HANFORD, Calif — The green flag is ready to wave on Northern California’s sprint car season with a pair of shows slated for this Saturday (Feb. 26).
Hanford’s Keller Auto Speedway will feature the Kings of Thunder 410 and 360 sprint cars on a night that promises to showcase much of California’s top talent. The evening is set to be the first of five appearances for both 410 and 360 winged sprint cars at the track this season.
• The nation’s winningest sprint car driver last season, Dominic Scelzi, will get his race season started in Hanford. Of his 22 victories last year, six of them came at the Kings County three-eighths mile. If Scelzi can pick up a win this weekend, it’ll mark the 50th sprint car triumph of his career.
• Justin Sanders, who won 21 features last season plans to chase a Keller Auto Speedway trophy. Though Sanders owns more than 100 career sprint car triumphs, he’s yet to claim one in Hanford. He’s shown continued improvement at the Peter Murphy-operated facility with three top-five finishes in the four NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car appearances in 2021.
• Kerry Madsen intends to open his newest chapter with Roth Motorsports. Fellow Australian, Paul Baines, will turn the wrenches on the No. 83jr. The Mad Man is coming off a strong 2021 that saw him collect three World of Outlaw NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars wins with Tony Stewart Racing, his most since earning five against the nation’s best in 2017.
His most recent World of Outlaws appearance at Keller Auto Speedway produced a sixth-place result back in 2015.
• A notable new pairing will debut at Keller Auto Speedway this weekend as Mitchell Faccinto will make his maiden voyage in the Tarlton Motorsports machine. Faccinto is no stranger to success in a 410 at Hanford with two of his three NARC victories coming at his hometown track.
The Tarlton team will also be bringing their 360 sprint car with Gauge Garcia behind the wheel, as the young racer looks to jump-start his sprint car career.
• Last year, Shane Golobic picked up his first two Hanford victories by claiming the season opener and a $10,000 payday in the inaugural Anthony Simone Classic. The Fremont, Calif., native plans to do double duty on Saturday with hopes of beginning his race season with a pair of trophies.
• Iowa’s Austin McCarl will continue to search for his inaugural West Coast victory in the Country Builders Construction No. 88. The 2018 Knoxville Raceway track champion has been stout in Hanford, collecting top-five finishes in half of his 10 starts, with a best effort of second coming last March.
•Fifteen-year-old Joel Myers Jr. will be making his first start in the Vertullo Motorsports sprint car. The teenager turned heads along the West Coast last season, with many impressive runs including a fourth-place result in Hanford’s Anthony Simone Classic.
• Farther north in the Golden State, Marysville Raceway will begin its season with the first of 17 scheduled nights of 360 sprint car racing.
• Brothers Tanner and Blake Carrick are making the haul from Lincoln, Calif., to the Marysville bullring. The talented duo has each won races at the quarter-mile in each of the last two seasons. Tanner Carrick enters the sprint car season having already scored a Chili Bowl prelim victory this year.