WATSONVILLE, Calif. — Dominic Scelzi won the 30-lap NARC-King of West Series presented by Fujitsu sprint car feature at Ocean Speedway Friday night.
Ryan Bernal and Colby Copeland followed the No. 83 Roth Motorsports car in front of a good crowd at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds dirt oval.
Early race leader and front row starter Willie Croft edged out Bud Kaeding to fill out the top five.
Croft took the lead from pole sitter Mitchell Faccinto when the green flag waved. Croft pulled away from the rest of the 20-car starting field until the red flag waved for Nathan Rolfe, who did a soft flip in the second turn making him the first retiree.
The restart saw Croft leading Faccinto and Chase Johnson, however Billy Anton would spin in the first turn on lap 10 to slow the race. Johnson would pull into the infield with an expired motor while running in the third spot.
The second-place Faccinto’s No. 37 would slow on lap 14 and pull off the track. This would move both Scelzi and Bernal into contention. Anton would be charged with another yellow flag when he spun in the fourth turn on lap 16.
Leader Croft would run into slower traffic by lap 23 and Scelzi would take a gamble with a low pass in the third turn which would pay off. A rattled Croft got sideways coming off the fourth turn, sending his car into the infield. The bobble cost Croft two more positions before he could get his No. 29 back on the track.
Scelzi would run the few remaining laps without any threats and picked up the $3,000 first place prize. He also paced the 20-car field in qualifying.
The finish:
Dominic Scelzi, Ryan Bernal, Colby Copeland, Willie Croft, Bud Kaeding, D.J. Netto, Shane Golobic, Geoff Ensign, Kurt Nelson, Sean Watts, Jason Statler, Kenny Allen, Jayson Bright, Matt DeMartini, Chris Nelson, Mark Barroso, Billy Aton, Mitchell Faccinto, Chase Johnson, Nathan Rolfe.