(5/11/24 Ben Deatherage) Antioch, California … Justin Sanders opened his 2024 NARC 410 Sprint Car Series winning account with an all-around dominating performance at Antioch Speedway during the Contra Costa County Clash. The Demo Mittry-owned, Farmers Brewing Company #2X KPC entry outgunned the field for the entire 30-lap distance in the Hoosier Racing Tire main event. It marked the first time the team and driver scored a tour win at the historic 3/8-mile clay oval.
Taking full advantage of his inside front-row starting position, Sanders bolted out to the front on once the green flag fell. He set a rather torrid pace as it took him just five laps to reach the back end of the field. Heavy traffic came into play, but Sanders found a way to zig and zag past slower cars.
Three cautions periods took place just before the midway point, tightening the field but allowing Sanders to operate on an open track. The second half of the race would see a slightly different script play out as Matt Wood Racing driver Shane Golobic, chauffeuring the NOS Energy Drink #17W KPC, began to chase the leader down with less than ten to go.
As the lap count dwindled, the two waltzed in and out of traffic. With three circuits remaining, the battle was put on pause due to a red flag incident. The final restart witnessed Sanders show his jungle cat quickness in the open and be the first driver to the wire.
“We’ve been trying to build a whole new package with this new chassis the last two months,” said a jubilant Mittry Motorsports driver, “I got to thank Demo (Mittry) for allowing me to try all this stuff, I have ideas in my head all the time and things I want to try, and he deserves these wins and I’m glad we’re on top tonight and get him this win.”
It was Sanders 16th career NARC 410 Sprint Car Series victory, putting him ninth all-time.
“I know when Shane’s in second, he will be stalking,” continued Sanders. “He’s really good at that. He’s really good at restarts, and I always say one of his strengths is his restarts.”
Golobic would be credited with a very respectable second-place result. Local teenager Dylan Bloomfield battled hard in the early stages with the eventual runner-up before earning third in the Starr Property Management #83V Maxim for Vertullo Racing.
“It would have taken a full race of green flag racing (to catch Justin),” commented Golobic. “That’s how I was able to get to second in the first place: by making moves in traffic. He did an excellent job getting through traffic, and it seemed like every time we’d get into the thick of it, we would get a yellow.”
Bud Kaeding kept the Kaeding Performance Center #29 Maxim among the top five finishers with his fourth effort, while Cole Macedo rallied the Tarlton & Son #21 Maxim to fifth for Tarlton Motorsports.
Sean Becker beat out Kaleb Montgomery for sixth place, while Justyn Cox came to the checkered flag eighth. Tanner Holmes was the Williams Roofing Hardcharger with his eighteenth to ninth performance. Chase Johnson rounded out the top ten.
Sanders was the ARP Quick Qualifier and victorious in the Beacon Wealth Strategies Trophy Dash.
Montgomery, Kaeding, Macedo, and Golobic were the four heat race winners. Tanner Carrick finished first in the Starr Property Management Semi-Main.
HOOSIER RACING TIRES A-FEATURE (30 LAPS): 1. 2X-Justin Sanders [1]; 2. 17W-Shane Golobic [5]; 3. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield [4]; 4. 29-Bud Kaeding [3]; 5. 21-Cole Macedo [7]; 6. 7B-Sean Becker [10]; 7. 3-Kaleb Montgomery [6]; 8. 42X-Justyn Cox [12]; 9. 18T-Tanner Holmes [18]; 10. 24-Chase Johnson [15]; 11. 73-Ryan Bernal [8]; 12. 10-Dominic Gorden [11]; 13. 16A-Colby Copeland [17]; 14. 83T-Tanner Carrick [21]; 15. 15-Nick Parker [14]; 16. 14-Mariah Ede [23]; 17. 121-Caeden Steele [13]; 18. 12J-John Clark [22]; 19. 2K-Gauge Garcia [19]; 20. 2R-Richard Brace Jr [20]; 21. 41-Dominic Scelzi [9]; 22. 88A-Joey Ancona [2]; 23. 12-Jarrett Soares [24]; 24. 26-Billy Aton [16]
METTEC TITANIUM LAP LEADERS: Justin Sanders 1-30
WILLIAMS ROOFING HARDCHARGER: Tanner Holmes +9 (18th to 9th)
BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (8 LAPS):1. 3-Kaleb Montgomery [1]; 2. 7B-Sean Becker [2]; 3. 121-Caeden Steele [3]; 4. 2X-Justin Sanders [4]; 5. 2K-Gauge Garcia [6]; 6. 83T-Tanner Carrick [5]; 7. 72W-Kurt Nelson [7]
KIMO’S TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (8 LAPS): 1. 29-Bud Kaeding [2]; 2. 73-Ryan Bernal [1]; 3. 88A-Joey Ancona [4]; 4. 26-Billy Aton [3]; 5. 2R-Richard Brace Jr [7]; 6. 14-Mariah Ede [6]; 7. 12-Jarrett Soares [5]
SYSTEM 1 PRO IGNITION HEAT THREE (8 LAPS): 1. 21-Cole Macedo [1]; 2. 41-Dominic Scelzi [3]; 3. 15-Nick Parker [2]; 4. 24-Chase Johnson [5]; 5. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield [4]; 6. 12J-John Clark [6]; 7. 21M-Michael Ing [7]
WINTERS PERFORMANCE HEAT FOUR (8 LAPS): 1. 17W-Shane Golobic [4]; 2. 10-Dominic Gorden [3]; 3. 42X-Justyn Cox [1]; 4. 16A-Colby Copeland [5]; 5. 18T-Tanner Holmes [2]; 6. 551-Angelique Bell [7]; 7. 4-Burt Foland Jr [6]
STARR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT B-FEATURE (12 LAPS): 1. 83T-Tanner Carrick [1]; 2. 12J-John Clark [2]; 3. 14-Mariah Ede [3]; 4. 12-Jarrett Soares [7]; 5. 72W-Kurt Nelson [5]; 6. 4-Burt Foland Jr [8]; 7. 21M-Michael Ing [6]; DNS 551-Angelique Bell
BEACON WEALTH STRATEGIES & RAYMOND JAMES FINANCIAL TROPHY DASH (6 LAPS): 1. 2X-Justin Sanders [2]; 2. 88A-Joey Ancona [1]; 3. 29-Bud Kaeding [4]; 4. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield [6]; 5. 17W-Shane Golobic [3]; 6. 3-Kaleb Montgomery [5]; 7. 21-Cole Macedo [7]
ARP QUALIFYING QUICK TIME: Justin Sanders, 12.151 seconds (28 Cars)
Bullring bullet strikes again!