The Watsonville Ocean Speedway racetrack feels like a family-friendly place.
Walking in on Friday night, there was a pink bouncy castle, free cotton candy and pink art projects for kids. And last Friday, women and girls got in free, in honor of the first birthday of the track owners’ baby girl, Kayla.
About 1,200 people came to see the race at the Friday night, and the place was full of good energy.
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“I’m here for the kids,” said a 20-year fairgrounds employee. “There used to be fights here, but that was 15 or more years ago. I see something out of the ordinary, I put a stop to it. ... This is the only place for kids to go on a Friday night.”
Samantha Robertson, 14, goes to the races every Friday. The teen is from a racing family, and for her, the race is a regular part of her life. Her friends come and hang out and those girls look like they own the place.
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At 14, she is now eligible to race four bangers, the four-cylinder engine cars, and plans to start racing next summer.
“It’s just fun. It’s easy,” she said, about driving four bangers. Easy for her, maybe. Robertson practices by driving around the yard at home.
“I used to race go-carts when I was 10,” Robertson said. She rides motorcross with her mom, dad and brother. Racing is in her blood.
Another regular teenager at the track is 18-year old local favorite Justin Sanders of Prunedale. Sanders won first place in his heat Friday night after having a bad wreck last week.
“It rolled seven times,” he said, calmly. “I was knocked out.”
Sanders is from a racing family too, even when the odds were against them.
“My grandfather, my dad and I race, and my uncle. He’s a paraplegic and raced with hand controls.”
Sanders’ friends, parents and girlfriend were all there to watch him race on Friday.
Kevin Pylant, a third-generation veteran racer and Santa Cruz resident, has raced at the Watsonville track since 1982. He was the stock car champion in 1982-1985 and left stock cars to drive sprint cars.
“I think they’re the purest form of racing,” he said of sprint cars.
“There’s a lot of talent here in the sprint car portion,” Pylant said.
Amid all the positive goings-on, you can tell some members felt defensive of the track. The speedway has come under attack from some nearby residents upset about the noise.
“There are one or two bad apples that want this place to go away,” said Pylant.
Pylant’s sponsor, Tim Werbach of Werbach Motor Sports, said that some residents who moved in to the neighborhood after the racetrack was established want it to stop running because of the noise.
“It’s like moving next to an airport and trying to get the place shut down,” said Pylant.
Friday, gates open at 4:30 p.m. and races start at 6. Adults tickets are $17, seniors are $15, kids are $12 and children under 12 get in free.
