PETALUMA, Calif. — The high-powered 950-horsepower NARC sprint cars will return to Petaluma Speedway on Saturday, July 8 to battle at the Salute to Baylands Raceway Park.
This will mark the 16th event on the NARC campaign and final appearance of the season for the traveling series at the North Bay three-eighth-mile clay oval.
“Petaluma is a special place with all the history that I have there, my family has there, and all the great fans that show up and support the place,” said local Penngrove driver Chase Johnson. “NARC puts on an excellent show at Petaluma, and the fans always pack the place so I’m expecting a full grandstand. It’s also a great opportunity to race in front of all my local sponsors and supporters.”
The event pays tribute to the now-defunct Baylands Raceway Park, a racing facility in Fremont that was a major player on the Northern California racing scene. Opening in 1981, it produced notable track champions such as Jimmy Sills, Jimmy Boyd, Dave Bradway Jr., and Ed Organ. Thirty-three NARC-sanctioned events were held at the facility, with Steve Kent winning the final event on October 8, 1988, before the track was permanently shuttered.
It should also be noted that Petaluma Speedway recently underwent a track reconfiguration in June. It is expected to widen and enhance the racing surface for the top 410 sprint car drivers on the West Coast. Companion divisions on Saturday include the Redwood Dwarf Car Association, Mini Stocks, and 600cc Micro Sprints.
Championship Chase
After an incredibly successful Northwest swing, teenager Corey Day expanded his point lead from a slim eight points to a healthy 45-marker advantage over Dominic Scelzi. Day finished eighth in the Jason Meyers Racing No. 14 entry on May 20 in his most recent Petaluma NARC outing. He will be looking to improve on that performance.
But Scelzi, the two-time defending NARC champ, is looking to cut the championship points gap. He has been fantastic at Petaluma on the last two visits, winning both at the historic venue. Can he make it an incredible three in a row?
With only six events left on the schedule, it is no doubt crunch time for the Scelzi Motorsports No. 41 team in the fight for the 2023 King of the West title as Day looks to continue to build on his advantage.
Who to Watch
Justin Sanders finished on the Petaluma podium during NARC last visit to the track. Driving the Redding, Calif.-based Demo Mittry-owned No. 2X, the Aromas pilot is coming off a huge $82,000 payday at the Jim Raper Memorial Super Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway.
Bud Kaeding performed wonderfully in May at Petaluma, when he finished second and was in contention for the victory. Kaeding is looking for another good run on the adobe clay. Kaeding has scored three NARC wins at Petaluma Speedway, with the most recent triumph coming in 2017, the year he won the series championship (the others were in 2008 and 2015).
Johnson, as stated above, has a lot of laps around Petaluma. He will be a force to reckon with as he will be back in his family car and reunited with potent crew chief Ivan Worden. Johnson was the 2012 360 Sprint champion and is a two-time NARC winner at his home track (2017 and 2019).
Justyn Cox is due for another victory. Cox picked off an $18,000 payday in April for his first career NARC victory. He has been running up front in the Bates-Hamilton Racing No. 42X and is currently fourth in the points standings.
Teenager Dylan Bloomfield will be back in the Vertullo No. 83V. Even though he was eleventh the last time NARC was in town, Bloomfield has gotten a massive amount of racing under his belt in the previous month that no doubt will be beneficial on Saturday.
Billy Aton is looking to have another positive Petaluma result. Aton had one of his best runs of 2023 when the series last was at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds track. He is looking to bounce back after a nasty crash oat the Super Dirt Cup.
Andy Forsberg, the 2021 track champ, powered his way to a fourth-place drive in May. Despite only a handful of appearances with the tour, the Auburn phenom is a driver you do not want to discount from winning as he has hit the “pay dirt” three times this year in 360 competition.
Also slated for action are Colby Copeland, Nick Parker, Burt Foland Jr., Stephen Ingraham, Angelique Bell and several others.