By Gary Thomas
Watsonville, CA…Ashton Torgerson used lapped traffic to his advantage late in going and raced away to snag his initial Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo triumph on Friday night.
Sharing victory lane on Friday the 13th in Watsonville were Bobby Hogge with the IMCA Modifieds, Rob Gallaher with the IMCA Sport Mods, Ryan Hart with the Hobby Stocks and John Hohmann with Police N Pursuit.
Reigning Ocean Sprints champ and current point leader Caleb Debem blasted out to the early lead in the 30-lap Taco Bravo finale. The only caution of the race waved on lap four when Tyler Walker and Corbin Seay both stopped with damage.
After that early caution things went green the rest of the way to the conclusion. Torgerson was back home on the west coast for the weekend, as weather hampered his racing efforts back east. He moved into second on lap 11 and then reeled in the leader.
The duo raced closely together for several laps while keeping the fans on hand entertained. With 10 circuits remaining a lapped car played into things as Debem had trouble getting by. Torgerson decided to try his luck upstairs and made the winning pass on lap 23.
Torgerson went on to claim the win over Debem, Cole Schroeder, fast qualifier and Dash winner Jake Haulot, and Jennifer Osborne.
The IMCA Modified feature showcased some wild moments throughout the 25 lap contest. Jonathan Hagio of Prunedale claimed the early lead and held command over much of the contest. The action behind him though remained hot and heavy.
Katelyn Robertson and Jim Pettit II put on an excellent show while racing for the runner up spot over several laps. On lap 17 however, Pettit exited with issues over turn one and Robertson had a fire develop under the hood of her machine, which put her out of contention.
Hogge then found himself in second and began to charge around the high side of the well-prepared bullring. After hounding Hagio the Salinas legend was able to rocket by and take over the lead with five laps left. Hogge went on to claim his fourth win of the year over Hagio, Matt Kampfraat, Raymond Keldsen Jr and Todd Hermosillo.
The IMCA Sport Mods once again brought out the best car count of the night with 16 total racers on hand. A trio of different leaders were seen in another outstanding main event. Jim DiGiovanni led the first couple circuits, before Max Bagget made the move around him on lap three.
San Jose’s Rob Gallaher showed that he would not be denied on this night though. The driver of the X mount blasted into the top spot on lap six and never looked back, even despite a green, white, checkered restart that was needed.
Danny Wagner and Bo Crebs stayed close, but Gallaher scored the win at the Keith Trusso checkered flag. Wagner, Crebs, Trevor Clymens and DiGiovanni completed the top five at the finish.
The Hobby Stock feature was a battle of attrition that saw five different leaders during it. Several cautions and issues for drivers slowed things down, forcing the race to be cut short and go 15 laps. Lilly Mead, Joe Gallaher, Bobby Gallaher and Cody Keldsen all spent time out front in the main event.
Point leader Ryan Hart started dead last and weaved through all the chaos to grab the lead on lap 10. The Dos Palos racer then pulled away to claim his third win of the season. Adriane Frost, Wayne Reeder, Bobby Gallaher and Sam Kennedy finished behind him.
John Hohmann looked to be on way to an easy victory with the Police N Pursuit division but had to fend off a very fast Ben Standin and AJ Waltrip over the closing stages. The top three cars bunched up over the final few circuits and kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Hohmann hung tough though and crossed under the checkered for the exciting triumph over Standin and Waltrip.
Ocean Speedway returns to action this coming Friday June 20th with another round of Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo racing plus IMCA Mods and Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks, Four Bangers and Dwarf Cars.
Results
Ocean Speedway
June 13, 2025
Ocean Sprints:
1. 02-Ashton Torgerson[3]; 2. 3D-Caleb Debem[2]; 3. 3-Cole Schroeder[4]; 4. 7H-Jake Haulot[1]; 5. 76-Jennifer Osborne[7]; 6. 72W-Kurt Nelson[5]; 7. 25Z-Jason Chisum[9]; 8. 56Z-Don Hart[10]; 9. 72JR-Chris Nelson[12]; 10. 88-Tyler Walker[6]; 11. 7C-Corbin Seay[8]; 12. (DNS) 34B-Glenn Bryan