HANFORD, Calif. – This past weekend featured the anticipated return of the Trophy Cup at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway, which lived up to the hype and then some.
The racing kicked off Thursday and while Buddy Kofoid parked in victory lane at the end of the night, it was Pennsylvania Posse member Anthony Macri stealing the show.
Macri, nicknamed The Concrete Kid because of his family’s concrete contracting business, began the night timing third-quick in his qualifying group.
After a solid heat race, Macri stayed quiet early in the feature before flipping the switch late and banging the boards, as he’s known to do at his home track, Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway.
Over the final six laps Macri surged from seventh to finish second.
“I’m pretty stoked,” a smiling Macri said after the runner-up finish. “This place is pretty badass. It’s everything everyone said and more.”
Macri dropped to seventh in the final standings after starting Saturday third in points.
— Night two saw Rico Abreu snatch a win away from the new driver of a second Netto Family Motorsports entry, Mitchell Faccinto.
Faccinto dominated much of the race until a late caution. That gave Abreu the opportunity to slide Faccinto in turn three and never look back.
— Buddy Kofoid asserted himself as the top competitor of the weekend. He won Thursday’s opener, went 12th-to-second on Friday and continued his strong run Saturday, going eighth to second in his heat race.
Kofoid wound up finishing fourth Saturday with a comfortable 16-point advantage in the final standings, sealing his first Trophy Cup title
— Colby Copeland came into the final night ninth in standings and ascended to the runner-up spot in both the Saturday feature and the points, marking his best Trophy Cup.
“We had the open red,” Copeland said, discussing the feature. “And these guys just tuned on the adjuster bolts a little bit, a few turns in the shocks and it came alive, so I was able to drive up to second there.”
— A native of nearby Hanford, DJ Netto finished third in the standings to earn his second points podium at the Trophy Cup.
Netto was joined by teammate Faccinto with a solid Trophy Cup. Faccinto’s 10th-place effort made the pairing the only set of teammates in the top 10.
— A pair of 15-year-olds both managed top six results.
Second-generation driver, Corey Day, continued to turn heads with his fourth-place effort.
Making his Trophy Cup debut, Ryan Timms triumphed in the Saturday feature, elevating him to sixth in the points.
The Oklahoma teenager was not only competing in his first Trophy Cup, but it was also his first weekend racing at Tulare.
“I was just hoping to make the A (main), so to win it is pretty crazy,” a thrilled Timms said after the race.
— California stays busy this weekend with a big NARC-King of the West double-header on tap.
Friday the series heads to Hanford for the third consecutive race at Keller Auto Speedway.
Saturday’s race will take place at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, Calif.
The KCRP event marks the penultimate NARC-KWS tilt of the year.
— Dominic Scelzi continues to lead the NARC-King of the West points and has nearly locked up his first championship.
Scelzi will be looking to get back on track following the final night misfortune at the Trophy Cup.
Just a few weeks ago at the Morrie Williams Memorial he earned his third Keller Auto Speedway NARC win and 15th career series win.
— A noteworthy streak is in jeopardy as the NARC-King of the West season closes.
Two of the strongest West Coast forces are Kyle Hirst and Shane Golobic. The duo have a combined 43 series victories.
The NARC-King of the West sprints haven’t seen a season where neither of the potent pair win a race since 2011.
The two own a collective 16 top-fives in 22 feature starts this season but neither have managed to park their machine in victory lane with just three races to go.
— History hints a first-time winner may arise from Keller Auto Speedway.
Last year, Spencer Bayston claimed his inaugural series victory at the three-eighths-mile clay oval.
Corey Day and Mitchel Moles have done the same this year, making it three first-time winners in three of the last six Hanford features.