JACKSONVILLE, Ore. – As Tanner Holmes has developed his 410ci sprint car program over the past couple years, he hasn’t had many opportunities to test it out at his home racetracks, but that will change in a big way this week.
The California-based NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars are journeying north for the ‘Fastest Four Days in Motorsports,’ marking their first trip to the Pacific Northwest in a decade.
The racing starts Thursday at Central Point, Oregon’s Southern Oregon Speedway, then to Lebanon, Oregon’s Willamette Speedway on Friday, and concludes with a pair of nights on Saturday and Sunday at Elma, Washington’s Grays Harbor Raceway.
Holmes owns victories at both Oregon facilities and has had some solid runs at Grays Harbor. Those outings were primarily a part of local 360ci action, so Holmes is looking forward to some 410ci racing on a bigger stage.
“You take a little bit of pride in racing at your home tracks when a big series is coming to your home places,” Holmes said. “Those are your places. Those are where your fans are at. That’s where you learned to race and watched races growing up.”
In addition to getting the chance to compete with a top series on home turf, Holmes views the Pacific Northwest dates as an indicator that the trajectory of the sport is headed in the right direction in the region.
“I think it’s a very positive thing for the sport that NARC is kind of turning into a West Coast series not just a California series,” Holmes said. “I think it’s really neat, and I think it’s going to bring more 410s into the scene and will lead to bigger car counts and more support and get new fans as they go to places that NARC hasn’t been in a while.”
The four-day racing blitz will be perhaps the best opportunity for Holmes and his team to showcase the strides they’ve made with their 410ci operation. They acquired an engine for the No. 18t at the beginning of 2021 and have focused on it as often as they can, even traveling east last year to battle the Tezos All-Star Circuit of Champions during a long summer stretch.
While Holmes and company faced plenty of challenges and woes in battling some of the sport’s toughest competition, they learned lessons that can’t be taught by racing only near home.
“We just kind of went for it,” Holmes said of their Eastern travels. “You never really know if you’re going to be ready. You just kind of go for it is our mentality. So, we just tried to make sure we had all the equipment and went for it.
“We went to so many new tracks and raced with some of the best drivers in the world that I respect the hell out of,” Holmes continued. “Guys that are incredible race car drivers and way better in person than on TV. It was super valuable to get to go and do that. That was huge even though we kind of got stomped just about every night we still had a couple really good moments that we built off for this year.”
With the experience he’s gained over the past year plus his familiarity with the tracks on the schedule for the coming weekend, Holmes seems poised to produce some stout outings. However, the 18-year-old knows nothing is guaranteed in this sport and is staying modest.
“It’s tough. With these guys, everyone is so good it’s really hard to set goals,” Holmes explained. “For us, I think it would be nice if we could click off some consistency throughout the four nights to help gauge where we’re at.”
After the Memorial Day Weekend visit, the NARC Sprint Cars won’t be done up north.
They’ll return for the Road to Dirt Cup and then take part in the 50th Annual Super Dirt Cup at Alger, Washington’s Skagit Speedway. The stretch includes a date that Holmes readily admits is circled on his calendar, June 18th at Cottage Grove Speedway.
“Cottage Grove is the main one,” Holmes said. “When I saw a 410 show there, I was like ‘man if there was a place where I feel like I could really win would be Cottage Grove,’ so that’s a big one.”
While Holmes is eying that day in June, the bulk of his focus remains on the task at hand, the four nights of racing slated for the coming holiday weekend. The ascending driver is hopeful for a strong showing at home as a part of an event that he sees as a major opportunity for his region to showcase what it has to offer.
“I can’t wait,” Holmes said. “I just hope that the weather cooperates and we can get these races in, have a good show for the fans, and show that there are some really good places in the Northwest.”