By Gary Thomas
Watsonville, CA – March 30, 2010…Following a very successful 2009 campaign the Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by Taco Bravo is expected to be every bit as big and more this year and will open up the season this Friday night at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, California.
In 2010 the Ocean 360 Sprints presented by Taco Bravo will see 15-nights of racing, with 13 of them being contested at the Ocean Speedway and one each at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway and the Santa Maria Speedway. Some of the highlights on the schedule include the 50th running of the Johnny Key Classic on Saturday evening August 28 at Ocean Speedway, as well as a pair of Ocean Sprints vs. California Sprint Car Civil War Series shows, with the dates being Friday July 16 and Friday September 24.
The Ocean Sprint Car Series presented by Taco Bravo is coming off a banner year that saw solid car counts each week and featured eight different winners in 13 races. Promoter John Prentice is excited as the season-opener approaches this weekend, which will kick-off the fourth year of competition for the winged 360 series. “We’re really happy to have Dennis Wuollett and Taco Bravo come on board as the sponsor of the Ocean Sprints and it’s looking to be a great year,” Prentice said. “We’ve been getting the track ready the last handful of weeks and have added new flags, banners and paint to the facility so it should be looking nice and fresh for the first sprint car show.”
Defending Ocean Sprint Car Series champion Tommy Tarlton is set to begin his title defense on Friday night aboard the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, Tarlton & Son Inc. No. 21 sprinter. Last season saw the Easton driver capture four main event victories en route to claiming his first career title at the Ocean Speedway by just 12-points over Campbell’s Brent Kaeding. Tarlton’s biggest triumph of the season came on August 29 when he took the checkered flag at the 49th running of the Johnny Key Classic to mark his first ever win in the prestigious event. The veteran racer also got his season off to a good start earlier in the month by scoring a top-10 finish with the World of Outlaws at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway on March 6.
After just missing out on his third straight Taco Bravo Ocean Sprints title last year Brent Kaeding will look to put his name back towards the top of the heap this season behind the wheel of his Al’s Roofing Supply, High Five Pizza No. 69 mount. “BK” went into the final event last year just five-digits back of the lead, but a stronger night for Tarlton was just enough to deny him a three-peat at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds bullring. The 13-time King of California tallied one victory with the Ocean Sprints last year and also scored seven podium finishes. Kaeding last weekend kicked-off his year by scoring a runner-up finish with the Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series in Placerville.
Current Ocean Speedway 360 track record holder Evan Suggs will be searching for his first career Ocean Sprints title in 2010 after being right in the thick of battle for much of last season, before ending the year third in the standings. The driver of the Suggs Racing, Riley Collins Body Shop No. 33e scored a trio of runner-up finishes last season in Watsonville, including the Ocean Sprints vs. Civil War Series event in September, which saw 41-entrants on hand during the night. The 23-year-old Scotts Valley driver also led the Ocean Sprints last season with five fast-time efforts, including the season-finale when he re-set the track record with a clocking of 11.617 around the quarter-mile.
Seeming to gain momentum as the season went on was veteran Brad Furr, who ended the year fourth in the final Taco Bravo Ocean Sprint Car standings aboard his Ray Scheidts Electric, Brad Furr Racing No. 2 machine. The Pleasanton driver picked-up his best finish of the season at the penultimate of the year by scoring a second place result to San Jose’s Tim Kaeding on October 9. Furr also started the 2010 season in strong fashion just a few weeks ago as he brought home a runner-up finish at the Placerville Speedway during the California Sprint Car Civil War Series opener.
Rounding out the top-five in the Ocean Sprints standings last year was Salinas racer Ronnie Day, who also got stronger as the season went on and finished just nine-markers back of Furr for the fourth spot in the points. The former King of California tallied a best finish of third last year, which he accomplished on three separate occasions, including the Ocean vs. Civil War show in September.
Prunedale’s Justin Sanders will return to the seat of the North County Plastering, STS Trucking No. 17 with the Ocean Sprint Cars presented by Taco Bravo in 2010, as he looks to move his way up the standings following a sixth place finish last year. The 17-year-old scored a big victory this past May at Ocean Speedway holding off Brent Kaeding to earn his first career sprint car win and also ended the season just eight scant digits out of the top-five in points.
After claiming his first sprint car win at Ocean Speedway last season young Ricky Wright Jr. will return this year looking to carry the momentum into 2010 aboard the Wright One Construction, Red Line Oil No. 35. The Morgan Hill racer won the feature on June 5 of last season also holding off Brent Kaeding and ended the year seventh in the final Ocean Sprints standings.
Other than Tarlton and Tim Kaeding the only other driver to score multiple wins last year with the Ocean Sprints was Grass Valley’s Jason Statler, as the former King of California tallied victories on April 17 and July 31 at the helm of his DF Rios Construction, YAK Graphics No. 00. In his career the “Big Guy” has captured five main event wins at Ocean Speedway; including his first ever sprint car victory, which came in 1992. Statler is also coming off a sixth place finish last weekend during the Golden State Challenge season-opener in Placerville.
Campbell’s Bud Kaeding was one of the strongest performers with the Ocean Sprints last season scoring seven top-5 finishes in just eight starts aboard the Sala/Matherly Racing, M&M Powder Coaters No. 19. Despite not winning with the Ocean Sprints in 2009 the 30-year-old did capture a GSC 410 victory at the Ocean Speedway last August. The three-time & defending Silver Crown Series champ will be back in action this year competing in select events that don’t conflict with his USAC schedule. One of Kaeding’s finest runs last year came at the Johnny Key Classic where he traded slide jobs with eventual winner Tarlton for the lead late in the race, before finishing runner-up at the checkered.
Defending Golden State Challenge Series Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson of Elk Grove is scheduled to be on hand this Friday behind the wheel of the Stadelhofer Construction, Peppermill Resort Spa & Casino No. 99 machine. The 17-year-old won a GSC main event at the Ocean Speedway on May 29 of last year and also captured victory at the Ocean vs. Civil War event in July after setting fast-time to begin the night. In addition to those Larson also brought home a third place finish at the Johnny Key Classic after battling wheel-to-wheel for the lead with Tarlton over the early to middle stages of the 50-lapper.
Former two-time California Sprint Car Civil War Series champion Mike Henry will make the haul to Watsonville this Friday to compete with the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo aboard his GT Promotions, Corvette Care No. 18 mount. Last season the Sacramento driver set fast-time and led all 30-laps of the feature to claim victory during the September 25 Ocean Sprints vs. Civil War event at Ocean Speedway. Henry last year also finished fifth in the final Civil War standings with two victories in his first year driving for car owners Rudy & Bev Warrington.
Other drivers expected to be in action this Friday with the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo will include Lucas Oil ASCS National Series Rookie of the Year contender Justyn Cox of Clarksburg, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Clovis’ Peter Murphy, Gilroy’s Kurt Nelson and Eric Rossi, San Martin’s Craig Smith, Visalia’s Cory Eliason, Corralitos’ Jerry Bonnema, Tracy’s Steve Osborne, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Morgan Hill’s Devon Ostheimer, San Jose’s Matt Sargent, Lodi’s Shawn Wright and more.
The front gate will open at 4:30pm this Friday night April 2 with hot laps at 5:15 and racing scheduled to get underway at 6. 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