WATSONVILLE, Calif. — Justin Sanders won his first Taco Bravo 360 Sprint Car Series feature of the season at the Ocean Speedway on Friday night.
Sanders led all 30 laps in his familiar yellow No. 17 after starting on the front row.
A surprised Koen Shaw finished in the runner-up spot followed by two-time feature winner Bud Kaeding. Shaw started in the next to the last row of the 14-car field and took full advantage of a lap-28 caution to advance thru the field surprising both Kaeding and polesitter J.J. Ringo Jr.
Ringo had his best performance of the season by winning his heat race and then the dash, putting him on the pole for the main event. But it was Sanders who used a cross over move going into the first turn who would take command of feature and surviving a late-race caution.
Sanders showed why he is a master of the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds track, building up a comfortable lead until the race’s only caution with just two laps to go, would slow the field. Jason Chisum and Jayson Bright had an issue in the first turn.
Chisum had a fine run going after making the dash putting him in the third starting spot for the feature. His night would end however as he was towed off the track.
With a green-white-checkered restart, it was Shaw who would move past both Ringo and Kaeding to take a surprising second-place finish.
It was Sanders who was the last of 14 cars to qualify, who set fast time.
The 20-lap midget feature was won by David Prickett, his second win of the season at Ocean.
The finish:
Justin Sanders, Koen Shaw, Bud Kaeding, J.J. Ringo, Brad Furr, Jake Andreotti, Kurt Nelson, Jeremy Chisum, Kyler Shaw, Jayson Bright, Keith Day Jr. Jason Chisum, Richard Fajardo, Chris Nelson