5/3/2011
Sprint Source
TARLTON LEADS OCEAN SPRINTS BACK TO WATSONVILLE AFTER TULARE WIN
WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA (May 3, 2011) - Easton’s Tommy Tarlton topped a 19 car field to claim the victory in Saturday night’s Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo feature at the Tulare Thunderbowl to assume the poins leader.
The win marked Tarlton’s second straight victory at Tulare after he won the ASCS SoCal opener the previous weekend.
Tarlton, who finished second in the season opening race at Ocean Speedway on April 15, will look to pick up his first Ocean Speedway win as the series returns to Watsonville on Friday night.
Talrton claimed the Ray Scheidt’s Electric fast-time award ($75) over Tulare newcomer Nick Green, with Ronnie Day, Justin Sanders, and Trey Starks rounding out the top-five qualifiers.
Sanders, the 18 year-old sensation from Prunedale, Calif., was fresh off a runner-up finish with King of the West and led the first 15 laps of the feature.
After a red flag, Sanders left rear tire began to go down and he relinquished the lead a few laps later to Tarlton on the front-stretch.
Peter Murphy masterfully drove from ninth on the grid to second by lap 22. Murphy made a strong charge towards Tarlton but ran out of laps to complete the move.
Tarlton ripped underneath the checkered flag followed by Murphy, Cory Eliason, Day, and Sanders. Kevin Pylant drove from 14th to sixth to earn the DDNi Hard Charger Award worth $100. Tarlton donated half of his winnings to the Wounded Warrior Foundation.
With the Ocean Sprints looking towards Friday night’s race, Tarlton has a 13 point lead over Day in the standings with Pylant moving up to third in the tally. “Cowboy” Craig Smith has flown under the radar through two events for fourth in the standings with Sanders rounding out the top-five.
Full results are available at www.oceansprints.com or at www.mylaps.com
The Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo will race this Friday night with American Stocks, Wingless Sprints, and Dwarf cars also scheduled. Adult tickets are just $17 with seniors 65+ $15, and kids ages 6-12 are $12. The family pass for two adults and two children is value priced at just $50. Racing will get underway at 6 p.m. with fan gates opening at 4:30 p.m.
For more information on the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo, log onto to www.oceansprints.com and for more on the Ocean Speedway visit www.oceanspeedway.com
Submitted By: Steven Blakesley