After a long winter, the wait is coming to an end for 410 sprint car fans in California as the Northern Auto Racing Club opens its highly anticipated 2025 season this Saturday night with the annual Salute to Leroy Van Conett at the Stockton Dirt Track.

The first of 29 races scheduled for NARC’s 66th season of competition, the Salute to Leroy Van Conett honors one of the all-time greats. A Galt, CA native, Van Conett was an eight-time NARC champion, winning his first title in 1969 and scoring his last in 1984. Among his many career sprint car victories were a Gold Cup win and 65 NARC triumphs, and it all resulted in Van Conett entering the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1999. Van Conett’s NARC championship total has been surpassed only by fellow Hall of Famer Brent Kaeding.

Who To Watch

Aromas, California’s Justin Sanders, the defending NARC series champion, won last year’s Salute to Leroy Van Conett after making a late pass around former series champion Sean Becker. Sanders also won the NARC season finale at Stockton in spectacular style last November, beating Cole Macedo late to win the annual Tribute to Gary Patterson and win the NARC championship in walk off fashion. Sanders, driving the Mittry Motorsports No. 2x, will look start his title defense with a win at the track where he saw much success last year.

Several other top racers will be on hand. Among them will be the rising star from Oregon, Tanner Holmes, who will be splitting time this season between his family’s car and the potent Tarlton Motorsports No. 21, which he will be piloting on Saturday. Holmes won his first NARC 410 race last year and looks to quickly add to his total this season. With Macedo behind the wheel, the Tarlton Motorsports team nearly won the NARC title last year against Sanders.

A number of other aspiring drivers have been knocking on the door of their first NARC win, and opening night at Stockton Dirt Track is that first opportunity this season for drivers like Gauge Garcia of Lemoore, and Oakley’s Dylan Bloomfield, a pair of drivers who led NARC main events last season but fell short. Ashton Torgerson of Glendale, AZ is one of the drivers who will compete for NARC Rookie of the Year honors. A former Tulsa Shootout winner in micro-sprint competition and having raced midgets and 360 sprint cars, Torgerson recently moved up to the 410 ranks and will be one of the young guns to watch.  Other NARC rookie of the year candidates include Landon Brooks of Rio Oso, who will be driving for the veteran Bates-Hamilton Racing Team.

Other top drivers expected to compete include 2024 NARC rookie of the year Caeden Steele of Fresno; Billy Aton of Benicia; Dominic Gorden from Clovis; Lincoln’s Tanner Carrick; Campbell’s Bud Kaeding; San Jose’s Tim Kaeding, Shane Golobic of Fremont; Templeton’s Kaleb Montgomery; Angelique Bell of Roseville; Jarrett Soares of Gilroy; Jennifer Osborne of Geyersville; Oregon driver Tyler Thompson; Roseville’s Sean Becker; Hanford’s DJ Netto and many others.

Fan Info

The NARC portion of the race program includes qualifying, three eight-lap heat races, a 6-lap dash, and a 30-lap feature event. Also on the card with the NARC 410 sprint cars on Saturday night will be the Hunt Magneto Wingless Sprints, NorCal Dwarf Cars and the Legends of Kearney Bowl.

The Stockton Dirt Track is located at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds at 1658 S Airport Way. The main gate for fans opens at 4pm. Tickets are $30 for adults 18 to 64, and $25 for juniors 5 to 17, seniors 65 and older, along with military. Children age 4 and younger are in for free.   Parking is $10.00 cash.

Racing is scheduled to start at 6pm.  Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/salute-to-leroy-van-conett-wing-sprint-cars-wingless-sprint-cars-more-tickets-1245084474179?aff=website

Fans who cannot make it in person can watch live on www.floracing.com. FloRacing will livestream all NARC shows this season.

2025 NARC Sprint Car Schedule

April 4 – Ocean Speedway (Watsonville) – Spring Fling

April 5 – Stockton Dirt Track – Asparagus Cup

April 12 – Silver Dollar Speedway – $10,000 to win Mini-Gold Cup

April 26 – Thunderbowl Raceway – Chris & Brian Faria Memorial

May 10 - Antioch Speedway - Contra Costa County Clash w/ BCRA

May 16 - Ocean Speedway - Sprint Car Tsunami

May 17 - Thunderbowl Raceway - Morrie Williams Memorial Twin 20's

May 31 - Placerville Speedway - 34th Annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race

June 7 - Silver Dollar Speedway - David Tarter Memorial w/ BCRA

Fastest Five Day In Motorsports

June 11 - Southern Oregon Speedway - Wild Wednesday

June 12 - The Douglas County Dirtrack - Thursday Night Thunder

June 13 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Friday Night Frenzy

June 14 - Willamette Speedway - Sprint Car Invasion

June 15 - Grays Harbor Raceway - Fathers Day Timber Cup

June 19 - Skagit Speedway - Super Dirt Cup Night #1

June 20 - Skagit Speedway - Super Dirt Cup Night #2

June 21 - Skagit Speedway - Super Dirt Cup

July 12 - Petaluma Speedway - David Lindt Memorial

July 18 - Ocean Speedway - Howard Kaeding Classic

July 19 - Ocean Speedway - Howard Kaeding Classic

July 26 - Santa Maria Speedway - The Showdown at Santa Maria

August 2 - Ocean Speedway - Johnny Key Classic

August 30 - Calistoga Speedway - Louie Vermeil Classic

August 31 - Calistoga Speedway - Louie Vermeil Classic

September 6 - Placerville Speedway - Pay Dirt Showdown

October 11 - Antioch Speedway - Open Wheel Octoberfest w/ BCRA

October 25 - Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway - October Classic

November 1 - Stockton Dirt Track - Tribute to Gary Patterson w/ BCRA

2024 NARC 410 Sprint Car Series Championship Standings

Justin Sanders, Aromas – 3007

Cole Macedo, Lemoore – 3001

Caeden Steele, Fresno (R) – 2895

Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 2894

Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 2879

Gauge Garcia, Lemoore (R) – 2849

Nick Parker, Chico – 2810

Dominic Gorden, Clovis (R) – 2723

Justyn Cox, Clarksburg – 2651

Billy Aton, Benicia – 2358

Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 2080

Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 1972

Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1878

Shane Golobic, Fremont – 1745

DJ Netto, Hanford – 1737

John Clark, Windsor (R)- 1565

Sean Becker, Roseville – 1346

Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR – 1320

Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton – 1304

Burt Foland Jr., San Jose – 1283