Steven Allee of Santa Cruz rolled onto the staging area at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville one Friday afternoon, ready to roar around the dirt track in his stock car against several other racers.
While the April 12 race marked the fifth year he has taken part in the races at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, he has been coming since he was 10.
“I’ve always loved motorsports,” he said. “You’ll find great support out here; everyone is out here to have a good time. You have good days and bad days.”
Shelbie Freeman, 15, showed up with her family and her 4-banger modified ‘89 Honda Prelude race car on a trailer.
“It’s tough competition, but that’s not going to stop me,” she said.
The Prunedale resident said she started racing the minute she turned 15. She’s also a three-star athlete at her school, captain of her volleyball team and photographer at Ocean Speedway
“My friends were a bit surprised when I told them it was what I was doing,” she said. “But they think it’s cool.
Since her first race—which she said she’ll never forget—Shelbie said she has been building her skills through “a lot of work and continuous improvement.”
“And yes, there’s a lot of bumpin’ out there,” she said.
Samantha Harper, who is an official scorekeeper but has worn several other hats in her 50-plus years on the job, said the race season usually runs each Friday from March through September.
“Once you come to one race and you feel the adrenaline, you want to come back and it just becomes part of your life,” she said. “And it’s fun and it’s great family fun.”
On April 19, the evening featured 360 sprint cars, IMCA modified, Hobby Stocks, and Four Bangers.
Susan Signorelli of San Jose said she first came to watch the races in 1974.
“We have friends that were into the races, and through them we learned to love this sport,” she said. “It’s family friendly, relaxed and a good time. We go to races all over the state.”
One long-time fan, who goes by the name The Professor, called Ocean Speedway “a little gem.
“Part of the allure is the changing conditions; this is a tricky track,” he said. “And add to that, as the sun drops below the horizon and the evening air starts to cool and the track conditions change, my cold beer tastes even better. Cheers!”
For information, visit oceanspeedway.com.
