Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 7-Ross Robinson[1]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[6]; 3. 38-Dillon Tidmore[2]; 4. 44D-Dalton Cook[5]; 5. 5-Chase Oliver[4]; 6. 4-Ryan Wilson[7]; 7. 15-Tim Busha[8]; 8. 05-TJ Brittain[10]; 9. 42-Cla Knight[11]; 10. 22R-Will Roland[12]; 11. 76-Brandon Overton[14]; 12. 25-Tim Roszell[9]; 13. M96-Marty Lunsford[13]; 14. 46J-Chris Jones[3]; 15. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[15]; 16. (DNS) 46P-Jason Papich