4th annual Howard Kaeding Classic shaping up to be a can’t miss weekend on July 11 & 12 at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway
By Gary Thomas
Watsonville, CA – June 24, 2014…One of the most anticipated weekends of the year in Northern California Sprint Car racing will go green at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville on July 11 & 12, with that being the fourth annual Howard Kaeding Classic.
Adding to the excitement this year will be the very first double-header weekend featuring both of the west coast’s premier Winged Sprint Car Series’ taking to the track on back-to-back nights. On Friday evening the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo vs. the Civil War 360 Sprint Car Series presented by Flowmaster will attack the Ocean Speedway clay, while the powerful King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series invades the quarter-mile on Saturday.
Special events on tap during the weekend will include a Thursday night car show & party on July 10 at the High Five Pizza location at the Silver Creek Sportsplex off Hellyer Road in San Jose from 5pm-9pm. Various drivers and race cars will be on hand at the get together, for what will be the official kick-off of the Howard Kaeding Classic weekend.
There will be a bbq chicken & rib dinner from 6pm-8pm for donation, with proceeds going to the Silver Creek Sports Plex Foundation, which aims to ensure that every child, regardless of financial ability, is able to participate in local amateur athletic training and competition. Please come out and enjoy a fun night with some great food, all put on for a great cause.
Hive Five at the Plex is located at 800 Embedded Way in San Jose, CA 95138.
Following Friday nights races High Five Pizza will also be putting on a post-race party at the track, along with a Saturday afternoon luncheon, which will kick-off the final night’s action. Both events will be held to support the Northern Auto Racing Club Benevolent Fund, which supports and aids injured drivers in California 410 Sprint Car racing. There will also be a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction.
“We definitely hope to see everyone at the Howard Kaeding Classic in Watsonville,” said Brent Kaeding, who is one of the NARC Benevolent Fund coordinators. “The special events support a very good cause and it’s an opportunity for everyone to have the chance to socialize and enjoy some great food. We always love getting the opportunity to hang with all the fans and we look forward to seeing everyone there. It’s going to be a big weekend with Civil War and the King of the West Series both at Ocean Speedway.”
The Northern Auto Racing Club Benevolent Fund uses 100% of the funds raised to support the families of injured drivers, crew members and officials running 410 Sprint Car Series’ in California. Various beneficiaries of the fund over the last 10-years include Dennis Moore Jr., Billy Sellers, Danny Faria Jr., the family of Alan Urias, Randy Hannagan, Tom Milne, Brad Bumgarner, the family of David Tarter and Peter Murphy.
The HK Classic luncheon catered by High Five Pizza on Saturday July 12 at the track will feature a tasty lunch for a $20 donation to the benevolent fund. Howard, Brent & Bud Kaeding will all be available for photos and autographs at the luncheon. Easy access will be available to enter from the grandstands for fans. All race teams & fans are invited to come enjoy a great lunch prepared by Myles & the crew at Catering by 5.
“We really want to thank Myles at High Five Pizza & Catering by 5 for all of his support at the Howard Kaeding Classic,” said Brent Kaeding. “Myles is doing so much for us with the food and set up for these extra events that it’s pretty special. We’re trying to make this event one of the big showcases in Northern California and one that fans want to attend every year.”
On Saturday night the cameras of MAVTV will also be capturing all the action for airing on the Dirty 30 Series. It will be the third King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series event filmed by MAVTV American Real this season.
Howard Kaeding was a multiple-time California state super-modified champion, a four-time Johnny Key Classic winner and once captured a record 17-straight races at the San Jose Speedway. The driver known as the “Campbell Comet” claimed over 300 main event victories in his career and even raced into his 60′s, before retiring in the 1990′s. The “HK Classic” has been a great weekend of re-living memories from the past and will certainly be so once again in 2014.
The Ocean Speedway is located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, two miles east of Watsonville, California on SR 152. The physical address is 2601 East Lake Ave, Watsonville, CA 95076. For more info on the track & ticket info log onto http://www.oceanspeedway.com/
Previous Howard Kaeding Classic King of the West winners
2011- Evan Suggs
2012- Jonathan Allard
2013- Jonathan Allard