Ocean Speedway
August 15, 2014
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Tommy Tarlton holds off all challengers to lead flag-to-flag on Friday night

by Gary Thomas
WATSONVILLE, CA (August 15) - Tommy Tarlton is always one of the favorites when he signs in at the back gate of the Ocean Speedway, but hasn’t run a full season at the track in 2014 and going into Friday had yet to pick up a win in his four starts with the Ocean Sprints.

If there was ever a night to change that the two-time Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo champion certainly did it last night, by scoring an impressive victory, in what was the final Qualifying Race for the 54th Johnny Key Classic. The Easton, CA driver joins Mason Moore, Bud Kaeding and Greg Decaires as drivers to lock into the Key based on wins in the four Qualifying Races. Tarlton has won the Key twice in his career, the first in 2009 and the second in 2012.

The veteran driver started from the pole in the main event on Friday and other than some pressure from current Ocean Sprints point leader Shane Golobic the first few laps, had his way out front for the duration of the 30-lapper. The victory came aboard the always potent Paul Baines wrenched Elite Landscape Construction/ Tarlton & Son Inc. No. 21 Sprinter out of a solid 29-car field on hand.

“This is a big win for us tonight and I couldn’t be happier to be locked into the Key next weekend,” said an emotional Tarlton on the front stretch. “This is my first win since my wife had her stroke in April and I love her with all my heart and am glad she’s here to enjoy it with me. I want to thank Paul Baines and my whole team that’s behind me. My dad and all of our sponsors that make this possible. We had a great car tonight; hopefully we can come back next Saturday and win another Johnny Key Classic.”

A number of yellows in the feature slowed the pace of things at times, but Tarlton was picture perfect on every double file restart that he had to deal with. Despite not much of a battle for the lead, the racing for second on back was entertaining once again, with slide jobs and side-by-side action prevalent throughout the field. A multitude of position changes were seen among the top-10, with restarts and a racy surface making for some interesting & intense moments.

Hanford’s DJ Netto fought his way forward while making some great moves in the feature to score second at the finish, after dicing it up with Watsonville’s Justin Sanders and Lemoore’s Carson Macedo for much of the final laps. For Netto it was his best finish of the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo season aboard the Netto Agriculture/ Penny Newman Grain No. 88n machine. The 18-year-old led laps at the Key last season and will look to come back for more next weekend.

“We were definitely better on the longer green flag runs so I hated to see those cautions,” Netto commented. “If we could have stayed green I thought I may have had a shot with Tommy in traffic, but he was really fast tonight so I want to congratulate him. The way the last few weeks have gone I’ll take a second tonight though and it gives us some momentum going into the Johnny Key Classic next weekend.”

Sander’s was very fast towards the later stages of the race and brought home his second consecutive podium finish with the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo. The wheel-man of the North County Plastering/ Landcaster Locksmith No. 17 mount was exciting to watch as always. Sander’s goes into next week sitting second in the Civil War Series points and fourth in the Ocean Sprints standings.

“I felt like we had the fastest car there late in the race, so I wished we could have had more laps like we’ll get next week,” said Sanders, who ran second on July 25 with the Ocean Sprints. “The track these past handful of weeks has just been awesome to race on and that’s made it a lot of fun. Hopefully we can have the same at the Johnny Key Classic and be able to put on a great show for the fans next Saturday.”

Macedo crossed the line in fourth to earn yet another top-five finish in the WFO Apparel No. 21x machine. The 18-year-old has finished outside of the top-five just once through the first 10 events of the Ocean Sprints season. Current point leader Shane Golobic of Fremont rounded out the top-five aboard the Keith Day Trucking No. 22 Sprinter.

Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi had a strong run charging from 17th to sixth in the feature. Ocean Sprints winner earlier this season Steven Tiner of Visalia spent time racing with Golobic for second in the feature early on and came home seventh at the finish. Stockton’s Brad Furr was eighth in the rundown, while Laton’s Heath Duinkerken earned the High Five Pizza Hard Charger Award coming from 21st to ninth. Hanford’s Collin Markle rounded out the top-10.


360 Sprints

A-Main
1 21 Tommy Tarlton
2 88N DJ Netto
3 17 Justin Sanders
4 21X Caron Macedo
5 22 Shane Golobic
6 41 Dominic Scelzi
7 94 Steven Tiner
8 2 Brad Furr
9 79 Heath Duinkerken
10 5 Collin Markle
11 25Z Jason Chisum
12 9S Landon Hurst
13 88 Koen Shaw
14 58 Jerry Bonnema
15 3C Jon Allard
16 31C Justyn Cox
17 83 Jamie Diuff
18 9J Dustin Golobic
19 72W Kurt Nelson
20 37 Mitchell Faccinto  
21 10 Anthony Simone
22 92 Kyler Shaw

