8/24/2024
Ocean Speedway
FIVE CHAMPIONS CROWNED IN EXCITING CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE AT OCEAN SPEEDWAY
WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA (August 23, 2024) – Ocean Speedway in Watsonville concluded its championship points season on Friday night at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds with five champions decided on an exciting night on the dirt. Jim Pettit and Joe Gallaher wrapped up back-to-back titles while 18-year-old Emali VanHoff, Peter Vannerus, and Kevin Elliott claimed the other championships.
IMCA Modifieds had an outstanding quality field with 15 entries for a 25-lap feature. Robert Marsh went through the middle down the backstretch to lead lap one after starting third. Marsh then spun in turn two, sparking a chain reaction crash. Fred Lind of Prunedale flipped side over side wildly to draw a red flag. Lind was uninjured.
Bobby Hogge of Salinas drove into the lead on lap seven with former champ Cody Burke and Pettit in pursuit in second and third. A series of cautions over the next ten laps kept the field in close quarters. Hogge survived an onslaught of challenges from Burke and Pettit to score the championship finale win over Pettit, Burke, eighth-starting Jacob Mallet, Jr. and Austin Burke. Pettit’s second place finish was enough to seal a second consecutive championship for the Hall of Fame driver.
Matt Hagio claimed back-to-back IMCA Sport Modified feature wins, topping a 17-car turnout in the 20-lap main event. Hagio led all 20-laps wire-to-wire. Gavin Espino and Steven Allee had a spirited battle for second for the first half of the contest. Espino was held up in lapped traffic and fell back to the seventh position on lap nine when he was freight trained backwards. Brentwood’s Fred Ryland took over second on lap 12 and Allee also went the wrong direction back to fifth.
Hagio accumulated a 4.5 second advantage but it was nullified by a caution flag on lap 16. Hagio held off Ryland over the final four circuits for the win. Watsonville’s Jeff Mead, San Jose’s Rob Gallaher, and Buddy Kniss of Oakley rounded out the top-five. Despite not having a win this season, Emali VanHoff of Chowchilla used consistency to wrap up the championship with a seventh place finish.
Bobby Gallaher won his second Hobby Stock feature of the season on a night where Grandpa Joe Gallaher would claim championship honors yet again. Bobby Gallaher withstood a persistent challenge from San Jose’s Randy Miller to claim the win after 20-laps of racing. 2020 IMCA Sport Modified champion Adriane Frost of Watsonville finished third in the race to wrap up second place in the championship as well. Joe Gallaher finished fourth followed by Allen Neal in fifth.
Kenny Stragalinos of Boulder Creek won the Four Banger 15-lap feature on his dad’s birthday, while the popular pick up truck of Felton’s Peter Vannerus won the championship battle.
Watsonville drivers Amaya Flower and Tony Gullo battled for the lead for the first three laps before a coming together which slowed Flower and relegated Gullo to the rear for rough driving.
The incident thrust Joshua Silva of Watsonville into the lead before Stragalinos took over on the restart to lead lap four. Championship runner-up Thomas Cumming of San Jose advanced to second position before his race ended with smoke under the hood in turn two. Vannerus spun in turn four on the same caution on lap 13 but was able to rejoin the race.
Stragalinos topped 2023 champion Jason Lazzerini at the checkered flag followed by Gilroy’s TJ Santos, Flower, and Vannerus.
Police-in-Pursuit held their season finale to celebrate over $10,000 raised for Special Olympics. Kevin Elliotts of Scotts Valley Police Department dominated the 15-lap feature. A multi-car crash at the start of the event in turn two thrilled fans but all competitors were able to continue. Jerry Ogg of Santa Clara Police and Thomas Cumming, Sr. of Los Gatos Police rounded out the podium finishers.
Ocean Speedway takes a break for the Santa Cruz County Fair then returns for its season finale and one of the biggest IMCA shows on the west coast. The 14th annual Pat and Jim Pettit Memorial Shootout with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods, and Hobby Stocks is on tap for Friday September 27 and Saturday September 28. More details at www.OceanSpeedway.com or on Facebook.
Ocean Speedway Championship Night August 23, 2024 – Race Results
IMCA Modifieds A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 2-Bobby Hogge[10]; 2. 6-Jim Pettit II[9]; 3. 20-Cody Burke[5]; 4. 127-Jacob Mallet Jr[8]; 5. 25-Austin Burke[3]; 6. 28T-Matt Kampfraat[13]; 7. 22S-Cole Szlauko[14]; 8. 22-Robert Marsh[4]; 9. 3-Todd Hermosillo[2]; 10. 4X-Anthony Slaney[7]; 11. 228-Jeff Browne[11]; 12. 72-Mike Szlauko[15]; 13. 46-Kyle Bryan[1]; 14. 77-Fred Lind[6]; 15. (DNS) 46N-Jonathan Hagio
IMCA Sport Mods A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 14H-Matthew Hagio[1]; 2. 7J-Fred Ryland[6]; 3. 16M-Jeff Mead[8]; 4. X-Rob Gallaher[5]; 5. 19K-Buddy Kniss[10]; 6. 39-Steven Allee[3]; 7. 4M-Emali VanHoff[9]; 8. 33G-Gavin Espino[2]; 9. 99B-Paul Brown[12]; 10. 34-Cody Bryan[16]; 11. 3G-Chuck Golden[7]; 12. 5J-Darren Thomas[14]; 13. 33-Mike Gil[13]; 14. 32-Jeff Bentancourt[11]; 15. 22W-Charlie Hunter[17]; 16. 54R-Brian Baggett[4]; 17. 15-David Crocker[15]
Hobby Stocks A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. X1-Bobby Gallaher[1]; 2. 59-Randy Miller[3]; 3. 22-Adriane Frost[4]; 4. 1-Joe Gallaher[11]; 5. 5N-Allen Neal[2]; 6. 83-Terry Campion[6]; 7. 69-Norm Ayers[8]; 8. 01-Lilly Mead[7]; 9. 83C-Lawerence Castillo[9]; 10. 7X-Nic Teixeira[10]; 11. 3-Cody Keldsen[5]; 12. (DNS) X2-Joyce Gallaher
Four Bangers A Feature 1 (15 Laps): A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 720-Kenny Stragalinos[8]; 2. 0-Jason Lazzerini[12]; 3. 14-TJ Santos[15]; 4. 10-Amaya Flower[2]; 5. 37-Peter Vannerus[6]; 6. 28J-Joshua Silva[3]; 7. 50F-Shelbie Freeman[4]; 8. 112-Travis VanGilder[9]; 9. 2-Nicole Beardsley[5]; 10. 23X-Lisa Rhodes[16]; 11. 5-Bill Beardsley[7]; 12. 8-Thomas Cumming[11]; 13. 43-Kate Beardsley[14]; 14. 52-Tony Gullo[1]; 15. 51-Ken Keegan[10]; 16. 7-Michael Claire[13]
Police in Pursuit A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 36-Kevin Elliott[3]; 2. K9-Jerry Ogg[4]; 3. 62-Thomas Cumming SR[2]; 4. 14-Bryce Danenhaur[6]; 5. 134-Pat Sullivan[5]; 6. 01-John Hohmann[1]
Article Credit: Steven Blakesley
Submitted By: Steven Blakesley
