SANTA MARIA, Calif. — Chase Johnson survived a wild and unpredictable NARC 410 Sprint Car Series 30-lap open-wheel slugfest at Santa Maria Speedway to score this fourth career series victory.
His winning efforts came aboard his Toyota of Marin, Sunnyvale, and Walnut Creek No. 24 Maxim.
The headliner started with Johnson setting a frantic pace that took only four laps around the one-third-mile oval to reach heavy slower traffic, which played a factor throughout the show.
NARC point leader Justin Sanders played cat and mouse with the leader and zigged when Johnson zagged in lapped traffic and took the lead on the sixth circuit.
Sanders, who was the fast qualifier, cut through traffic methodically, but a caution at the halfway point slowed the field. Before the race could resume, Sanders stopped on the track due to a broken steering box, ending his night prematurely.
Justyn Cox, aboard the Bates-Hamilton Racing-fielded Lippert Construction No. 42x Maxim inherited the top spot at that point.
Two additional red flags for Cole Macedo and Burt Foland Jr. occurred during the next six laps, keeping everybody in close proximity.
When the race resumed with nine laps to go, Johnson began to apply pressure to take back the lead. Johnson got around Cox heading into the final set of corners, only for Cox to get upside down after colliding with a lapped car.
Johnson took care of business on the green-white-checkered restart for his first NARC victory at Santa Maria.
“That was some hard racing, these wins do not come easy,” said Johnson. “I will take them any way I can get them. We had a great car all night. Ivan (Worden, crew chief) had us dialed in all night long.”
A pair of local contenders filled the podium. The Luxton Real Estate No. 3 Maxim of Kaleb Montgomery finished second, his best career NARC finish. Gauge Garcia drove the Keller Motorsports Monarch Ford XXX to third.
Bud Kaeding clawed the Kaeding Performance Center No. 29 Maxim to a hard-earned fourth, chased by Nick Parker in the Parker Automotive No. 15 Maxim.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps):1. 24-Chase Johnson; 2. 3-Kaleb Montgomery; 3. 2K-Gauge Garcia; 4. 29-Bud Kaeding; 5. 15-Nick Parker; 6. 88N-D.J. Netto; 7. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield; 8. 26-Billy Aton; 9. 121-Caeden Steele; 10. 12B-Dawson Faria; 11. 12-Jarrett Soares; 12. 9-Dustin Freitas; 13. 88SR-Koen Shaw; 14. 42X-Justyn Cox; 15. 31-Kyle Beilman; 16. 5E-Elexa Herrera; 17. 21-Cole Macedo; 18. 09S-Geoffrey Strole; 19. 2X-Justin Sanders; 20. 4-Burt Foland Jr.; 21. OB1-Orval Burke Jr.
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