WATSONVILLE, Calif. — Justin Sanders emerged victorious after one of the wildest NARC sprint car main events of the season Friday, taking the opening night feature of the Howard Kaeding Classic at Ocean Speedway.
Sanders inherited the lead with eight laps completed when early leader Bud Kaeding was bit by the treacherous cushion in Turn 1 and was sent flying off the track.
Sanders led the rest of the 30-lapper for his NARC-leading fifth race of the season, but had to fend off Bud’s brother Tim Kaeding along the way and wait through several cautions and red flags before finally taking the checkered flag.
It was the second NARC win at Ocean Speedway this season for Sanders, who also captured the May 16 event.
Sanders won last year’s Howard Kaeding Classic, his second HK win overall, but while Saturday’s finale remains, it was special for Sanders still to take the win on the first night of a now two-night event that previously had honored the patriarch of the Kaeding Family as a special event guest since 2011.
This year’s event, however, took on special meaning with Howard passing away during the off-season.
Out front after Bud Kaeding’s misfortune, Sanders early on was challenged by Tim Kaeding, but found his groove and managed his way around the challenging top side of the race track.
Despite the many cautions and red flags, of which there were five, Sanders still had to deal with slower traffic on occasion. Sanders managed to hold off a determined Tim in the closing laps for the win aboard the Yuba Sutter Aviation-sponsored Mittry Motorsports No. 2x Fisher-powered KPC.
The $5,000 victory went with Sanders’ other NARC Ocean win, a pair of wins at Silver Dollar Speedway, and a Dirt Cup preliminary at Skagit Speedway.
Friday’s Howard Kaeding Classic opener was probably the one that required the most patience out of Sanders this season.
Tim Kaeding, racing in memory of his grandfather, finished second aboard the Emadco Disposal-sponsored Williams Motorsports No. 0 Maxwill-powered Maxim.
Behind Sanders and Kaeding, there were constant battles for and shuffling of positions throughout the top 10.
Dylan Bloomfield turned in one of his best finishes of the season after starting eighth. He battled with former NARC champion Sean Becker to move into fourth place and late in the race he battled with and passed another former NARC champion in D.J. Netto to move into third, and finished there aboard the Silva’s All Natural Beef-sponsored Vertullo Racing No. 83v Kistler-powered Maxim.
Netto, who entered the event with the NARC points lead, finished fourth aboard the Penny Newman Grain-sponsored Netto Ag No. 88n Rider-powered KPC.
Kaleb Montgomery, another driver who raced hard throughout, came from 13th and made late passes to secure fifth place aboard the Luxon Real Estate-sponsored Montgomery Racing No. 3 Speedway-powered Maxim.
The finish:
Feature: (30 Laps): 1. 2X-Justin Sanders[2]; 2. 0-Tim Kaeding[3]; 3. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield[8]; 4. 88N-DJ Netto[4]; 5. 3-Kaleb Montgomery[13]; 6. 7B-Sean Becker[10]; 7. 15-Nick Parker[9]; 8. 35KM-Tyler Thompson[14]; 9. 83T-Tanner Carrick[18]; 10. 10-Dominic Gorden[15]; 11. 10X-Jace Park[11]; 12. 29-Bud Kaeding[1]; 13. 88A-Joey Ancona[16]; 14. 2K-Gauge Garcia[6]; 15. 21L-Landon Brooks[5]; 16. 121-Caeden Steele[19]; 17. 25Z-Jason Chisum[24]; 18. 14E-Mariah Ede[12]; 19. 17W-Shane Golobic[7]; 20. 73-Ryan Bernal[17]; 21. 21-Jesse Schlotfeldt[21]; 22. 26-Billy Aton[23]; 23. 7P-Jake Andreotti[20]; 24. 41-Dominic Scelzi[22]
