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NORTHERN AUTO RACING CLUB (NARC) SPRINT CARS
WEST CAPITAL RACEWAY – WEST SACRAMENTO, CA
MARCH 28, 1976
NARC SEASON OPENER
41 CARS
FAST TIME:
1. Rick Horton – 13.789 (New Track Record)
TROPHY DASH: (3 laps)
1. Gary Patterson, 2. Jimmy Sills, 3. Mike McCreary, 4. Rick Horton. :40.84.
HEAT RACE 1: (8 laps)
1. Phil Pedlar, 2. Allen Catlett, 3. Don Melvin, 4. Herb Pinckney, 5. Les Blakeley, 6. Mike Johnson. NT.
HEAT RACE 2: (8 laps)
1. Johnny Anderson, 2. Mike McCreary, 3. Bill Silveira, 4. Ray Garcia, 5. Ken Gandy, 6. Roger Abbott, 7. Ron Horton. 1:54.38.
HEAT RACE 3: (8 laps)
1. LeRoy Van Connett, 2. Rendy Boldrini, 3. Ron Yetter, 4. Tom Abreu, 5. Dave Ellis, 6. Wendell Anderson, 7. Dick Rauser. 1:58.21.
HEAT RACE 4: (8 laps)
1. Gary Patterson, 2. Mike Andretta, 3. Jimmy Sills, 4. Jimmy Boyd, 5. DeWayne Woodward, 6. Jerry Cecil. NT.
C-MAIN: (8 laps)
1. Rich Govan, 2. Lem Tolliver, 3. Al Andrews, 4. Jim Paniagua, 5. Ken Buman, 6. Mike Griffin, 7. Don Meyer, 8. Jim Diego, 9. Gene Bernard. NT.
B-MAIN: (15 laps)
1. Johnny Anderson, 2. Don Melvin, 3. Mike McCreary, 4. Lem Tolliver, 5. Allen Catlett, 6. Ron Horton, 7. Herb Pinckney, 8. Rich Govan, 9. Ray Garcia, 10. Hans Paulsen, 11. Mike Johnson, 12. Phil Pedlar, 13. Roger Abbott, 14. Bill Silveira, 15. Les Blakeley. NT.
A-MAIN: (30 laps)
1. Gary Patterson, 2. Jimmy Boyd, 3. Jimmy Sills, 4. Mike Andreetta, 5. Johnny Anderson, 6. LeRoy Van Conett, 7. Wendell Anderson, 8. Dick Rauser, 9. DeWayne Woodward, 10. Don Melvin, 11. Jerry Cecil, 12. Ken Gandy, 13. Rendy Boldrini, 14. Dave Ellis, 15. Tom Abreu, 16. Ron Yetter.
Purse: $2000.
The opening race of the 1976 season was held on the well prepared ¼ mile clay West Capital Raceway at West Sacramento. An excellent field of 41 cars (of which 10 were brand new) was on hand with 37 posting qualifying times.
Rick Horton put Roger Henderson’s new Trostle-built 2H in the fast time slot at 13.789, erasing Rick Henderson’s record lap of 14.887 set at the last NARC race at West Capital on May 12, 1972. Trophy Dash honors went to Gary Patterson in Walt Ross’ new Maxwell built #56, while Rick Horton earned the dubious honor of being the first in the year to get on his head as he flipped in turn one on the last lap.
The first heat found Allen Catlett leading every lap except the final one where Phil Pedlar took over for the win. The second and third heats both ran nonstop and saw Johnny Anderson and LeRoy Van Conett jump from fourth to first on lap one and continue for wins. Heat four went to Gary Patterson despite the interruption of three yellow flags while Rich Govan put the new Govan and Foard Trostle built #17 across the line first in the consy.
The semi found fifth starting Phil Pedlar taking the lead on lap one while by the next circuit Johnny Anderson had moved into second from his 10th starting spot. Anderson took over the lead for good on lap four although there was a field bunching yellow on lap 14 when Rich Govan chewed up a lot of wood on the front straight wall.
The 30 lap feature event was just about all Gary Patterson as he continued to dominate the night’s action, missing a clean sweep only by not having fast time. Starter George Sowle’s green flag found Tom Abreu leading the first two laps in the old #54 car which was to be replaced by a new Trostle a few weeks later. By lap three, Patterson had moved all the way up from 13th starting spot to take the lead and show the field the way around for the remaining 27 laps, despite some late race anxiety as clouds of steam started emitting from his #56 car. Mike Andreetta drove a strong race to finish fourth after running second for 22 laps, while Jimmy Boyd took over second on lap 28 and Jimmy Sills third on the white flag lap. (NARC)
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