WATSONVILLLE >> Dwarf car ace Dylan Shrum made his trek from Lincoln to Watsonville pay off by scoring a $1,000 triumph during the inaugural Joe Brechel Memorial at Ocean Speedway on Friday.

Shrum held off the advancements of a very fast Joey Lingron but was able to hang tough and drive away to accept the Ed Entz checkered flag.

“It feels great to get a win at Ocean Speedway in one of the biggest races we will run this year,” said the NorCal Dwarf Car regular. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I just drove as hard as I could.”

The 30-lap South Bay Dwarf Cars finale saw David Hays Jr. and Mark Biscardi battle up front early. Shrum showed his muscle however and made the move past Biscardi to grab the lead on lap six.

Lingron made his way into third after a few laps and then blasted into second on lap 12. The remaining distance saw Lingron hound the rear of Shrum in a fantastic two-car race up front. Shrum never faltered though and brought home the win ahead of Lingron, Ellie Wagner, Toby Brown and Steve Costello.

Shrum said he and his team hope to return to Watsonville for a couple more races this year.

IMCA Modifieds

The 25-lap IMCA Modifieds main event provided some thrills with multiple different leaders as well. Salinas’ Robert Marsh set a torrid pace during the early stages and pulled away for a healthy lead. Like most main events on this night though, multiple restarts were needed.

With seven circuits complete Prunedale’s Jonathan Hagio charged his way into the lead and held command until 10 laps were left. Salinas legend Bobby Hogge had methodically worked towards the front and found himself in second with 13 laps down.

Hogge then went to work on the leader and claimed the top spot on lap 16. The closing laps weren’t easy for him though, as Marsh found new life, moving into the runner-up position. He then closed rapidly on the leader and made it a race to the end.

At the finish it was Hogge taking the win narrowly over Marsh. Cody Burke, Hagio and Jeff Browne filled the top five.

IMCA Sport Mods

The IMCA Sport Mods finale was a wild affair with several slowdowns throughout the feature. Max Baggett led the initial circuit before Cody Bryan got by on lap two.

Brentwood driver Trevor Clymens then took command on the third lap and never looked back en route to the victory. DJ Keldsen, Matthew Frazier, KC Keller and Steven Allee completed the top five.

Danny Wagner, the points leader entering the night, didn’t finish the main event.

Hobby Stocks

The 20-lap Hobby Stocks feature had some thrilling moments as points leader Ryan Hart finished standing in victory lane. Veteran Terry Campion, Lilly Mead and reigning track champ Joe Gallaher all spent time towards the front of the field over the first 10 laps.

All three had issues at times, however, that took away their chances at victory. Hart assumed the point on lap nine and never looked back. Cody Keldsen, a rebounding Campion, Nic Teixeira and Wayne Reeder rounded out the top five.

Four Bangers

Anthony Flores had originally picked up the win in the Four Bangers finale but was disqualified in post-race tech. The DQ moved Travis VanGilder up to first place. Steve Roach, Jonathan Welborn, Joshua Silva and Cameron Squatritto rounded out the top five.