WATSONVILLE, CALIF. (August 7, 2021) – With the backdrop of Hall of Fame night at Ocean Speedway, Justin Sanders put on a master class on the way to his eighth Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo victory of the 2021 season. The dominating performance was one part of a six-division program at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds dirt oval.
2021 West Coast Stock Car / Motorsports Hall of Famers with Ocean Speedway ties Howard Kaeding, Jim Pettit II, and Dave Byrd were honored during opening ceremonies for their contributions to area motorsports.
Sanders started on the outside pole of the 22-car, 30-lap feature. He immediately charged past dash winner Keith Day, Jr. of Salinas into turns one and two to take the lead. Travis Labat of Livermore spun in turn two on lap two, collecting Zane Blachard who flipped over. After the red flag, the following restart saw both incoming points leader Bud Kaeding and fast-time qualifier Joey Ancona of Concord drive past Day for second and third. The passes were nullified when 15-year-old Dylan Bloomfield of Discovery Bay stopped in turn three.
Day and Kaeding went back-and-forth for second before Day maintained the position. Sanders encountered lapped traffic by lap seven but knifed through them quickly. Kaeding and Ancona each drove over the edge of turn two on successive laps on lap 12 and 13. That allowed Kurt Nelson of Gilroy slot in between them in fourth.
Sanders accumulated a half-track lead, 6.4 seconds, by lap 25 and lapped until to seventh place. His commanding lead was erased when 2019 champion J.J. Ringo of Morgan Hill stopped in turn one for a caution. Kaeding looked inside Day for second on the restart before stopping on the backstretch for another yellow flag. Ancona dueled with Day on the restart before Day fell back in the closing laps. Sanders led wire-to-wire for the victory followed by Ancona, Sebastopol’s Joel Myers, Jr., Jake Andreotti of Castro Valley, and Day.
Hollister’s Andy Orbetello won the IMCA Modified 25-lap feature. Prunedale’s Fred Lind took the lead from the outside front row at the start before Orbetello grabbed the spot on lap four. Lind then spun from second in turn two to require a caution on lap seven. Prunedale’s Matthew Hagio spun on the restart in the same corner, getting his hard by Freedom’s Kyle Bryan.
Pettit biked on the cushion on the following restart, dropping from second to eighth position. Multi-time champion and incoming points leader Cody Burke hounded Orbetello over the second half of the event. Orbetello maintained the lead for the victory over Burke, Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, Austin Burke, and JC Elrod of San Martin.
Fred Ryland of Brentwood earned his seventh IMCA Sport Mod main event win of the year driving car no. 7J. Merced’s Richard Ragsdale led the way from the pole at the start of the 20-lap affair. After a pair of brief cautions, sixth-starting Ryland entered the frame. Ryland went up the inside of Ragsdale to lead lap three. Jonathan Hagio and Ted Hammer had a get together in turns one and two which saw Ryland suffer right side damage to the body of his Sport Modified. Ryland was undeterred on the way to victory, topping points leader Randy Miller of San Jose, 2020 champion Adriane Frost of Watsonville, Jacob Mallet Jr. of Oakley, and Ragsdale.
Four Bangers attracted another strong 13-car field for their feature event. The start had a big moment when Watsonville’s Richard Mitchell collided with Felton’s Travis VanGilder, sending VanGilder head-on into the front stretch wall. Points leader Tony Gullo of Watsonville jumped ahead on the restart, fending off a challenge from Dakota Keldsen. Keldsen then took the lead on lap four.
A big battle for third ended with Trent Ione of Santa Maria and Nicole Beardsley slamming into the inside berm in turn three. When the race resumed, Kate Beardsley battled with Gilroy’s TJ Santos for the second position. Keldsen topped Kate Beardsley, Santos, Nicole Beardsley, and Creston’s Clem Lessi who started 13th to finish fifth.
Mark Biscardi of San Jose won his second South Bay Dwarf Car feature of the 2021 season by leading every lap of the feature. Biscardi’s race looked over after the first lap when his door swung open on the right side of the vehicle. A spin by Keith Costas of Half Moon Bay brought out a caution, however, allowing Biscardi to secure his door and his place for victory. Biscardi weathered a late challenge from Eric Weisler over the final three laps for the win, followed by Kobe Kearns of Santa Maria, Barry Waddell of Redwood City, and Mike Del Monte of San Jose.
Rob Gallaher earned win five of his Hobby Stock season on Saturday night. Rob battled with father Joe Gallaher during the first three laps of competition before taking over the lead on lap four. Joe Gallaher then spun from second and collected Watsonville’s Jerry Skelton to require a caution on lap six. Skelton restarted with a flat left front tire, allowing Prunedale’s Scott Freeman to move into second briefly. Rob Gallaher took the win while Wally Kennedy held off Joe Gallaher for second. Freeman and Mitch Lettunich rounded out the top-five.
Next Friday night’s action includes the Tribute to Terry Traub for Hobby Stocks paying $1,033 to win plus the Special Olympics night for the Police-in-Pursuit. Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo, IMCA Modifieds, and IMCA Sport Mods will also be in action. Tickets available online at www.OceanSpeedway.com or at the gate.
Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo August 7, 2021 Feature Results (30 LAPS)
- 17-Justin Sanders[2]; 2. 88A-Joey Ancona[3]; 3. 46JR-Joel Myers[10]; 4. 7P-Jake Andreotti[7]; 5. 22-Keith Day Jr[1]; 6. 2-JJ Ringo[14]; 7. 72W-Kurt Nelson[5]; 8. 50-Bryce Eames[12]; 9. 67G-Grant Duinkerken[8]; 10. 15T-Tristan Guardino[13]; 11. 72JR-Chris Nelson[18]; 12. 58-Jerry Bonnema[20]; 13. 5R-Ryan Rocha[15]; 14. 87-Ashlyn Rodriguez[16]; 15. 8-Jeremy Chisum[17]; 16. 88-Koen Shaw[22]; 17. 25Z-Jason Chisum[19]; 18. 69-Bud Kaeding[4]; 19. 98-Michael Pombo[21]; 20. 61-Travis Labat[6]; 21. 7Z-Zane Blanchard[9]; 22. 33-Dylan Bloomfield[11]
- Steven Blakesley on Aug 07, 2021
- Article Date: 8/7/2021 by Steven Blakesley