CENTRAL POINT, Ore. — The wait is almost over as the 900+ horsepower open wheel racing machines of the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series journey north for the Fastest Five Days in Motorsports.
During a quick 120-hour span, the series will feature five races at five tracks across Oregon and Washington. For many of the tracks, it is their only 410 sprint car race of the year.
The racing extravaganza will kick off June 12 at Southern Oregon Speedway before moving northward to the Douglas County Dirt Track in Roseburg the 13th. Friday, the 14th, will see the newly added Cottage Grove Speedway as a part of the mix and will be the first 410 race at the historic quarter-mile clay oval since 2014.
Willamette Speedway is back with their Saturday date on the 15th. All roads will come to a head at Elma, Washington’s Grays Harbor Raceway, on Sunday, the 16th, for the Timber Cup.
“I think that the Oregon/Washington Speedweek is an awesome trip,” said NARC point leader Cole Macedo. “I know I had a lot of fun last year, and I’m super excited to run those tracks because they can get super slick and have some character.”
Each night will pay a stout $5,000 to win and $600 to start the A-main. Another perk up for grabs is a $5,000 point fund for the top eight teams in the Fastest Five Days in Motorsports points, courtesy of Roth Motorsports and Winters Performance.
Championship Chase
With five straight nights of action on tap, the King of the West championship title could very well be determined during the Fastest Five Days in Motorsports. Last year, eventual NARC champion Corey Day created a massive buffer over the rest of the competition that helped him lock up the title.
Macedo has stayed up in the first position in the standings for the entire campaign. Still, the Tarlton Motorsports No. 21 car enters the week with a slim two-point advantage. Even though last year was Macedo’s first foray into several Pacific Northwest tracks, he managed to win the Willamette leg of the journey.
Justin Sanders keeps getting faster and faster. The Mittry Motorsports No. 2x team has been excellent this year. They were outside the top five in points a few weeks ago. Now, they sit a close second after scoring a season-leading three victories. The Aromas pilot accomplished those three wins in the last four rounds, including the most recent event at Placerville.
Bud Kaeding goes into the FFDM with some of the most experience at many of the tracks including Southern Oregon, Cottage Grove, and Willamette Speedways. Kaeding is fourth in the title fight and trails Macedo by 31 points.
Fifth in series points, Dylan Bloomfield, had an impressive run last year in his Northwest debut. The Oakley teenager, racing for the Vertullo Racing No. 83v, had some solid runs, including a fourth-place finish at Southern Oregon after setting a quick time.
Who To Watch?
In 2022, Dominic Scelzi emerged as the champion of what was then called the Faster Four Days in Motorsports. Coming off a third-place result at the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial, the Fresno driver has only one NARC triumph at the five tracks on the five-night swing. That came at Southern Oregon Speedway two years ago. In 2021 and 2022, he won the FFDM and NARC series championships.
Justyn Cox will be among the plethora of drivers to watch when he and the Bates-Hamilton Racing No. 42x entry migrate north. The Roseville racer has spent much of his career racing and winning in the Pacific Northwest. He will be looking to score his second career NARC win during this string of events.
Chase Johnson competed in Oregon and Washington last year for Josh Ford Motorsports, but this year, he will be using his own equipment. Not long after the 2023 Northwest swing, the Penngrove pilot returned to his winning ways after an incredibly emotional victory at his home track Petaluma Speedway.
Reigning NARC rookie Nick Parker is ready for another run in the Pacific Northwest. The Vail, Ariz., native, now residing in Chico, spent a lot of time adapting to many new facilities.
Billy Aton is no stranger to Oregon and Washington over the years. Making the haul from Benecia, Aton has shown promise in the current campaign and was a few laps away from winning the Salute to LeRoy Van Conett last month in Stockton.
In 2023, Jarrett Soares went to Oregon for the first time to run some local winged and non-winged shows. The Gilroy gasser will be looking to capitalize on that knowledge.
Tanner Carrick has been a phenomenal addition to the NARC 410 Sprint Series, putting up several top five finishes. This swing will be an extensive learning experience as the venues will be places the Lincoln native has had little to no exposure.
Jessie Attard is excited to be back stateside to take on the best drivers on the west coast. The Landilo, New South Welshman, will represent his home nation of Australia. Last year, he had an impressive tenth-place result at Southern Oregon.
Northwest Home Stand
Oregon’s Tanner Holmes is excited to defend his home turf. After spending the late winter and early spring chasing the High Limit and World of Outlaws groups, Holmes returned west to compete with NARC during the last few weeks. Finishing second at Skagit Speedway on June 1, Holmes managed to win at four tracks on the FFDM schedule in local competition and was third at last year’s Timber Cup.
Many regard Washington’s Trey Starks as the Pacific Northwest man to beat. Second at last year’s Timber Cup and the winner of the 2022 edition, Starks is phenomenal in the Northwest and is the two-time defending champion Skagit Speedway 410 champion.
Canadian Robbie Price is expected to make the entire swing racing for Rob and Lee Leighton. Currently second in Skagit Speedway points, the British Columbia driver spent all of 2023 competing full-time with the World of Outlaws racing for Sides Motorsports and has spent lots of time running at places such as Grays Harbor and Cottage Grove.
Tyler Thompson is not to be discounted in his native Oregon. Thompson has traveled throughout Oregon, California, and Montana already this year and will look to defend his home track, Cottage Grove Speedway, where he’s the three-time defending track champion.
