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Ocean Speedway on deck for Golden State Challenge Series Friday night

By Gary Thomas

Watsonville, CA – May 26, 2009…After running at the longest track of the season last weekend the Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series will move back to the more usual California bullring style racing this week, beginning with an event on Friday evening at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville.

Following last weekend's event in Calistoga there has been a change atop the Golden State Challenge Series standings as two-time & defending King of California Jonathan Allard has assumed the point lead heading into this Friday's race at the Ocean Speedway. Allard has been extremely consistent this season and is on a streak of six consecutive podium finishes in GSC competition.

The Chico native will take a 12 point lead into the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds track as he searches to become just the second driver in GSC history to possess three King of California titles. Allard drove his Williams Motorsports No. 0 to a runner-up finish during the first GSC visit of the season to Watsonville after leading all but the final lap in the feature. The 32 year-old veteran has also finished fourth or better in his last seven attempts at the Ocean Speedway with GSC.

Los Angeles, CA's Tyler Walker now finds himself sitting second in the Golden State Challenge Series standings and will look to close back in on Allard at the Ocean Speedway Friday. The driver of the SC Motorsports No. 24 claimed victory at the first season visit to the track and it came in exciting fashion as charged to the high-side of the speedway and executed a last lap pass of Allard for the win. Walker has won the past three GSC events at the Ocean Speedway and also won at the bullring in Civil War Series action last season. The 29 year-old racer put on an exciting charge from 13^th to fourth last Sunday in Calistoga, as he attacked the cushion of the intimidating half-mile in typical "T-Dub" fashion.

Hot on Walker and Allard's heels however, is 13-time King of California Brent Kaeding who sits just one point behind Walker for second and 13 back of Allard for the lead. The driver of the Al's Roofing Supply No. 69 also currently ranks second in the Ocean Speedway weekly standings and will attempt to move his way forward in the GSC points at his home track this Friday. "BK" finished third during the series visit to the quarter-mile bullring in April and has won the last two track championships at the facility.

Youngster Kyle Larson from Elk Grove comes into Friday sitting fourth in the Golden State Challenge Series standings as he continues his rookie campaign with the traveling 410 sprint car tour. The 16 year-old drove his Vertullo Racing No. 83v to a fourth place finish at Ocean Speedway last month and will look to score his very first series win on Friday. Larson finished sixth last Saturday during his first night in a 410 at the Calistoga Speedway.

Current Ocean Speedway GLR point leader Evan Suggs goes into Friday's event at the track rounding out the top five in the Golden State Challenge Series standings. The driver of the Suggs Racing No. 33e finished sixth in the first GSC event at the track this year and has scored back-to-back runner-up finishes in weekly action at the Ocean Speedway to put him out front in the track standings. Suggs ran seventh in the main event at Calistoga last Sunday during his first weekend of racing at the half-mile.

Golden State Challenge Series rookie driver Brandon Carey of Ripon ranks sixth in the standings coming into the Ocean Speedway. The youngster picked up a ninth place finish in Watsonville last month in his Carey Racing No. 55 and is coming off a solid showing at Calistoga last Sunday where he qualified third fastest in the field, ran third in the dash and ninth in the feature, in what was his first weekend of action at the track as well.

Grass Valley's Jason Statler always runs strong at the Ocean Speedway and will look for his first victory of the GSC season on Friday behind the wheel of his DF Rios Construction No. 00. "The Big Guy" currently sits seventh in the series standings and is coming off a good weekend in Calistoga that saw him finish fourth and sixth in the two main events. Statler was running in the top five during the GSC visit to Watsonville last month, until contact left him with a flat tire, which forced him to the rear of the field late in the feature.

Two-time USAC Silver Crown champion Bud Kaeding is also coming off a solid weekend in Calistoga where he tallied finishes of third and fifth in his BK Motorsports No. 29. The Campbell driver sits eighth in the Golden State Challenge Series standings and brought home a fifth place finish last month with the tour at Ocean Speedway. Kaeding also currently ranks fifth in the GLR Investments track standings, but is coming off an event at the quarter-mile bullring where he lost an engine after qualifying, which cost him valuable points and dropped him from second to his current fifth place ranking.

Other drivers expected on Friday night at the Ocean Speedway will include Easton's Tommy Tarlton, Placerville's Andy Gregg, Clovis' Peter Murphy, Fremont's Brent Bjork, Morgan Hill's Ricky Wright, San Martin's Craig Smith, Gilroy's Jon Maiwald & Ken Fredenburg, Fresno's Mike Stallings and more.

The front gate at the Ocean Speedway will open at 4:30pm on Friday with adult tickets costing $20, children 6 to 12 will be $12, seniors 65 and older $18 and kids five and under will be free. The Ocean Speedway is located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, California. For more info on the track visit http://www.oceanspeedway.com

Up next- Following Friday's event at the Ocean Speedway the Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series will make its way to the Placerville Speedway on Saturday night for the second season visit to the high-banked, red clay bullring. More information on the series can be found at http://www.goldenstatechallengeseries.com

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Photo's by http://www.johnsracingphotos.com

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Two-time & defending King of California Jonathan Allard will lead the Golden State Challenge Series into the Ocean Speedway this Friday night. The Chico native is in search of his third career GSC title, which would make him just the second driver to reach at least three King of California championships. Allard is currently tied with Fresno's Steve Kent for the second most career title's in GSC history

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Los Angeles, CA competitor Tyler Walker sits 12 points behind Allard for the top spot in the Golden State Challenge Series standings and will look to close the gap on Friday at the Ocean Speedway. Walker has won the past three main events with the series at the Watsonville based track and also leads the series this season with four feature victories

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Continuing to lurk back in third is 13-time King of California Brent Kaeding, who sits just 13 digits out of the Golden State Challenge Series point lead. The Campbell driver has won the past two Ocean Speedway title's and currently ranks second in the track standings this year going into Friday night

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Current Ocean Speedway GLR Investments 360 point leader Evan Suggs of Scotts Valley is still searching for his first career Golden State Challenge Series victory and will look to make it happen at his home track on Friday. The 22 year-old has scored two straight runner-up finishes in weekly competition at the quarter-mile bullring

www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com