Forum: Northern California Sprint Car (go)
Moderators: StuDeedooo

With the 49^th Annual Johnny Key Classic just around the corner, I thought that it would be interesting to get some thoughts on Saturday's prestigious event. Please feel free to add yours also.

"The Johnny Key Classic means a lot to the racers and me as I'm aware that this race carries a lot of history. I'm just really proud to have the event held at Ocean Speedway."

-Ocean Speedway Promoter, John Prentice

"As a Crew Chief it means that you have beaten the best in California, flat out the best in the state. It would be something special knowing you had a part in putting your driver on a list with people such as Al Pombo, Howard Kaeding, Clyde Palmer, Burt Foland, Sr., Nick Rescino, and some of the greats in California Sprint Car racing and former winners of the Johnny Key Classic."

-Crew chief and flagman, Jake Vickers

"When we were kids growing up the two races we looked forward to the most every year were the Johnny Key and Lloyd Beard Classics. The Johnny Key is the only race left in this area with any history or prestige. It is the last link to the old days of racing for some people and I would love to be a part of its long standing history."

-Brian Matherly, Kaeding Performance

"History and Tradition is what comes to mind. My parents, the Sargent's, and Johnny were all friends. Johnny was killed before I was born, but I grew up hearing about him, and details of his life and of his death. This race honors not only his memory, but the spirit of everyone who has contributed to racing in this area. In my years of racing with Mike Sargent, the Key race was always the one that we looked forward to. Being a part of the winning team with Mike in 1981 was great. Not just because of the win, but because of both families' connection to Johnny. To me it is not just a race, it is an EVENT! I grew up with the name "Johnny Key" in my ear, so to still have the chance to participate in this race means a lot to me."

-Steve Jones, crewman for Jason Newton

"To win the Johnny Key Classic, the same race that Howard Kaeding won, would make you a champion in itself. It would make a drivers season. Winning the Johnny Key Classic, would mean that you're a part of history, and that would be beyond prestigious."

-Brad Scadden, YAK Graphics

"I almost won it last year. Brent Kaeding got by me with about 10 laps to go. I'll never forget the feeling that I had when I was leading the race. To say that the Johnny key Classic is just another race would be a lie. It's chock-full of history, and it's a very prestigious event that I'm proud to race in."

-Tommy Tarlton

"Winning the Johnny Key Classic in '97 still ranks as the highlight of my career. To have your name associated with all of the other guys that have won it is big. The Key race is a big deal, and I'm real glad that John (promoter) brought it back to life."

-1997 winner Craig Smith

"To win the Key race for me is the ultimate victory. For me personally it would be bigger than winning the Knoxville Nationals. The Key represents history! So many great names have been in and won this event; to just be a part of it is truly an honor."

-Jason Newton

"Locally it's one of the most prestigious races. For us guys that have been around for a while, it means more than just winning it. The race has been around for a long time, and I've been lucky enough to race in it with my kids (Bud & Tim). It's a great race with lots of prestige involved."

-1980 & 2008 winner, Brent Kaeding

"It would be a thrill to win the Johnny Key Classic. It's one of the biggest 360 races that we have out here. We came up a just a little bit short last year. I'm looking to win my first race of the season, and it would be fantastic if we could pull it off in the Johnny Key."

-Evan Suggs

"It would be awesome to win the Key. It's not about money; it's the prestige that comes with winning a race of this magnitude. When you look at the names that have won the Key, it's unreal. Even as young as I am, I know that this race is big."

-Justin Sanders

"I attended my first Johnny Key Memorial race in the 1950s when it was 200-laps. The race would grow to become the biggest short track event west of the Mississippi during the 1960s. If you did not arrive at the track an hour before the race, you were turned away at the gate because by then a standing room only crowd was inside (happened to me once). It was truly a happening.

I can still remember sitting in class at school and not being able to concentrate on the subject at hand because I was daydreaming about the upcoming Johnny Key race. In 1972 I became a motor sports photographer and have been shooting the race since. My passion for the race continued until it's dismiss with the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds track in 1999.

I am happy that Ocean Speedway has resumed the tradition, a tradition that only the Gold Cup race in Chico and Turkey night race in Southern California can match in the annals of California racing."

-Photographer Dennis Mattish

"I won this race during my rookie year in sprint cars and it would mean a lot if I could come out and do it again this weekend. That win still ranks as one my favorite memories in racing and I definitely think it should be a good night on Saturday with a lot of good cars and drivers."

-1996 winner Bud Kaeding

"This is a prestigious race, and we need to keep races like this alive. The Johnny Key Classic is a race that is rich in history. I'm happy that the Key is still alive. We don't want to lose any of these races that have an immense amount of history behind them such as the Key."

-Car owner, Mike Sala

"I am coming back to the Key race after enjoying it last year. While Johnny Key dreamed of racing at Indy, his dream fell short in a midget at Cincinnati."

-Writer, Norm Bogan

"The Johnny Key Classic is definitely a race that I'd love to win. I ran the Key when it was at San Jose, and we did pretty good. We've gone through the car with a fine-tooth comb for this race, and we're ready. To say that we're pumped up for this race would be an understatement."

-Brad Furr

"The fact that people still celebrate Johnny Key so long after his passing shows how deep auto racing runs in California."

-Writer, Kevin Eckert

"My father, Burt Foland, Sr., won the Johnny Key Classic twice, so the race is really special to me. He won the Key back-to-back. The race was 150 laps back then. The race is very prestigious with all of the history that's there. When Brent (Kaeding) won it, it was also special to me. I think that it's great that the race is continuing, and I hope that it gets bigger as the years go on."

-Bill Foland, Kaeding Performance

here is one more;

"It's a piece of history, a history of a group of very talented race drivers. If you add up the winners, there aren't really that many for the amount of times the race has been run. It's a very select few. I feel fortunate that I am still attending the race as a fan. I grew up knowing Johnny and the family. I was a young kid when Johnny lost his life. Among the things that Johnny Key left the Sargent family were how to win races and the legacy of the number 7. The number seven was Johnny's number. I'm sure most race fans don't realize that Johnny Key grew up in Prunedale Ca, less than ten miles from Watsonville, and Ocean Speedway."

- 1981 Winner, Mike Sargent

to indy and beyond!!