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HIGHLY ANTICIPATED 51ST
JOHNNY KEY CLASSIC THIS SATURDAY AT OCEAN
WATSONVILLE,
CALIFORNIA (August 24, 2011) – In the midst of a hotly contested battle for the 2011
Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo championship, the series favorites and a
host of outside contenders will battle it out for the $5,000 to win Johnny Key
Classic this Saturday night at Ocean Speedway.
The highly anticipated event will bring together open-wheel racing’s
best to honor the late Johnny Key in the 51st running of the
classic.
2011 series
points leader Tommy Tarlton comes into the Key with back-to-back wins at Ocean
Speedway and appears poised for his second classic victory. The driver of the #21 Corporate American
Lending mount will busy with an all-star lineup however.
Six drivers
have already made their way into the race through the four qualifying races and
the two points provisionals. Tarlton,
2010 Johnny Key Classic winner Tim Kaeding, 2010 King of California Kyle
Larson, 1998 Johnny Key Classic winner Ronnie Day, rookie sensation Rico Abreu,
and fourth place in Ocean points Justin Sanders of Prunedale are all locked
into the show.
Kaeding won
the first two qualifying races including the event against the California
Sprint Car Civil War on July 9th where Larson finished second to
lock himself in. Larson has been busy
winning races in the USAC National Midgets this year after winning the 2010
King of California and finishing second in the Ocean Sprints points. Larson recently won with the wing on at Yreka, California and the 19 year-old is seeking his
first Key victory.
18 year-old
Abreu has been one of the highlights of the 2011 season as he is third in the
Ocean Sprints standings, qualifying for the Key with a second place finish
behind Tarlton last Friday night. Abreu
drives the #89 Abreu Vineyards / Stadelhofer Construction entry out of the
Kaeding Performance shop.
Second in
points Day earned one of the two positions in the Key for top points earning
cars. Day has only had a pair of
finishes outside of fourth this season but both have come during Johnny Key
Classic qualifiers. Day’s string of bad
luck allowed Tarlton to take a narrow lead in the points but a Johnny Key
Classic win for Day could turn the championship battle on its head.
Some
extremely high-profile drivers will be racing their way into the 50 lap feature
on Saturday, among them Fremont gasser Shane Golobic. Golobic narrowly missed making the field in
last week’s qualifier but he will have a good teammate in the Joe Vonschriltz
stable. Former Carmichael, CA resident
Bryan Clauson, 2010 USAC National Drivers Champion and 2011 Firestone Indy
Lights pole sitter, will make his first ever winged sprint car start on
Saturday night in a car numbered #121 ½.
Other
drivers racing their way in will be former Key winners Brent Kaeding, Craig
Smith, Jason Statler, and Eric Rossi.
New track record holder Evan Suggs of ScottsValley will also have to race his way to
the Key. Salinas’ Tommy Laliberte, Gilroy’s Kurt Nelson, San Jose’s Ryan Rusconi, San Jose’s Nick Green, San Francisco’s Nick Rescino, Jr., Salinas’ Orval Zane Burke, Salinas’ Jeremy Chisum, and Clovis’ Koen Shaw are among Ocean Speedway
regulars expected on Saturday night.
The format
for Saturday’s events will not include heat races. Instead drivers not locked into the Key will
get hot laps and qualifying to set the starting orders for the b-mains. No more than 12 cars will start each b-main
and all told the b-mains will transfer a total of 16 cars to join the six
already qualified.
Each b-main
event will invert the top-four as usual for Ocean Sprints heat races and the
b-mains will be 20 laps. Drivers who
make the Key through their b-main will get their qualifying times back and
start behind the qualified six.
The six
qualified cars will hot lap then pill draw for positions in a six lap
dash. The finishing order of the dash
for cash will make up the starting line-up for the feature.
Purse for
the Johnny Key Classic A-main will be $5,000 to win and $300 to start. There will also be lap money awarded $25
going to first, $15 to second and $10 to third during the sponsored laps.
The Johnny
Key Classic will be a 50 lap feature in two 25 lap segments. During the break, teams will be allowed to
refuel, change tires, and make adjustments before the race resumes.
Laps are
still for sale for the Johnny Key Classic with interested parties urged to
contact [email protected]
Laps are $50 each to be paid out to the
top-three cars each lap.
The Johnny
Key Classic this Saturday night also includes racing for the Wingless Sprints
and 600 Micros along with the Okie Bowl Hardtops. Adult tickets are $18 with seniors 65+ $16
and kids ages 6-12 are $13. The family
pass for two adults and two children is value priced at just $55. Please note special Saturday night times with
qualifying at approx. 5 p.m. and racing to follow. Fan gates will open at 3:30
p.m.
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
www.stevenblakesley.com
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