6/2/2010
Sprint Source
Tight point battle resumes for Ocean Sprints Friday
Ocean 360 Sprints presented by Taco Bravo set for $2000-to-win/$200-to-start round six this Friday night June 4 at Ocean Speedway
By Gary Thomas
Watsonville, CA – June 2, 2010…Following a week off the Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by Taco Bravo will kick back into gear this Friday evening at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville for the sixth round of action in the 2010 season.
As an added treat to teams and a way of showing thanks for the support this year, Friday’s event will also pay $2000-to-win and $200-to-start the 30-lap main event. “I definitely want to say thanks to everyone who has supported the Taco Bravo Ocean Sprints so far this season,” said promoter John Prentice. “The car counts have been great this year and the depth of the field’s each night has been pretty strong.”
The first five races of the Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by Taco Bravo season have produced five different winners with Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Easton’s Tommy Tarlton, Prunedale’s Justin Sanders, Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson and most recently San Jose’s Tim Kaeding scoring victories.
Coming into this Friday’s race the top-three drivers in the standings continue to be bunched very tight with Tarlton, Larson and Campbell’s Brent Kaeding separated by just seven-markers at the top of the points.
Last season’s champion Tarlton is coming off a fourth place effort at the most recent series event held in Tulare and will look for his first Ocean Speedway win of the year on Friday aboard the Corporate America Lending, Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino No. 21 machine. Tarlton scored victory with the Ocean Sprints on April 30 at the Santa Maria Speedway and maintains a six-digit lead at the top of the points going into this week, as he looks to extend that advantage in his bid at back-to-back titles.
Larson goes into Friday as the most recent winner at the Ocean Speedway and is coming off a third place finish in Tulare on May 22, which has moved him to within just a few slim points of the lead in his first season competing with the Ocean Sprints. The 17-year-old driver of the Stadelhofer Construction, Peppermill Casino No. 99x led all 30-laps in the main event at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds bullring on May 14 and will be looking for two in a row at track in an attempt to overtake Tarlton in the standings.
Still looking for his first win of the season Brent Kaeding utilized a drive from 12th to second at the Tulare Thunderbowl to put him only seven-points back of Tarlton for the top-spot in the Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by Taco Bravo standings. It also marked the 13-time King of California’s best finish of the Ocean Sprints season and on Friday evening “BK” will look to use the momentum, as he searches to get into Ocean Speedway victory lane for the first time since April 3, 2009 at the helm of his Al’s Roofing Supply, Williams Roofing No. 69 sprinter.
Jumping from seventh to fourth in the Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by Taco Bravo standings after Tulare is Clovis, CA’s Peter Murphy, who has put together a solid start to the season in his first year driving the Buster & Ziggy Enterprise, Kiwi Transport No. 11 mount. The Australian native has finished sixth in the past two Ocean Sprints events and on Friday will look to improve upon his season-best finish of third with the series, which he garnered on April 30 in Santa Maria.
Rounding out the top-five in the standings going into this Friday is Salinas, CA’s Ronnie Day, who scored a fifth place finish on May 22 at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway in his Keith Day Trucking, El Camino Machine and Welding No. 22 machine. Like Murphy, the former King of California also tallied his best Ocean Sprint Car Series finish of the season at Santa Maria on April 30, where he claimed the runner-up position in the feature behind race winner Tarlton.
Completing the top-10 in the Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by Taco Bravo standings going into Friday are Gilroy’s Eric Rossi, Prunedale’s Justin Sanders, Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Visalia’s Cory Eliason and Gilroy’s Kurt Nelson. Other possibilities to take part in this weekend’s sixth round of competition will include Fremont’s Shane Golobic, who finished third during the most recent event at Ocean Speedway, Morgan Hill’s Devon Ostheimer and Ricky Wright Jr., San Martin’s Craig Smith, Pleasanton’s Brad Furr, San Jose’s Matt Sargent, Corralitos’ Jerry Bonema and more.
The front gate of the Ocean Speedway will open at 4:30pm this Friday night June 4 with hot laps at 5:45, qualifying around 6 and racing to follow. All seating will be general admission with adult tickets costing $16, children 6-12 $11 and kids five and under free. A family pack featuring two adults and two kids is available for $40 and seniors 65 and older with id will be $14. The Ocean Speedway is located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, California.
For more information on the Ocean Sprint Cars presented by Taco Bravo log onto http://www.oceansprints.com and for more on the Ocean Speedway visit http://www.oceanspeedway.com
Coming up- After this week’s event the Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by Taco Bravo will take a couple of weekend’s off before returning to competition on Friday night June 25, in what will be the first of four qualifying races for the 50th running of the Johnny Key Classic.
Submitted By: Gary Thomas
