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GLR Investments Series season closes out this Friday at Ocean Speedway with Tarlton and Kaeding just five points apart at top of standings
By Gary Thomas
Watsonville, CA – October 13, 2009…After an immensely competitive and exciting season of sprint car racing up to this point the 2009 GLR Investments 360 Series will come to an entertaining conclusion this Friday night at the Ocean Speedway with Easton's Tommy Tarlton clinging to a slim advantage over two-time and defending track champion Brent Kaeding of Campbell.
Last week's penultimate GLR Series event featured a stout 34-car field on hand and saw San Jose's Tim Kaeding claim victory from the 10th starting position, in what was also his first start of the year at the track. The driver of the Roth Motorsports, DTR Transport No. 83jr is using the final two GLR events of the season as a tune-up session for the upcoming Trophy Cup at Tulare's Thunderbowl Raceway. "TK" this year has spent much of his time on the road, which has been highlighted by a World of Outlaws victory in April and a strong fourth place finish at the Knoxville Nationals in August.
All eyes going into this Friday's championship night will be focused on Tarlton and Kaeding as they fight it out for the GLR Series title. Coming into the night Tarlton maintains a scant five-point lead at the top of the standings as he searches for his first career Ocean Speedway championship. The driver of the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, Tarlton & Son Inc. No. 21 leads the GLR Series in victories this year with four triumphs in the 12 events held so far. Of those wins the biggest for Tarlton came on August 29 when he picked up the Johnny Key Classic for the first time and he will look for a strong night this Friday to put a cap on the title, during what has also been one of the finest seasons of his career.
While Tarlton has used victories to catapult him atop the GLR 360 Series standings Kaeding has been one of the most consistent drivers this season and it has given him a shot at a third straight Ocean Speedway title at the helm of his BK Racing, Al's Roofing Supply No. 69. "BK" hasn't won at the quarter-mile bullring since the opening round on April 3, but his seven podium finishes have helped put him just five digits back going into Friday and when the pressure is on, there is arguably no better driver around the area than the 13-time King of California and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Member.
Continuing to maintain third in the GLR Investments Series point standings is Scotts Valley's Evan Suggs, who will be looking for his first win of the season on Friday. The wheel-man of the Suggs Racing, Riley Collins Body Shop No. 33e has finished runner-up on three different occasions this season at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds track and also leads the GLR Series with four-fast time efforts. After engine problems last Friday there was some doubt whether or not the 22-year-old would compete this week, but the team has acquired another 360 power-plant and will be in action.
Pleasanton's Brad Furr goes into Friday ranking fourth in the GLR standings and has been gaining momentum in recent weeks as he's started to pick back up the form that made him one of the top sprint car drivers in the country early in the decade. Last week saw Furr drive his Ray Scheidts Electric, Brad Furr Racing No. 2 sprinter to a season best finish of second at Ocean Speedway and he'll look to move up one more spot this Friday. The veteran competitor also recently scored a fifth place finish after starting 17th on the grid during his preliminary night at Silver Dollar Speedway's Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals.
Another driver gaining momentum as the season has gone on is former Golden State Challenge Series King of California Ronnie Day of Salinas, who rounds out the top-five in the GLR Investments Series standings. Competing in his first year aboard the Werbach Motorsports, Los Gatos Construction Company No. 20 the veteran driver is still searching for his first victory of the season, but recently tied his best finish of the year by driving to a third place result in the feature during the GLR vs. Civil War Series event on September 25.
Prunedale's Justin Sanders sits just four points back of Day and will look to break his way back into the top-five on Friday behind the wheel of his North County Plastering, STS Trucking No. 17 sprinter. The 16-year-old driver scored a victory with the GLR Series at Ocean Speedway on May 8 and recently made an impressive first ever visit to the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, where he brought home a ninth place finish on his prelim night at the Fall Nationals and then tallied a 14th place result on Saturday, at an event that saw 74 total drivers in competition.
Completing the top-10 in the GLR Investments Series standings going into the final event on Friday are Morgan Hill's Ricky Wright, Gilroy's Kurt Nelson, Salinas' Keith Day and San Jose's Jason Newton.
Campbell's Bud Kaeding is sure to be a top contender on Friday as he continues to look for his first GLR Investments Series win of the season aboard the Sala/Matherly Racing, M&M Powder Coater's No. 19 machine. The 29-year-old racer currently sits atop the K&N USAC Silver Crown Series standings by 71-points going into the Copper World Classic, which will be held on November 12 at the Phoenix International Raceway and also marks the final event of the season for the national tour. If he were to win the title Kaeding would join fellow Californian Jimmy Sills as the only drivers to win the Silver Crown championship on three occasions.
Other than point leader Tarlton Grass Valley's Jason Statler continues to be the only other driver to have won multiple races with the GLR Investments 360 Series this season. After missing last week's event the driver of the Statler Racing, DF Rios Construction No. 00 is expected to return this Friday as he guns for his third win of the year at the Ocean Speedway. Other possibilities for Friday's championship night will include Visalia's Cory Eliason, San Martin's Craig Smith and Wes Gutierrez, Corralitos' Jerry Bonema, San Jose's Matt Sargent and more.
The front gate at the Ocean Speedway on Friday will open at 4:00 pm with adult tickets being $15, seniors $12, kids 6-12 $9 and five and under free. Racing is scheduled to get underway at 6. The Ocean Speedway is located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, California.
For more information on the GLR Investments Series and Ocean Speedway log onto http://www.oceansprints.com and http://www.oceanspeedway.com
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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