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Ocean Speedway 8-28-10,
So, we got through the 50th
running of the Johnny Key Classic. To start off, I
think everything went pretty well. We all know I am
the worst when it comes to picking things apart and
criticizing and giving my opinion on stuff. Hey,
it’s what I do! Lol. Don’t we all to a certain
extent? Still I have to say, over all I think
everything went very well. Just going off of my own
thoughts and opinions, there are some things I might
have done different and there are other things I
really liked. Still keeping that thought, the things
I might have done different aren’t really that big
of a deal compared to the things I liked and how the
overall program turned out. I guess what I am trying
to say is it is hard to make everyone totally happy,
but I think everyone got enough to please them. The
track staff did a good job with that.
One thing that I liked and I
think is a Johnny Key tradition is lining up the
cars on the track for the main event driver
introductions. I don’t know what you guys think, but
it was great to see race director Rick Albarran
include that in the show this year. As race
director, Rick takes a lot of crap at times (mostly
from me!) so I owe not only him but the rest of the
Ocean Speedway team a shout out for their efforts
this past week. Also I have to thank the teams that
took time to put their cars on display before the
race. They took time away from working on their cars
to put them on display for the fans and to hang out
and visit for a bit. Those teams include Kurt
Nelson, Craig Smith, Pete Murphy, Tommy Tarlton,
Evan Suggs, Wayne Katen, Devon Ostheimer, Nick
Rescino Jr, Ronnie Day and Tim Kaeding. Thanks guys.
It is a big race and I know how it is to give up
some time that you might spend just fussing over the
car in the pits. It was great working with Tony
Karis and having a small part in making that happen.
One thing I was disappointed in
was I didn’t see as many of the older drivers
interviewed on the front straight. Maybe I missed it
because you can’t really hear the grandstand
announcer from the pits unless it is absolutely dead
quiet, and you know that is never very often. Still
guys like Howard Kaeding, Mike Sargent, Burt Foland,
Nick Rescino etc are some of the guys who are still
around and make up a big part of the legacy of local
sprint and modified racing and the Key race. I saw
most of those guys at the track and if they were
interviewed and honored I missed it.
Hi Bonzai! How do you like California now? Good luck the next couple of
weeks and I hope I get a chance to make it to the
gold cup.
I have to throw in a “Car Wash
Comment” here from “Car Wash” Mike Avila who is a
Johnny Key fan from way back. Mike says he was ready
to leave for the track at 8am because he was looking
forward to the race so much! As it is he says he got
there at 2pm, before many teams. As far as “Car
Wash” is concerned,
“it's
official, The Key race is back. Good field, quality
cars, good race, a lot of friendly and
familiar faces, and
jam packed grandstand.”
Dennis Wuollet, owner of series sponsor Taco Bravo
brought a cooler full of burritos as he does most
events, but I was too busy eating Barbeque over in
Ronnie Day’s pit area to go get burritos! Lol.
Thanks to Keith Day for the sirloin and chicken and
ribs and sausage and garlic bread and salad and
everything else!
I
have to give credit to driver Jerry Bonnema for his
outstanding run. Jerry started last in the main
event, just making it into the show by finishing 8th
in second of two 15 lap B main events. He was the
last car to make it into the event. Jerry runs a
mostly self sponsored operation on a limited budget.
He managed to not only finish the event, but made
his way up from 22nd to 11th,
earning the “On the Move with Thirty Five
Industries” hard charger award of $100 for his
efforts.
Evan
Suggs was leading the first B main when he had a
rocker arm break on his motor that took him out of
the race and ended his chances at making the field
for the 50th Johnny Key Classic. That
gets him my hard luck award.
Last
race I made my buddy Wayne Katen the zero of the
week and told him all he could do from there was go
up! Well this week
Wayne
made the main event and moved up from 21st
to 15th and finished the whole race. Not
a bad job for a low buck East Side San Jose team.
For that
Wayne
gets the underdog of the week award.
I
have to give a “Tear down that wall!” award to Matt
Sargent who was involved in a nasty flip that saw
him just about go through the back straight fence.
Luckily the fence held, and although it sustained
major damage, neither Matt nor anyone else was hurt.
Ok,
I have to give Brent Kaeding and the “Hoggs” the
“Get your motor run’in” award for changing a motor
on the front straight during the half way break of
the main event. No matter what you think, or no
matter if you are a “BK” fan or not, you have to at
least give the guys credit for even doing it. At the
drivers meeting it was said that the break would be
about 15 minutes, depending on just how close to
curfew it was. It could be shorter or longer, and
you could do anything you wanted. Even if that was
changing a motor. Not only was the crew of the Al’s
Roofing Supply #69 crew thrashing, I saw Kenny Thorp
from Bad Furr’s crew over there as well as Adam
Kaeding and both Tim and Bud Kaeding.
Even though
Brent is a friend, he will tell you himself that
doesn’t mean I always agree with him or take his
side,(well he might tell you more than that, but
that is all you need to know) but on this one I have
to give them credit because they pretty much had the
work done in 15 minutes. Did it take a few extra
minutes? Probably, but it didn’t take any longer to
finish it than it would have to try to get the car
and everything moved out of the way to get the race
going.
Anthony Goularte put up $100 in the name of Goularte
Bros Automotive to be awarded to the 10th
place finisher in the main event. Ken Fredenburg
picked up that award.
Tim
Kaeding and his team got to the track later than
most teams after having raced Fri in
Chico
and making the tow over from
Fresno. Still after the team
had finished their needed work on the car at the
track, Tim took the time to push the car over to the
front ticket booth and not only put the car on
display, but hung out and signed autographs and took
pictures and chatted with people. The other cars
that had been on display earlier had put in their
time and had pushed back to the pits, but TK and his
guys still took their car over for the fans. So for
taking the extra time for the fans and for winning
the 50th Johnny Key Classic, Tim and the
Roth Motorsport team are the heroes of the week.
Usually there is some driver that makes a mistake or
screws up during the course of the night and ends up
being my pick for the zero of the night, but this
week there was no one that I can really pin it on.
So I think I am going to have to play my wild card
that I have been holding in handing out this weeks
zero award. So even though he kicked in the $100 for
the hard charger, my buddy Jason Newton is the zero
this week for not making it out to the race. You
missed a good race Jason and it was a pretty good
event over all. So not only is it your turn to buy
Taco Bravo for lunch, you get to be the zero of the
week!
For
the rest of you who were there, I hope you had a
great time and enjoyed the event and will come out
on Sept 24th when the Ocean Sprints
presented by Taco Bravo Series cars take on the
California Civil War Series winged 360 cars.
See you at the races, Buzz Rightrear.
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