WATSONVILLE, Calif. — Jett Barnes has been exceptional during his Watsonville Speedway starts this year and raced to his second triumph in four appearances last night with the Gold Star GMC 360 Sprint Cars.
Fellow winners on First Responders Night included Lilly Mead with the R&J Landscaping Hobby Stocks, Jonathan Welborn with the Heat Wave Visual Four Bangers and Mike Santana with Police N Pursuit.
Clovis driver Dominic Gorden took command at the waving of the green flag in the 25-lap Gold Star GMC 360 Sprint Car feature. Young Cole Croft kept him honest over the early stages, not letting the former Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial winner get too far ahead.
Jett Barnes, who had earned the Keith Day Company Fast Time Award earlier, settled into fourth after a handful laps, but then started to find his groove. The 14-year-old began to run the bottom of turn two and got immense runs as he carved his way forward.
Barnes sliced into third on lap nine and then second just a few circuits later. He then erased a two second lead that Gorden possessed and pounced for the top spot on lap 18. A green-white-checkered restart was seen but nothing could slow Barnes who drove off to claim the Ed Entz checkered flag.
In his four starts at Watsonville Speedway this year Barnes has set fast time at each event and has tallied two wins, along with a pair of third place efforts. He is expected to make his 410 Sprint Car debut at the track on May 29th with the NARC King of the West Series.
Gorden crossed the stripe in second while Croft made the move by Dominic Scelzi to bring home third on the final restart. Croft even challenged Gorden for second on the final lap, as he recorded his first career Sprint Car podium. Scelzi and Caleb Debem completed the top five.
