From Steven Blakesley
Watsonville, CA — (March 27, 2013) — The highly anticipated return of the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo fires off Friday night from John Prentice’s Ocean Speedway Watsonville, with some of the best 360 Sprint Car talent in the nation squaring off. After a hotly contested 2012 campaign won by Fremont’s Shane Golobic, the 2013 edition looks to be wide-open.
Drivers competing in Friday’s opener will also have the first chance at the Nobel Construction “Back Row Challenge”. If the fast-time qualifier elects to start at the rear of the feature and can claim the win, he will earn an extra $1500 and 10 championship points for the effort.
2012’s Ocean Sprints season came down to the wire with Golobic topping Stockton’s Brad Furr by a scant 27 points by season’s end. Gilroy’s Kurt Nelson steered the Taco Bravo #72 to third in the points last year topping San Jose’s hard charger Ryan Rusconi and the Corralitos Electric #58 of Jerry Bonnema.
With Golobic running only a part-time schedule at Ocean Speedway, in the Keith Day Trucking #22, the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds quarter-mile will be greeting a new crop of talented drivers on Friday nights.
Fresno’s team of brothers Koen and Kyler Shaw are both planning to contest the entire Taco Bravo Series. The oldest, Koen, ran several times at Watsonville last season while Kyler will make his first Watsonville attempt on Friday.
Pleasanton’s Nathan Washam, an Arizona transplant, will graduate out of the Wingless Sprints and into the Ocean Sprints. The 15 year-old will drive for Mark Beck in the ESP Engineering #4 entry out of Carson City, Nevada.
After making a few starts last year, former Micro 600 champion Tomas Bray of Hollister is planning to run most of the Ocean Sprints season. Bray drives a #23 entry with support from Golden Eagle Mortgage Group and Keith Day Trucking.
A large crop of drivers is expected to join these young teams for Friday’s opener, including Watsonville’s Justin Sanders in Clayton Snow’s #7, Nick Green in his family’s All Weld Fabrication #14, Steve Osborne returning to the seat of his Get Som Sports #9j, and Nick Rescino, Jr. out of San Francisco in the Rescino Racing Engines #11.
Friday’s races for the Ocean Sprints also includes Wingless Sprints, Micro 600s, IMCA Sport Mods, and Four Bangers. Adult tickets are just $17 with seniors 65+ $16 and kids ages 6-12 are $15. The family pass for two adults and two children is value priced at just $55. Qualifying will get underway at 6 p.m. with fan gates opening at 4:30 p.m.
Ocean Sprints regular Steve Osborne and IMCA Sport Mod favorite Stephen Hopf will sign autographs for the fans from 4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. at the front gate as well.
For more information on the Ocean Sprints log onto http://www.oceansprints.com and for more on the Ocean Speedway visit http://www.oceanspeedway.com
Ocean Speedway would like to thank Taco Bravo, Digital Delivery Networks, Nobel Construction, Get Som Sports, Ray Scheidt’s Electric, Hoosier Tires West, and Kaeding Performance for their support.