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WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA (January 25, 2012) – The Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo return in 2012
with a 16 race schedule at the Ocean Speedway quarter-mile
dirt track, located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.
Promoter John Prentice has crafted a schedule that sees all 16
dates in Watsonville with no traveling events planned for
2012.
The 2012
slate opens up on Friday night March 30th. Among
the highlights is a busy four race stint during June that ends
with the first Johnny Key Classic qualifier on June 29th.
The other three Johnny Key qualifying races will be July 20th,
July 27th, and August 17th. The 52nd
Johnny Key Classic will be Saturday night August 25th.
The series
wraps up with back-to-back Friday night shows on October 5 and
October 12 to name the 2012 champion.
A cast of
strong competition will be gunning after 2011 champion Ronnie
Day of Salinas, who took the Keith Day Trucking #22 to the
championship on the heels of two series victories including
the Johnny Key Classic last August. The championship battle
came down to the wire with 2010 champion Tommy Tarlton in the
Tarlton & Sons #21 finishing second in the standings.
Tarlton has
bulked up his program for 2012, adding a #21x for Rookie of
the Year contender Carson Mecedo of Lemoore. Mecedo is a
former Micro Sprint standout.
Another
driver challenging Day will be Fremont’s Shane Golobic who
will drive Steve Osbrone’s #9J for the entire schedule.
Golobic ended 2011 red-hot with three consecutive victories
along with his May 13th victory at the speedway.
Prunedale’s
Justin Sanders, a consistently fast-qualifier and gasser, is
expected to return for a run at the championship in the North
County Plastering #17 mount. Sanders has also announced that
he will run full-time in the Civil War this season keeping the
young pilot very busy in 2012.
Returning to
Ocean Speedway will be Pleasanton’s Brad Furr in the Ray
Scheidt’s Electric #2. Furr ran the King of the West in 2011
finishing tenth in the standings, with a best-finish of second
in the August appearance of KWS at Watsonville. Furr finished
in the top-five in the 2010 series points making him a
contender for 2012.
Other drivers
expected to race Watsonville on a regular basis include
popular young driver Rico Abreu in the Abreu Vinyards #89,
Orval Zane Burke of Sinas, San Jose’s Tommy Laliberte,
Gilroy’s Kurt Nelson, and San Jose’s Ryan Rusconi among many
others.
The full 2012
Ocean Speedway schedule will be announced at a later time but
numerous Modified, American Stock, Four Banger, Micro Sprint,
and Dwarf Car races are on the schedule along with four USAC
Western Sprint Car races and the return of USAC Western
Midgets.
For more
information on the Ocean Sprint Cars presented by Taco Bravo
log onto
http://www.oceansprints.com and for more on the Ocean
Speedway visit
http://www.oceanspeedway.com
2012
Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo Schedule
March 30
April 13
May 4
May 11
May 18
June 1
June 8
June 22
June 29
*Johnny Key Qualifier*
July 20
*Johnny Key Qualifier*
July 27
*Johnny Key Qualifier*
August 17
*Johnny Key Qualifier*
August 25 52nd
Johnny Key Classic
September 21
October 5
October 12
Click here for the 2012 schedule
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