HANFORD, Calif. — Following the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series’ visit to Keller Auto Speedway, the track will stay busy this Saturday with the first NARC-King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Cars’ race of the year at the three-eighths-mile track.
The Tom Tarlton Classic concluded in storybook fashion with Lemoore, Calif., native Carson Macedo wheeling the Tarlton-sponsored Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 machine to his second consecutive victory in the event.
Macedo’s skills behind the wheel were honed aboard the notorious Tarlton Racing No. 21 across the Golden State. He won the inaugural edition of the event last year, driving the all-black machine.
California Outlaw Brad Sweet finished in the runner-up spot, his second straight podium in the Tom Tarlton Classic. Sweet’s teammate, James McFadden, rounded out the top three.
• Several local drivers turned in stellar drives during the Tom Tarlton Classic.
Leading the charge was two-time WoO feature winner Shane Golobic, who finished fourth, to score his ninth-career top-five finish with the Outlaws.
NARC King of the West point leader Dominic Scelzi raced from 12th to finish sixth, while four-time King of the West titlist Kyle Hirst raced home ninth aboard the Williams Motorsports No. 0.
Hanford’s D.J. Netto appeared headed for a great run before a hometown crowd, but late contact with David Gravel flattened the left-rear tire on Netto’s No. 88n, knocking him from contention.
• Saturday’s King of the West event at Keller Auto Speedway will be the first of three races for the series at the track during the next six weeks. Other events are set for Oct. 9 and Oct. 29.
Leading the charge into the weekend is Dominic Scelzi. The Fresno native is looking to collect a myriad of milestones. A win on Saturday would mark his 15th career victory, 30th podium and ninth consecutive podium, which would be the best streak in the series since Kyle Hirst notched nine straight podium finishes in 2018. Scelzi owns a pair of 410 wins in Hanford since last year.
While Scelzi has distanced himself atop the standings, a donnybrook has broken out for the runner-up spot, as only three points separate the three drivers ranking second through fourth.
After a feast-or-famine first half of the year, Tim Kaeding has found consistency, using a stretch of eight straight top-10 finishes to claim second in the standings. The two-time series titlist was the only driver to score top-five finishes in all three Hanford events last year.
Kaeding’s brother, Bud, is two points behind in third. After a superb start to the year with podium finishes in half of the opening six events, Bud Kaeding hasn’t finished better than fourth in the nine races that have followed.
Netto is fourth in the standings. The reigning series champion has been plagued by bad luck recently. Netto hopes his fortune will turn around at a track where he has already scored a 410 victory this year.
• Two of Mitchell Faccinto’s three series victories have come at Keller Auto Speedway.
• Iowa driver Austin McCarl, a frequent competitor in California, is seeking his first King of the West victory. He finished second in a 360 at Hanford earlier this year.
• Sean Becker is looking to get back on track after the Louie Vermeil Classic. He earned top-five finishes in the two Morrie Williams Tribute features at Hanford in 2020.
• In addition to the NARC-KWS race at Keller Auto Speedway, the Adobe Cup is also slated for Saturday at Petaluma Speedway.