3/17/2026
Watsonville Speedway
Opening night set to commence at Watsonville Speedway this Friday March 20th
Opening night set to commence at Watsonville Speedway this Friday March 20th
Watsonville, CA…The Watsonville Speedway is set to kick off a new era of racing this Friday night with a four-division program on deck for the 67th season opener.
In the off-season SRE Promotions with Rob Gallaher and family, along Samantha Harper, assumed the Promoter/ Management role of the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds quarter mile.
The team has been hard at work helping to revitalize the track for what should be a bright season of racing.
One of the first orders of business for SRE Promotions was to change the name back to Watsonville Speedway, which better identifies with the local community. Upgrades to the surface have also taken place among other items of business.
The Gold Star GMC Winged 360 Sprint Cars will open their 20th consecutive season of racing at Watsonville Speedway on Friday. Originally debuting in 2007 as the Wright One Construction 360 Sprints, the 2026 campaign will be the first held under the Gold Star banner.
The Gold Star 360s will offer $2,000-to-win/ $250-to-start the feature at each event, which is the highest weekly 360 payout in California.
Gold Star GMC flagship driver Caleb Debem of Salinas is the reigning track champion after claiming one win and eight top five finishes last year. Kurt Nelson, Jason Chisum, Jake Haulot and Jennifer Osborne rounded out the top five.
The Heat Wave Visuals Four Bangers make their season debut on Friday night. Watsonville’s own Joshua Silva wrapped up the championship last year with a pair of wins and top 10 efforts in all but two races. He edged out Travis VanGilder and Steve Roach to lock up the title.
Police N Pursuit will also launch a brand-new campaign this weekend. The now retired John Hohman picked up a trio of wins on way to the championship last season.
Rounding out the card on opening night will be Western Midget Racing. Local favorite Logan Mitchell won six consecutive features at the end of the year to bring home the WMR title.
Online tickets will be available until Thursday each race week via MyRacePass.
Presale tickets for this Friday March 20th can be purchased at https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1870/tickets/1511286
Tickets prices at the gate for regular weekly shows are:
-Adults $20: Ages 15 and older
-Veterans and Seniors: $5.00 discount with proper ID
-Children $10 (6 to 14)
The front gate will open at 4:30pm this Friday March 20th. Pit meeting takes place at 4:45pm with cars on track around 5:15. Hot laps, qualifying and racing will follow.
If you can’t make it out to the track watch live via www.starsondirt.tv
Watsonville Speedway is located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, California with the physical address being 2601 East Lake Ave, Watsonville, CA 95076. Info on the Ocean Speedway can be found at www.watsonvillespeedway.com or by liking the track on Facebook by searching Watsonville Speedway.
Submitted By: Gary Thomas