SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A fan favorite event is on tap this weekend for the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars as Ocean Speedway is set to host the 12th Annual Howard Kaeding Classic presented by Al’s Roofing Supply.
Racing will kick off Friday, July 15 headlined by the Ocean Speedway 360 sprint cars, and on Saturday, July 16 when the NARC 410 sprint cars take center stage.
The event honors the legendary patriarch of the Kaeding family who established a legacy as one of the greatest drivers of all time along the West Coast, primarily recognized for his countless triumphs at San Jose Speedway. Talent behind the wheel of a race car has proven to be a genetic gift among the Kaeding lineage as Brent, Howard’s son, is NARC’s winningest driver of all-time, and most recently Brent’s sons, Tim and Bud, have accomplished great things in sprint car racing across the entire country.
The race is organized in large part by Bud whose annual efforts bring in plenty of support to help make it a lucrative night for racers, and 2022 is no exception. Saturday’s Fujitsu Feature will pay $6,900 to win and a strong $800+ to simply make the show.
“I’ve got a lot of great supporters that help the event,” Bud said. “They’ve always came back. It’s a great group of people. Nowadays they kind of know it’s that time of year, and when I call them the first thing they say is ‘I’m sending a check today.’ It’s cool because a lot of those people know my grandfather from around the track, so they’re honored to help an event in his name.”
Who to Watch
A pair of Ocean Speedway experts in Shane Golobic and Justin Sanders have come oh so close to claiming the NARC portion of the Howard Kaeding Classic, and both hope to finish the job this year. The two of them own a combined six series triumphs at Ocean Speedway and five runner-up finishes in the event. Both are former winners of the 360 portion and are looking to claim the coveted 410 feature this year.
Dominic Scelzi has spent much of the past two seasons adding prestigious event victories to his resumé, but he’s still in search of a Howard Kaeding Classic win. In Scelzi’s last two series starts in Watsonville, the current NARC point leader has finished third and second, so he’ll look to occupy the remaining spot on the podium Saturday.
While Bud Kaeding flexes his promoting muscles leading up to this race, his focus will shift to snagging a third victory in the NARC portion of the event, which would equal Kyle Hirst’s current record tally. Kaeding’s five series victories at the Watsonville bullring suggest he’s got a good shot.
Bud’s brother, Tim Kaeding, has been strong since returning from injury and will look to translate some recently built momentum into his first Howard Kaeding Classic checkered flag. At Dirt Cup a couple weeks ago, the San Jose driver picked up a win and didn’t finish worse than eighth over three nights of racing in the Bates-Hamilton Racing machine. Kaeding is a seven-time NARC feature winner at Watsonville.
Sean Becker is reuniting with Vertullo Motorsports to pilot the No. 83V this weekend. Last year the Roseville native ended a seven-year NARC winless drought with his victory in the Howard Kaeding Classic in Dave and Debbie Vertullo’s machine.
Other drivers expected to compete include Mitchell Faccinto, Max Mittry, Billy Aton, Joel Myers Jr., PChase Johnson, D.J. Netto, Justyn Cox and more.