PETERSEN MEDIA: Friday night in Watsonville, CA, Tanner Carrick went toe-to-toe with Justin Sanders as the duo battled for the win during Ocean Speedway’s opening event, and after a torrid battle it was Carrick enjoying the spoils of victory lane.
“I knew we had a fast car heading into last weekend, and we were really able to showcase on Friday night,’ Tanner Carrick said. “Justin Sanders is awfully tough to beat at Ocean Speedway, and to race like that with him was extremely fun and I am happy we came out on top.”
With 32 cars packed into Ocean Speedway for the track’s season opening event on their re-configured track layout, Carrick would get off to a strong start by timing the CVC/Cemex/Interstate Oil backed No. 83T timed in fourth fastest in time trials.
From the second row of his heat race, Carrick was able to jump into second quickly as he chased around younger brother, Blake. Finishing second, Carrick would solidly himself in the feature event, but also earned a spot in the Dash.
Putting together another fourth to second charge in the Dash, Carrick would earn a spot on the front row for the 30-lap feature event.
After an opening lap red flag halted the action, Carrick would jump out to the early lead as Justin Sanders flanked him on the ¼ mile bullring. Leading the way, Carrick would quickly find the back of the field and begin the lapping process while also battling with Sanders.
With Sanders able to sneak by and take the race lead on the 19th lap, Carrick would keep pace with him and return the favor on the 21st lap.
Back in front, the battle would rage on as the duo thrilled the crowd for the next five laps. Exchanging the top spot corner after corner, the duo would run each other extremely hard and extremely clean until a late red flag halted progress.
One final restart would see Carrick get the jump and give himself the breathing room he needed to race his way to his first Sprint Car win of the season.
Saturday night saw the team travel to Placerville Speedway in Placerville, CA for the Sprint Car Challenge Tour opener. Ending the 2021 season on a hot streak at the speedway, Carrick looked to continue that as he checked in against a field of 50 other drivers.
Timing in third fastest in his qualifying group, Carrick would line up on the front row of his heat race. Running comfortable in the second position, Carrick would make a costly mistake that would change the complexion of the rest of his night. Losing the handle in turns one and two, Carrick would draw the caution and be forced to the back of the pack.
Working his way forward as much as he could to try and salvage his heat, Carrick was back in position for the ‘B’, however a spinning car coming to the checkered collected him and relegated him to an eighth-place finish.
Forced into the ‘C’, Carrick would race his way up to third, but with only two drivers moving on, his night would end.
“Saturday night we were good, I just made a huge mistake that cost us dearly,” Carrick added. “With the SCCT format, and the number of cars that were there, not getting out of the heat was really the worst-case scenario. It was a busy weekend, and I do have to thank Clark, Lucas, Johnny, and everyone that pitches in and helps our team.”
Tanner Carrick would like to thank CVC, Cemex, Interstate Oil, Conti, Harris and Sloan, Emerald, Timberworks Construction, Eddie’s Lincoln Auto Body, Kaeding Performance, and Arai for their continued support.
BY THE NUMBERS: Starts: 12, Wins: 2, Top 5’s: 4, Top 10’s: 7
ON TAP: Tanner Carrick will be in Watsonville, CA on Friday night before heading to Stockton, CA on Saturday night for the KWS opener.
STAY CONNECTED: Stay up to speed with Tanner Carrick by following him on Twitter @Carrick_Tanner or @CarrickMotorsp1, and by clicking over to www.tannercarrick.com.
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