CHICO, Calif. — Following a NARC-King of the West event at Keller Auto Speedway and Petaluma Speedway’s Adobe Cup, the calendar turns to October and the Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals will take center stage on the West Coast.
The NARC-King of the West sprint cars ran their 16th event of the season and for the third time in the last five years Hanford’s Keller Auto Speedway produced a first-time winner.
Second-generation driver Corey Day earned his first NARC-King of the West victory after a wheel-to-wheel battle with 71-time series winner Tim Kaeding. The 15-year-old’s victory came 16 years after his father, Ronnie, scored his final series victory — also at the Hanford track.
With his second-place finish, Tim Kaeding notched his ninth consecutive top-10 finish in the series. It was his best effort since his July 10 victory at Petaluma Speedway. The runner-up result helped Kaeding cut slightly into Dominic Scelzi’s point lead with four events remaining.
Fast-qualifier Justin Sanders earned his fourth podium finish in seven races aboard the Works Limited No. 57 wrenched by Paul Silva.
Behind the top-three, Billy Aton picked up his series-leading third Hard Charger award of his rookie King of the West campaign with a 14th to seventh-place run.
• The Adobe Cup took place at Petaluma Speedway with Andy Forsberg pocketing $5,000 for his second consecutive victory in the event.
• The 28th running of the Fall Nationals are set to take place at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway this weekend after pandemic regulations erased the intended date in 2020.
Tim Kaeding took home the most recent Fall Nationals title in 2019, bringing his tally to five, two more than any other driver. Kaeding’s extensive résumé boasts 61 sprint car victories at the Chico quarter-mile. Kaeding is uncertain if he’ll compete this weekend.
A pair of three time Fall Nationals winners, Sean Becker and Andy Forsberg, will both be eying their fourth victory in the event. The legendary Nor-Cal duo own a combined 123 sprint car victories and 11 track titles at Chico. Forsberg is coming off a Platinum Cup victory in Chico just a few weeks ago.
Dominic Scelzi will look to continue his 2021 trend of winning historic West Coast events. The Fresno, Calif., native scored his first Chico victory in a 2016 Fall Nationals prelim. Scelzi won last month’s Louie Vermiel Classic at Chico and topped the Dirt Cup at Washington’s Skagit Speedway in June.
Looking to bring his Chico win total to double digits will be Justin Sanders. His four wins this year have raised his checkered flag count to nine at the Butte County bullring. Like Scelzi, Sanders owns a single Fall Nationals prelim win and claimed a Louie trophy a month ago.
Three-time Chico feature winner Tanner Carrick is seeking his first Fall Nationals title.