By Steven Blakesley

WATSONVILLE >> Prunedale’s Jim Pettit II and Joe Gallaher of Manassas, Virginia, wrapped up back-to-back titles as Ocean Speedway concluded its championship points season at Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds on Friday night.

A total of five champions were crowned during an action-filled night on the dirt track. Chowchilla’s Emali VanHoff, 18, Felton’s Peter Vannerus, and Scotts Valley’s Kevin Elliott also claimed championships.

IMCA Modifieds

IMCA Modifieds had a quality field with 15 entries for its 25-lap feature. Salinas’ Robert Marsh went through the middle down the backstretch to lead lap one after starting third. Marsh then spun in turn two, sparking a chain reaction crash. Fred Lind of Prunedale flipped side over side wildly to draw a red flag. Lind was uninjured.

Salinas’ Bobby Hogge drove into the lead on lap seven with former champ Cody Burke of Salinas and Pettit in pursuit in second and third. A series of cautions over the next 10 laps kept the field in close quarters. Hogge survived an onslaught of challenges from Burke and Pettit to score the championship finale win over Pettit, Burke, eighth-starting Jacob Mallet of Oakley, Jr. and Austin Burke of Salinas.

Pettit’s second-place finish was enough to seal a second consecutive championship for the Hall of Fame driver.

IMCA Sport Modified

Prunedale’s Matt Hagio claimed back-to-back IMCA Sport Modified feature wins. He led wire to wire and topped a 17-car turnout in the 20-lap main event. Merced’s Gavin Espino and Santa Cruz’s Steven Allee had a spirited battle for second for the first half of the contest. Espino was held up in lapped traffic and fell back to the seventh position on lap nine when he was freight trained backwards. Brentwood’s Fred Ryland took over second on lap 12 and Allee also went the wrong direction back to fifth.

Hagio accumulated a 4.5 second advantage but it was nullified by a caution flag on lap 16. Hagio held off Ryland over the final four circuits for the win. Watsonville’s Jeff Mead, San Jose’s Rob Gallaher, and Buddy Kniss of Oakley rounded out the top five.

Despite not having a win this season, Emali VanHoff of Chowchilla used consistency to wrap up the championship with a seventh-place finish.

Hobby Stock

San Jose’s Bobby Gallaher won his second Hobby Stock feature of the season and grandpa, Joe, claimed championship honors yet again. Bobby Gallaher withstood a persistent challenge from San Jose’s Randy Miller to claim the win after 20-laps of racing. 2020 IMCA Sport Modified champion Adriane Frost of Watsonville finished third in the race to wrap up second place in the championship as well. Joe Gallaher finished fourth followed by Los Banos’ Allen Neal in fifth.

Four Banger

Kenny Stragalinos of Boulder Creek won the Four Banger 15-lap feature on his dad’s birthday, while the popular pickup truck of Felton’s Peter Vannerus won the championship battle.

Watsonville drivers Amaya Flower and Tony Gullo battled for the lead for the first three laps before a coming together, which slowed Flower and relegated Gullo to the rear for rough driving.

The incident thrust Joshua Silva of Watsonville into the lead before Stragalinos took over on the restart to lead lap four. Championship runner-up Thomas Cumming of San Jose advanced to second position before his race ended with smoke under the hood in turn two. Vannerus spun in turn four on the same caution on lap 13 but rejoined the race.

Stragalinos topped 2023 champion Jason Lazzerini at the checkered flag followed by Gilroy’s TJ Santos, Flower, and Vannerus.

Police-in-Pursuit

Police-in-Pursuit held its season finale and celebrated over $10,000 it raised for Special Olympics. Kevin Elliott of Scotts Valley Police Department dominated the 15-lap feature. A multi-car crash at the start of the event in turn two thrilled fans. Surprisingly, all competitors were able to continue. Jerry Ogg of Santa Clara Police and Thomas Cumming, Sr. of Los Gatos Police rounded out the podium finishers.