Antioch, CA...Through the month of April, rainy weather has put a damper on racing at Antioch Speedway and other venues throughout the West Coast. The majority of the events scheduled at the Contra Costa County Event Center 3/8-mile clay oval track have been rained out so far.
However, the forecast calls for temperatures that could reach into the '80s on Saturday night, making it ideal for a night at the speedway. As it turns out, one of the marquee events of the season is on the schedule.
The high-horsepowered Winged 410 Sprint Cars of NARC are making their lone appearance of the season, joined by the BCRA Lightning Sprints, Pacific Coast Hobby Stocks and a Mother's Day Minivan race.
Since 1960, NARC and the King of the West Sprint Car Series have offered top of the line Sprint Car racing for California racing fans. The tradition continues this year. NARC officials have been left scrambling to reschedule rained out events. This week, they will gather the troops for some exciting racing on Saturday night. It's the Second Annual Contra Costa County Clash.
Just two races have been completed so far, and both events were won by Cole Macedo of Lemoore. Macedo picked up the $10,000 win in the Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway back in March. He then pocketed the big prize at the Asparagus Cup in Stockton last month. As you might expect, Cole leads Tanner Carrick of Lincoln by 12 points and Caeden Steele of Fresno by 14.
The Kaeding family has been a mainstay on the 410 Sprint Car circuit for years, and 2017 champion Bud Kaeding of San Jose is 15 points behind in fourth, one point ahead of Nick Parker of Tucson, Arizona. Reigning Series champion Corey Day of Clovis has headed east to test his skills against some of the top racers in the country.
Meanwhile, two-time Series champion Dominic Scelzi of Fresno is back after spending much of spring racing with Day across the country. Thanks to all of the rainouts, he only missed two shows. He's looking to play spoiler with the point competitors for the rest of the season.
Scelzi won this race last year. Other drivers to watch for include Justin Sanders of Aromas, Chase Johnson of Penngrove, Sean Becker of Roseville and local ace Dylan Bloomfield of Oakley.
Weather has not been a friend to the BCRA Lightning Sprint Tour either. They were scheduled to be a part of the Sala Family Classic back in April, but that race got rained out and will be on the card at the end of June. After four-straight cancellations, the Lightning Sprints are ready for their second show on the circuit.
Last time out, Hunter Kinney of Citrus Heights picked up the win at Marysville ahead of Greg Dennett of Livermore and Scott Kinney of Citrus Heights. Dennett is coming off of a runner-up season behind Dakota Albright of Waterford last year. Other drivers to watch for include Jason Schostag of Hangtown, Daniel Foster of Placerville and Daniel Caughran of Stockton.
Antioch Speedway has only had one regular point race as well as hosting the Central California Clash opener two weeks ago. Some of the local Pacific Coast Hobby Stock racers skipped the Clash race, but 2020 champion James Thomson of Pittsburg and Aidan Ponciano of Oakley managed to grab Top 5 finishes on the occasion in fourth and fifth, respectively.
The opener for the Hobby Stocks back in March yielded a victory for Clarence Holbrook III of Galt. Merced Speedway champion Ryan Hart of Dos Palos out-dueled championship contender Ken Johns of Antioch for the second position. Returning former Dwarf Car champion Rick Rogers of San Pablo, Michaela Taylor of Oakley, Kevin Brown of Oakley, Maddie Motts of San Pablo and Colten Haney of Brentwood are other drivers to watch for this week.
In what is becoming a new tradition at the speedway, there will be a Mother's Day Minivan race. Ladies with no prior experience in any of the regular classes are encouraged to get Minivans and come run this race. Last year, it was Patricia Robles of Rio Vista collecting the win in what proved to be an entertaining race.
For the NARC Sprint Cars alone, this will be a show you won't want to miss. The action happens so quickly on the track that you'll be on the edge of your seat. The Hobby Stocks will provide the fender-banging excitement.
The gates will open at 4:00 with the first race starting at 6:00. Adult tickets are $30, Senior/Military $20, Kids (5-12) $20 and kids four and under free.
With the Contra Costa County Fair coming up, this Speedway will be open on May 17th and 18th for two nights of racing. Scheduling adjustments are being considered to make up rain outs later this year.
For further information, go to www.raceantiochspeedway.com or check out the Antioch Speedway by PROmotions Facebook page.
- Wylie Wade on May 07, 2024
- Article Date: 5/7/2024 by Candice Martin, Photos by Katrina Kniss