(6/19/25 – Andrew Kunas) Burlington, WA … Levi Klatt stunned the sprint car world and thrilled the Skagit Speedway crowd with a late race pass and held on to win his first NARC 410 sprint car race, taking Thursday’s Jim Raper Memorial Super Dirt Cup preliminary.
The Langley, British Columbia driver, a former Skagit Speedway champion in sportsman sprints, was in his 16th start in a 410 sprint car, and he picked one of the biggest stages to get his first win in the division, and it happened at his home track.
Klatt, starting on the outside of the front row for the 30-lap event, got the better start over pole sitter Shane Golobic and took the lead on the initial start. Klatt led the first eight circuits while Indiana visitor Justin Peck raced his way by Golobic to move into second. The veteran racer went after Klatt and passed him for the lead with a slider in Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 9. Peck for a time drove away from Klatt, who continued to hold off Golobic for second. After a lengthy green flag run following a fuel stop, Peck encountered traffic and couldn’t make timely passes around the slower cars, and that allowed Klatt to move in.
On the 28th lap, Klatt challenged, and got Peck in traffic exiting Turn 4 for the lead. Peck threw a slider in Turns 1 and 2 on the next lap, and the two found themselves side by side on the back stretch, making contact as they entered Turn 3, and they stayed battling, with Klatt leading Lap 29 by the nose of the car. A caution flag for a spun car came out and cleared the track with Klatt in the lead.
Klatt was perfect on the final green-white-checkered restart and drove away for the big victory aboard the Chilliwack Ford-sponsored Klatt Racing No. 77 Fauver-powered Triple X. The Canadian driver did his special victory celebration in a 410 sprint car event for the first time, drinking a bottle of maple syrup atop his car as the Skagit Speedway crowd roared its approval.
“I cannot put it into words. This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. That was probably the most intense racing I’ve ever done,” an excited and astonished Klatt said in the winner’s circle about the win and late battle with Peck. “Justin is real good racer. He’s top of the line. I am so proud. I said (during the open red) I needed lapped traffic or a misstep, and guess I got both of them in one. Got into it a little bit in (turn) 3 but it worked out. I still can’t believe it!”
After leading 19 total laps, Peck finished second aboard the Angel of the Winds Casino-sponsored Rudeen Racing No. 26 Shaver Ford-powered Maxim. Shane Golobic, having run in the Top 5 throughout, finished third in the NOS Energy-sponsored Matt Wood Racing No. 17w Kistler-powered KPC.
Defending NARC champion Justin Sanders, a 2023 Dirt Cup winner, finished fourth after starting seventh aboard the Yuba Sutter Aviation-sponsored Mittry Motorsports No. 2x Fisher-powered KPC. Tanner Holmes came from 11th to finish fifth in the Legacy Builder Supply-sponsored Holmes Racing No. 18t Rider-powered Triple X. Brent Marks, Robbie Price, the 17th starting Joel Meyers Jr, Cam Smith and Scott Bogucki rounded out the Top 10.
NARC Rookie of the Year contender Tyler Thompson, the last transfer out of the Winters Performance Last Chance Qualifier, earned the Williams Roofing Hard Charger Award, advancing 11 positions from 24th to finish 13th.
James McFadden won the Winter Performance Last Chance Qualifier, taking Dominic Scelzi, Gauge Garcia and Thompson with him to the Thursday preliminary feature. Landon Brooks won the C-Feature.
Heat races earlier in the evening, all featuring eight car inverts as part of the Dirt Cup format, were won by Dominic Gorden, Bud Kaeding, Caeden Steele, Max Mittry and Cory Eliason. Trey Starks paced the 47-car field in Automotive Racing Products Qualifying with a time of 11.059 seconds around the 3/10-mile, high-banked clay oval. Points from qualifying and heat races determined main event lineups.
With the special Dirt Cup format featuring large inverts and points from qualifying, heat races and main events, Trey Starks, who started 16th with the invert and finished 11th, is at the top of the points after Thursday night, followed by Holmes, Marks and Bogucki. The 53rd Jim Raper Memorial Super Dirt Cup continues with another full night of preliminary action on Friday night, with the main event paying $10,000. Points from Thursday and Friday will be combined to play a large role in determining lineups for Saturday’s main events, and the Super Dirt Cup feature will pay $100,026 to win.