SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The exciting 950-horsepower NARC 410 Sprint Cars will make their lone appearance of the season at Ocean Speedway on July 15 for the extremely popular and lucrative Howard Kaeding Classic.
The 13th annual running of this prestigous event at the quarter-mile clay oval will payout a $40,000-plus purse with $6,900 going to the winner of the 30-lap headliner.
The race pays homage to Howard Kaeding, the patriarch of the legendary Kaeding racing family. Kaeding was victorious in 136 main events at the now-defunct San Jose Speedway, which is the record on the win list. He would win track titles at San Jose in 1973 and 1974 and boasted an incredible streak of seventeen consecutive wins, all while starting in the rear of the field.
“This is a great event that has been building some steam over the last couple of years,” commented Howard Kaeding’s grandson and event organizer, Bud, who drives the family-owned BK Racing number 69 sprint car. “The race itself is a good time, but the After Party on Friday night is a lot of fun too with all the help and hard work from the people at High Five Pizza.”
The event features multiple sponsors and contributors to enhance the purse.
Companion divisions include the IMCA Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, and WMR Midgets.
The track will open the weekend with a Friday night bout featuring the Ocean 360 Sprints, IMCA Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks, and WMR Midgets.
Who To Watch
Current NARC 410 Sprint Car Series point leader Corey Day is looking to win his first career Howard Kaeding Classic. Day won the Pombo-Sargent Classic last year and hopes to earn his ninth victory on the campaign with the tour.
Surprisingly, two-time defending NARC series champion Dominic Scelzi is also looking for his first Howard Kaeding Classic triumph. The Fresno racer’s lone Ocean Speedway win with NARC was in 2019 also at the Pombo-Sargent event.
Justin Sanders has amassed three total NARC wins at Ocean, including last year’s Howard Kaeding Classic. Amazingly, Sanders has 50 career wins at the facility, including one this year in a 360 sprint car. His two other NARC wins at Watsonville were in 2016 and 2018.
Justyn Cox returns to Ocean Speedway for the first time in a 410 c.i. powered car since 2016. Cox has a fifth-place finish for his lone top five finish at the facility.
Bud Kaeding has accumulated five NARC victories at Watsonville, including the 2014 and 2019 Howard Kaeding Classic. The third-generation Campbell star, and 2017 NARC champ, is the most recent 360 Sprint Car winner at Ocean entering the weekend. The 2021 360 track champion also scored additional wins in 2006, 2009, and 2010.
Of all of Shane Golobic’s NARC wins, four have been captured at Watsonville, including two in 2017. Also grabbing triumphs in 2008 and 2016, the Fremont driver has yet to win a Howard Kaeding Classic. Could this be the year for the 2012 and 2014 Ocean track champion?
Chase Johnson is coming off an electrifying performance at Petaluma Speedway, where he emerged victorious. Despite not winning a NARC show at Ocean, he does have a pair of thirds, earning those in 2016 and 2018.
Billy Aton has a lot of laps around the Watsonville bullring, including winning a wingless title in 2009. Aton managed to post a sixth-place finish in July of 2021 for his best run with the NARC series at the facility.
Other drivers to note are teenager Dylan Bloomfield who will be making his NARC Ocean debut, as will Gauge Garcia. Nick Parker, D.J. Netto and Kaleb Montgomery will return. Many more competitors are also expected to attend.