Chade Johnson scores NARC victory at Petaluma
(Petaluma, CA) -- Chase Johnson brought the house down at Petaluma Speedway Saturday night with an impressive NARC 410 Sprint Car Series victory at the Salute To Baylands Raceway Park. Johnson won his first series race since 2019 after powering his way to the front on lap 19 of the 30-lap headliner aboard the potent Toyota of Marin, Walnut Creek, and Sunnyvale/Price Family Dealerships #24 Maxim.
“I tell you what, there’s nothing better than winning in front of you fans,” said the pumped-up Sonoma County native. “I travel all across the country racing cars, and to do it in front of the home fans, there’s nothing like it.”
“I just really wanted to win,” he continued. “I was waiting for traffic, I love traffic here, but clean air is what you need with these cars, and that helped us out a ton. As I said, it’s so awesome to be here, and I’m blessed for this opportunity.”
Polesitter and Sunnyvalley Bacon dash winner Dominic Scelzi set the tone of the main event on the initial green flag. Two caution periods slowed the field down in the first five laps of the race, but once the field came back to green, Scelzi was electric on the restarts. The driver of the Scelzi Motorsports/Whipple Superchargers #41 Maxim set a wicked pace and reached lapped traffic first as a long green flag run developed, which got the entire field elbows deep with slower cars.
Slowly but methodically, the ninth starting Johnson began to reel in Scelzi. Johnson would pounce on the two-time defending series champion with only 11 laps remaining to secure the coveted top spot. The only thing to slow him down would be one more caution flag. However, Johnson answered the call with the back of the running order one last time to secure his third NARC 410 Sprint Car Series win, all of which came at Petaluma. He also earned the Williams Roofing Hardcharger award.
Justin Sanders, who also earned the ARP Fast Qualifier award, was the runner-up in the Demo Mittry-fielded Farmer’s Brewing/North County Plastering #2X Maxim.
“I tried making something happen on the top,” explained Sander. “I got next to Dominic on the restart and tried to keep up there, but I stayed up there too long. When (Chase) got by me, it looked like a slot car. It would have taken something miraculous to get around him.”
Despite dropping out of the top five briefly, Corey Day roared back in the Jason Meyers Racing-owned Meyers Constructors/Four C’s Construction #14 KPC, to finish third. Sean Becker scored his best NARC run of the season aboard the Bjork Construction/Kaeding Performance #7B Maxim with a fourth-place effort. The Dave and Debbie Vertullo-owned Starr Property Management/Air One Racing #83V Maxim, chauffeured by Dylan Bloomfield, scored his second career NARC top five finish.
Justyn Cox rallied in the Bates-Hamilton Racing entry from fourteenth to end his evening in sixth. Billy Aton beat out 2017 champ Bud Kaeding for seventh. John Clark made a home track appearance for his first career NARC top ten by finishing ninth. Nick Parker rounded out the top ten.
Heat races were picked off by Becker, Scelzi and Stephen Ingraham.
A-FEATURE (30 Laps): 1. 24-Chase Johnson [9]; 2. 2X-Justin Sanders [3]; 3. 14-Corey Day [4]; 4. 7B-Sean Becker [5]; 5. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield [2]; 6. 42X-Justyn Cox [14]; 7. 26-Billy Aton [7]; 8. 69-Bud Kaeding [11]; 9. 12J-John Clark [10]; 10. 115-Nick Parker [8]; 11. 2R-Richard Brace Jr. [17]; 12. 551-Angelique Bell [18]; 13. 93-Stephen Ingraham [6]; 14. 41-Dominic Scelzi [1]; 15. 92-Andy Forsberg [15]; 16. 7H-Jake Haulot [11]; 17. 4-Burt Foland Jr. [16]; 18. 51-Gary Paulson [15]
METTEC TITANIUM LAP LEADERS: Dominic Scelzi 1-18; Chase Johnson 19-30
WILLIAMS ROOFING HARDCHARGER: Chase Johnson +8
ARP FAST QUALIFIER (18 Cars): Justin Sanders, 12.690
BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (8 Laps): 1. 7B-Sean Becker [3]; 2. 2X-Justin Sanders [4]; 3. 115-Nick Parker [1]; 4. 7H-Jake Haulot [2]; 5. 42X-Justyn Cox [5]; 6. 4-Burt Foland Jr [6]
KIMO’S TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (8 Laps): 1. 41-Dominic Scelzi [1]; 2. 26-Billy Aton [2]; 3. 12J-John Clark [5]; 4. 14-Corey Day [4]; 5. 92-Andy Forsberg [3]; 6. 2R-Richard Brace Jr [6]
BEACON WEALTH STRATEGIES & RAYMOND JAMES FINANCIAL HEAT THREE (8 Laps): 1. 93-Stephen Ingraham [3]; 2. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield [4]; 3. 24-Chase Johnson [2]; 4. 69-Bud Kaeding [1]; 5. 51-Gary Paulson [5]; 6. 551-Angelique Bell [6]
SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” TROPHY DASH (6 Laps): 1. 41-Dominic Scelzi [1]; 2. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield [2]; 3. 2X-Justin Sanders [4]; 4. 7B-Sean Becker [5]; 5. 14-Corey Day [3]; 6. 93-Stephen Ingraham
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