By Steven Blakesley
WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA (June 20, 2013) – Six different drivers have visited victory lane at Ocean Speedway this season during the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo, and several drivers will be looking for their first triumph during round nine on Friday night.
Stockton’s Brad Furr and Campbell’s Bud Kaeding are the only repeat winners this season, with other winners including Tommy Tarlton, 2012 series champion Shane Golobic, Watsonville’s Justin Sanders, and Auburn’s standout Andy Forsberg.
Gilroy’s Kurt Nelson trails Furr by just 36 points in the standings, and his kept the #72w Taco Bravo-sponsored ride within striking distance throughout the season. Nelson will be looking for his first win of the year to try to close the gap.
Furr was the 2012 series runner-up behind Golobic, but has taken advantage of Golobic’s partial schedule to take the reigns on the series. A series of mechanical issues during heat races and qualifying over the last couple of races have unhinged what was otherwise a near-perfect start ot the season.
Salinas’ racing brothers Jeremy and Jason have been sensational this year, ranking third and fifth in the overall tally respectively. San Francisco’s Nick Rescino, Jr. is also having his best season on dirt, running fourth in the standings.
San Jose’s Ryan Rusconi, San Jose rookie driver Nick Foster, Jr., Fresno’s Koen Shaw, Golobic, and Pleasanton rookie Nathan Washam round out the top-ten in the standings.
Friday’s event will be the last race before the build-up to the Johnny Key Classic, with the next four points races all serving as qualifying races for $10k to win event on Saturday August 24th. Winners of each of the four features will lock themselves into the feature, with the remaining teams having to race their way in through b-mains.
Friday’s races for the Ocean Sprints also includes Four Bangers, IMCA Modifieds, Ocean Late Models, IMCA Sport Modifieds, and Wingless Sprints. 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.
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.