TULARE, Calif. — It hasn’t taken long for the new Tarlton Motorsports crew to gel.
A week-and-a-half ago Carson Macedo wheeled one of their all-black machines to victory lane at Keller Auto Speedway and gave new Tarlton crew chief, Drew Warner, a victory in his debut.
Then this past weekend their primary pilot for this season, Mitchell Faccinto, led all 35 laps of the John Padjen Classic Silver Cup finale to win in just his second start in the No. 21 to help keep Warner perfect.
“It was a good second night out,” Faccinto said. “Getting that first win is big to start the year.”
The early success may not come as too much of a surprise considering Faccinto and Warner worked together for two years during Faccinto’s tenure aboard Stan Greenberg’s No. 37. On top of that, they brought in some extra help during the offseason to help them be fast out of the gate.
“It’s been a pretty good start,” Warner said. “It just shows how great of a program Tom and Tommy (Tarlton) have let us build. Shane (Watts) and Cole (Macedo) helped out a lot this winter getting everything prepared and it’s awesome to be rewarded this early in the season.”
Now, they’ll carry the momentum into their biggest test of the young season, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars spring California swing.
First up will be two nights at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulsare. Faccinto owns a strong record at the Thunderbowl with three 360 sprint car victories since 2018. It’s also the place he made his WoO feature debut.
Also featured on the West Coast swing is Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway, the track where Faccinto earned his third NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car Series victory just last year.
Faccinto is seeking his inaugural WoO triumph, while Warner earned a pair of series victories while working on Rico Abreu’s car in 2018.
Expected to eventually help California locals such as Faccinto is the Golden State tracks adjusting tire rules to mirror those of the Outlaws, but in a still young season the teams have limited laps on the new tires. Despite the obstacle, Faccinto and Warner are confident heading into the stretch.
“I don’t think I’ve been there (Tulare) on the H tire in the last four or five years,” Faccinto said. “We might have a little bit of work to do, but I think we’ll be able to, hopefully, get out of the gate good and qualify good. If you’re a little bit off with those guys, it makes for a long night and long weekend.”
“I feel like we’re going to be a little closer than years past now that we are running the same tires all year and can continue to build a program around them,” Warner said. “I wish we could’ve got a race in at all of these tracks before they came, but we will just have to keep working and make the most out of it.”
In addition to their shared desire to continue the hot start by topping the Outlaws, they have a little extra motivation to claim a California Outlaw victory.
While the Tarlton family has been a part of countless Outlaw victories in recent years in their supporting efforts with Kyle Larson and Carson Macedo, it’s been since 2014 that their iconic car has parked in the World of Outlaws’ victory lane.
“It sure would mean a lot,” Warner said of a potential Outlaw win. “The Tarltons have a lot of success with the Outlaws with the (Nos.) 57, 41, and 2, but it would be awesome to get the 21 back in Outlaw victory lane.”
The Tarlton crew is firmly aware that beating the best is no small task, but a pair of wins to kick off the year and a strong team dynamic have them confident as the Outlaws invade their turf.
“I’m excited to get to Tulare and Bakersfield and those kind of small tracks with the Outlaws coming back out here,” Faccinto said. “The attention to detail that these guys have put in the whole winter is huge and I think it shows winning the first two nights out. I’m excited to race with the Outlaws.”
“Mitchell is a smart racer and definitely capable of doing it,” Warner said. “I just have to hope Shane and I can do our job and give him a good enough car to pull it off.”