B-Main
1 31C Justyn Cox
2 72W Kurt Nelson
3 9S Landon Hurst
4 88 Koen Shaw
5 79 Heath Duinkerken
6 25Z Jason Chisum
7 4 Burt Foland Jr
8 14X Jeff Botelho
9 83M Mike Stallings
10 7 Nick Ringo Jr
11 3 Craig Stidham
12 8 Jeremy Chisum

Heat #1
1 94 Steven Tiner
2 21 Tommy Tarlton
3 22 Shane Golobic
4 83 Jamie Diuff
5 9S Landon Hurst
6 83M Mike Stallings
7 72W Kurt Nelson

Heat #2
1 88N DJ Netto
2 92 Kyler Shaw
3 37 Mitchell Faccinto
4 58 Jerry Bonnema
5 88 Koen Shaw
6 3 Craig Stidham
7 4 Burt Foland Jr

Heat #3
1 17 Justin Sanders
2 5 Collin Markle
3 41 Dominic Scelzi
4 10 Anthony Simone
5 14X Jeff Botelho
6 25Z Jason Chisum
7 31C Justyn Cox

Heat #4
1 2 Brad Furr
2 3C Jon Allard
3 21X Caron Macedo
4 9J Dustin Golobic
5 79 Heath Duinkerken
6 8 Jeremy Chisum
7 7 Nick Ringo Jr


American Stocks

A-Main
1 88S Robert Huckaby
2 14H Matthew Hagio
3 66 Tim Clark Sr.
4 11 Billy Nelson
5 58 Ron Bonnema
6 7 Tony Oliveira
7 22W Charlie Hunter
8 130 Sean Capdepon
9 31 Nick Triolo
10 88J Robert Huckaby Jr.
11 3 John Farrell
12 24 Sean Markley Jr
13 89 Katie Briggs
14 15 Jill Merlin
15 83 Terry Campion

Heat #1
1 83 Terry Campion
2 11 Billy Nelson
3 7 Tony Oliveira
4 130 Sean Capdepon
5 58 Ron Bonnema
6 3 John Farrell
7 88J Robert Huckaby Jr.
8 27 Scott Fuhrman

Heat #2
1 66 Tim Clark Sr.
2 24 Sean Markley Jr
3 14H Matthew Hagio
4 88S Robert Huckaby
5 22W Charlie Hunter
6 31 Nick Triolo
7 15 Jill Merlin
8 89 Katie Briggs


Wingless Sprints

A-Main
1 1C Jimmy Christian
2 99 Tony Gualda
3 5 Tim DeCarlo Jr.
4 35 Bryan Grier
5 44 Brent Maggi
6 73C Cody Finley
7 14T Peter Carlotto
8 66 Richard Mitchell
9 9 Shayna Sylvia
10 93 Nick Dunn
11 17 Eric Rossi

Heat #1
1 9 Shayna Sylvia
2 99 Tony Gualda
3 73C Cody Finley
4 93 Nick Dunn
5 35 Bryan Grier

Heat #2
1 1C Jimmy Christian
2 5 Tim DeCarlo Jr.
3 44 Brent Maggi
4 14T Peter Carlotto
5 66 Richard Mitchell
6 17 Eric Rossi
7 59 Evan Bonnema


Dwarf Cars

A-Main
1 75B Camron Diatte
2 80B Shawn Jones
3 74B Gene Pires Jr.
4 26N Matt Sargent
5 92B Justin Yanez
6 96B Nick Squatritto
7 64B Eric Weisler
8 12B Lyonel Francis
9 61B Chris Dorto
10 12 Ricardo Rivera
11 25B Brandon Wiley
12 45B Terre Rothweiler
13 66B Mark Biscardi
14 27N Joey Dale

Heat #1
1 45B Terre Rothweiler  
2 74B Gene Pires Jr.
3 80B Shawn Jones
4 61B Chris Dorto
5 64B Eric Weisler
6 12B Lyonel Francis
7 45 Greg Durden

Heat #2
1 75B Camron Diatte
2 26N Matt Sargent
3 25B Brandon Wiley
4 96B Nick Squatritto
5 27N Joey Dale
6 66B Mark Biscardi
7 92B Justin Yanez
8 12 Ricardo Rivera


Four Bangers

A-Main
1 87 Luke Babcock
2 20 Justin McPherson
3 94J James Alaga
4 31 Jake Roberson
5 33 Dan Downey
6 102 Samantha Roberson
7 420 Beth Johnson
8 88A Andrew Huckaby
9 724 Ron Black
10 43 Kate Beardsley  
11 5 Carley Crook
12 40Z Joe Monteith
13 (1) Dennis Keldson
14 25 Nicole Beardsley

Heat #1
1 40Z Joe Monteith
2 20 Justin McPherson  
3 31 Jake Roberson
4 724 Ron Black
5 25 Nicole Beardsley
6 420 Beth Johnson  
7 94J James Alaga  
8 (1) Dennis Keldson

Heat #2
1 87 Luke Babcock
2 102 Samantha Roberson
3 33 Dan Downey
4 420 Beth Johnson
5 88A Andrew Huckaby
6 5 Carley Crook
7 43 Kate Beardsley