The 13th running of the 50-lap Mike Cecil Memorial race seemed like an auto recycler’s dream, as only eight of the 22 cars to start the race lasted to the checkered flag.

Salinas’ Cody Burke survived a dozen caution periods to win the annual race Friday night at Ocean Speedway. Burke, representating a younger generation of short-track drivers at the speedway, showed his defense was as good as his offense as he held off more experienced drivers on each restart.

“This win feels good considering how drained I feel after 50 hard laps of racing,” Burke said. “I’m too young to have known the Cecil family, but I want to dedicate this win to them as our family’s way of saying thank you.”

Mike Cecil, who died of cancer at age 38, was a regular competitor at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds’ quarter-mile track, remaining a tough competitor even in the final days of his life. He also was part of a family with a racing tradition.

The Cecil family isn’t alone in having a racing tradition, as other local families — including the Pettits, Hogges, Scotts, Bowmans and Notts — continue to be bonded by racing.

This year’s Mike Cecil Memorial was split into two 25-lap segments, with a seven-minute break for fuel and chassis adjustments in between.

Burke led after the first 25 laps, while last year’s winner, Jim Pettit II of Prunedale, was in second place.

A bonus of $1,000 was offered to the first- and second-place drivers if they won after restarting from the rear of the field at the start of the second segment. Neither accepted the offer. Burke said he would go to the rear of the field if Pettit did, but Pettit said the risk wasn’t worth the reward due to the number of experienced drivers in the race.

As the race progressed, the track’s service grew more rough and bumpy, and so did the driving. The hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners style of driving took its toll, as by lap 40 the starting field was cut in half. And in the final 10 laps, points leader Brian Cass, Pettit, Larry Hood and Tim Balding — all with chances to challenge Burke — were eliminated.

Santa Cruz’s Junior Dawson took second and Watsonville’s Todd Hermosillo placed third. Defending track champion Kenny Nott of Watsonville finished fourth on three wheels after his left-front tire went flat during the final two laps. San Jose’s Danny Casho completed the top five.

In the 4-Bangers division, Gilroy’s Adrian DeSousa captured her first feature victory at the speedway in a close finish.

DeSousa passed San Jose’s Jerry Supernaw for the lead, then fended off challenges from five-time feature winner and current points leader Sean Markley Jr., Salinas’ Drew Williams and Supernaw to win in the 20-lap race.

“I’ve won main events at other tracks, but this one really means something,” DeSousa said. “This is where I began racing 4-Bangers, and from day one I’ve wanted to win at this racetrack. The cars are faster, driver skill levels are higher and winning in front of family and friends is very satisfying.”

DeSousa, second in the 4-Banger standings, increased her chances for a championship by cutting Markley’s lead from 22 points to 16.

In the American Stock division, Watsonville’s Matt Sotomayor rebounded from suffering a broken axle the previous race to win his fourth main event of the season.

Points leader Billy Nelson, however, finished second and only lost three points off his lead over Sotomayor.

San Jose’s Matt Kile and Watsonville’s Tony Oliveira finished third and fourth, respectively. Aptos’ Nick Silva salvaged fifth place after being sent to the rear of the field by officials for an infraction. Earlier, Silva captured his fifth trophy dash victory of the season.

Gilroy’s Gilbert Toste moved up from seventh starting position to win his Bay Area Dwarf Car feature of the season. Toste, the defending division champion, has five heat race wins. Currently third in the standings, he trails three-time feature winner Ryan Diatte by 90 points.

In the Ocean Late Model division, Scotts Valley’s Bobby Scott took advantage of slower traffic to make a late pass and capture his fifth feature win of the season.

With three laps remaining, Salinas’ Phil Priddy and San Jose’s Nate Smith held first and second. They, however, were stymied behind slower cars, and Scott seized the moment with an outside pass as he exited the fourth turn.

Priddy had led from the start and was ahead by a full straightaway before running into slower traffic.

Friday’s racing will feature the American Stocks, IMCA Modifieds, Wingless Sprint Cars and the Taco Bravo 360 Sprint Cars series.



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