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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
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TWO NIGHTS AT THE OCEAN by Norm Bogan |
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Two nights at the ocean, Speedway that is! On Friday, May 8th and 15th, I made the 350 mile journey to Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, California. The first query is why would someone drive past several other venues closer to home? Well, it is the ambience. Located on the north side of Monterrey Bay in an area called the nations Salad Bowl, this well prepared racing facility is a welcome respite from the near century mark temperatures of California’s Central Valley. My incentive was to get a closer look at many talented youngsters, getting their feet wet at the competitive levels of auto racing. One of the regular classes in competition at Ocean is the 600 c.c. Micro Sprints. A number of today’s young stallions cut their teeth in this class, some beginning as early as four to five years old. After a decade or so of racing in this field, moving into sprint cars is a natural progression. Ocean Speedway has nurtured this group, providing them a stage to perform. While most are unable to ride a quad around the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, because they have yet to possess a valid California drivers license, but on the racing surface, it becomes a ballet of young men and women vying for bragging rights and success as they pursue an ongoing racing career. On my first visit, the premier classes of the evening were the GLR INVESTMENTS 360 Winged Sprint Cars and the Wingless Spec Sprints. A number of graduates from the Micros competed against Sprint Car Hall of Famer, Brent Kaeding and headliners like Tommy Tarlton, Ronnie Day, Brad Furr, Craig Smith, Bud Kaeding, Andy Ferris, Kevin Pylant and other veterans. Youngsters, Justin Sanders, Wes Gutierrez, Evan Suggs, Matt Sargent and Ricky Wright have made the transition from the Micros to the powerful Sprinters. On this evening, Justin Sanders scored his first victory in the GLR 360 Sprints after a strong run at Ocean for several years in the Micros. The progression for many of the young drivers goes through the Wingless Spec Sprints, before moving up to the GLR racers. This is a very competitive class, offering a mix of veteran drivers and the blossoming talent pool of young racers. Ryan Bernal was the Spec Sprint Champion in 2008 at Ocean Speedway as a 14 year old. Others now competing that moved up from the Micros were Howard Ferguson Jr., Devon Ostheimer, Marc Chaz, and Billy Aton. Ferguson claimed the spoils on this night. For the past two Fridays, I have been able to follow some of the premier winged sprint car drivers and also get a peek at the next generation, knocking on the door for recognition. These youngsters are skilled and inspired as they race against the veteran pilots, who they once stood in line to get their autograph. Ocean Speedway has provided a place for these neophytes to race. Several other northern California tracks have also joined the parade to showcase these budding young stars. Ocean Speedway is to be congratulated for presenting the current racing heroes along with the future icons of auto racing. |
