The Northern Auto Racing Club has finalized a 27-race schedule that will visit 13 different facilities across California, Oregon and Washington. The amount of planned events tops last year’s mark by seven.
The racing will bloom to life on the first weekend in April with a trip to The Stockton Dirt Track on Saturday, April 2. The $6,000 to win opening race has been coined The Duel at The Dirt Track and will also feature a pit crew competition
It’ll mark the first of four NARC appearances at Stockton in 2022.
The following are highlights of the series’ latest schedule.
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NARC has expanded its involvement to a two-day running of the eighth Peter Murphy Classic with the opener set for May 13 at Tulare, Calif.’s Thunderbowl Raceway, and the $11,000 to win finale making the move to Hanford, Calif.’s Keller Auto Speedway on May 14. Both nights will also feature the Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360’s.
The lucrative Howard Kaeding Classic will be on July 15-16 at Watsonville, Calif.’s, Ocean Speedway, with the NARC portion on the latter.
The popular Louie Vermeil Classic is currently in search of a 2022 location as Calistoga (Calif.) Speedway continues to be mired in a collection of bureaucratic issues involving the fairground property. When a new venue is found for the Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 3-4, tradition, details will be announced.
Speedweek Finds A New Home
The Fastest Four Days in Motorsports returns in 2022 but with a change of scenery.
For the first time since 2012, the series will travel to the Pacific Northwest for four straight nights of racing in both Oregon and Washington on Memorial Day weekend.
The action will begin on Thursday, May 26 at Southern Oregon Speedway. The next night takes the teams up to Willamette Speedway on Friday, May 27. A double header at Elma, Washington’s Grays Harbor Raceway on Saturday and Sunday will punctuate the four-day blitz on May 28-29. Each race pays $5,000 to win and there will be a special bonus for any driver and team who can sweep all four shows.
Dirt Cup
NARC is set to support the 50th edition of the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Washington’s Skagit Speedway. The three-night event is slated for June 23-25 with the finale awarding a whopping $50,000 to the winner. The purse for the Saturday main event also exceeds $160,000.
The Dirt Cup will also be preceded by a pair of events the previous weekend. Chico, Calif.’s Silver Dollar Speedway will begin The Road to Dirt Cup on June 17-18, it’s back up to Oregon for the Battle at The Bullring hosted by Cottage Grove Speedway.
California Mainstays
A single weekend in June will feature two coveted staples of the left-coast racing circuit. On Friday, June 10, Ocean Speedway will be the site of the 36th annual Pombo-Sargent Classic.
Then the series will head from the coast to the Sierra Nevada foothills on Saturday, June 11 where Placerville Speedway will host the 31st Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race.
The series also will visit Petaluma Speedway and the Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway this season.
The season finale will be another historic event with the 39th annual Tribute to Gary Patterson capping the year on Nov. 5 at The Stockton Dirt Track.
New But Notable
The second edition of the Anthony Simone Classic will be held at Keller Auto Speedway on April 9 and again pay $10,000 to the winner. It will also showcase a NARC wingless event for anyone who may want to demonstrate their versatility.
Hanford will also host the third annual Morrie Williams Memorial on Oct. 15 that will conclude with a pair of 20-lap NARC features, the second being lined up on a complete invert of the first’s finish. This lucrative event continues to grow in stature and popularity every year.
To celebrate one of the most successful sprint car owners of California, the first ever Dennis Roth Classic will take place at the Thunderbowl Raceway on Oct. 8. Fittingly, the feature will pay $8,300 to win and $830 to start to commemorate his famous No. 83 race cars.
NARC FUJITSU GENERAL USA SPRINT CARS 2022 SCHEDULE
April 2: The Stockton Dirt Track (Stockton, CA) – The Duel at The Dirt Track w/ Pit Crew Competition
April 9: Keller Auto Speedway (Hanford, CA) – Anthony Simone Classic
April 30: Silver Dollar Speedway (Chico, CA) – David Tarter Memorial
May 13: Thunderbowl Raceway w/SCCT (Tulare, CA) – Peter Murphy Classic Night One
May 14: Keller Auto Speedway w/SCCT (Hanford, CA) – Peter Murphy Classic Night Two
May 21: Petaluma Speedway (Petaluma, CA) – Salute to First Responders
May 26: Southern Oregon Speedway (Central Point, OR) – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports
May 27: Willamette Speedway (Lebanon, OR) – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports
May 28: Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA) – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports
May 29: Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA) – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports
June 10: Ocean Speedway (Watsonville, CA) – 36th Annual Pombo-Sargent Classic
June 11: Placerville Speedway w/SCCT (Placerville, CA) – 31st Annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race
June 17: Silver Dollar Speedway (Chico, CA) – The Road to Dirt Cup
June 18: Cottage Grove Speedway (Cottage Grove, OR) – The Battle at the Bullring
June 23: Skagit Speedway (Burlington, WA) – 50th Annual Jim Raper Dirt Cup
June 24: Skagit Speedway (Burlington, WA) – 50th Annual Jim Raper Dirt Cup
June 25: Skagit Speedway (Burlington, WA) – $50,000 to win 50th Annual Jim Raper Dirt Cup Finale
July 9: Petaluma Speedway (Petaluma, CA) – Salute to Baylands Raceway Park
July 16: Ocean Speedway (Watsonville, CA) – 12th Annual Howard Kaeding Classic
July 23: The Stockton Dirt Track (Stockton, CA) – Salute to LeRoy Van Conett
Aug. 27: The Stockton Dirt Track (Stockton, CA) – Champions Classic
Sept. 3 – Louie Vermeil Classic w/USAC-CRA – Track To be Announced
Sept. 4 – Louie Vermeil Classic w/USAC-CRA – Track to be Announced
Oct. 8: Keller Auto Speedway w/SCCT (Hanford, CA) – Morrie Williams Memorial (Twin 20-lap Features)
Oct. 15: Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare, CA) – Dennis Roth Classic
Oct. 29: The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park (Bakersfield, CA) – Sprint Car Showdown
Nov. 5: The Stockton Dirt Track w/SCCT (Stockton, CA) – 39th Annual Tribute to Gary Patterson