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Pombo/Sargent Classic on deck this Saturday night at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway
By Gary Thomas
Tulare, CA – June 24, 2009…For many years sprint car fans have enjoyed paying honor to racing legends Al Pombo & Marshall Sargent as the weather turns sweltering hot in the Central Valley and the tradition will continue this Saturday night with the temperature expected to be near triple digits for the running of the annual Pombo/Sargent Classic at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway.
The exciting night of racing will feature the Golden State Challenge King of California 410 Sprint Car Series, the Bandit Wingless 360 Sprint Car Series and the Western States Modifieds.
The Pombo/Sargent Classic has been going on for over 20 years and it honors California racing icons Al Pombo and Marshall Sargent. It originally started at nearby Kings Speedway in Hanford, before moving to the Thunderbowl in 2006. An interesting facet about the Pombo/Sargent Classic is the fact that the event was created while both legends were still alive. Marshall Sargent has since passed, but Al Pombo is still going strong and is seen at the majority of the Thunderbowl Raceway events at his booth behind the main grandstands.
Pombo began his career in the 1940's and is credited with more than 500 main event victories, including multiple wins in the Gold Cup at Capital Speedway, the same event which is now held at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. He also won five San Jose Speedway titles, seven NASCAR super-modified championships, nine titles at Kearney Bowl and six at Clovis Speedway.
Early in Sargent's career he won a pair of San Jose titles, which included two wins in the Johnny Key Memorial, and also won the Australian championship in 1964. A pair of crashes unfortunately cut his career short and he enjoyed retirement until his passing in 1990. His legend and memory is kept alive each year as part the Pombo/Sargent Classic and on Saturday night we'll once again pay homage to a pair of legends who helped set the foundation for the sport.
The Golden State Challenge 410 Sprint Car Series comes into the Pombo/Sargent Classic with one of the tightest point battles in recent memory as just 10 slim digits separate the top three drivers in the standings, with those being two-time King of California Jonathan Allard of Chico, Los Angeles, CA's Tyler Walker and 13-time King of California Brent Kaeding of Campbell.
With nine events remaining in the season Allard goes into the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway holding an eight point lead at the top of the standings as he searches to become just the second driver to have at least three King of California titles. The defending GSC champ had his second win of the year in his sights during the most recent series event held in Cottage Grove, Oregon on Monday June 15, but a flat right rear tire ended his bid with just a few laps left in the feature. Allard drove his Williams Motorsports, Sharp Insurance No. 0 to a third place finish in Tulare on May 16 and will look to extend his advantage in the standings on Saturday.
The most recent winner in Golden State Challenge Series competition at the Thunderbowl Raceway was Walker, who comes into the 1/3 mile clay oval this Saturday looking to close the eight point gap between himself and Allard. The 29 year-old racer is coming off a tough ending to the Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway last week where he looked to have his first ever win at the $25,000 event wrapped up, until motor issues ended his night with just five laps left in the feature. Walker has driven his SC Motorsports, NMI Industrial Contractors No. 24 to a series high five victories this season and is just three away from tying the single season GSC win mark.
Sitting just 10 points back of Allard for the lead and two behind Walker for second is the three-time and defending Pombo/Sargent Classic champ Kaeding, who had a great overall outing this past week, which included claiming victory at the Cottage Grove Speedway on June 15 for his second GSC triumph of the season. "BK" was also the hard-charger on Saturday night at the Dirt Cup with an inspired drive from 22nd to fourth aboard his Al's Roofing Supply, Kaeding Performance No. 69. Kaeding has captured the Pombo/Sargent Classic on 10 occasions in his career, including every year since it has moved to the Thunderbowl Raceway.
Other Golden State Challenge King of California Sprint Car entrants expected on Saturday will include Scotts Valley's Evan Suggs, Elk Grove's Kyle Larson, Grass Valley's Jason Statler, Fresno's Tommy Tarlton & Craig Stidham, Placerville's Andy Gregg, Loomis' Kyle Hirst, Clovis' Peter Murphy, Sacramento's Willie Croft, Ripon's Brandon Carey, Fremont's Brent Bjork, Caruther's Garrett Ishii, Selma's Charlie Louden and more.
The Wingless Bandit Sprint's will make their final appearance of the season at the Thunderbowl on Saturday and will be led into the event by Clovis, CA's Peter Murphy, who was the victor during the previous series event at the 1/3 mile clay oval in May. With the USAC/CRA Series off again this week there will be the possibility of adding in a couple extra drivers to field, much like has been seen at the past two Bandit races in Tulare.
Not only did Murphy win the Bandit event at the Thunderbowl on May 16, the veteran driver also looked to have a last lap pass in his arsenal during the USAC/CRA event on May 30, only to have a mechanical problem end his hopes while looking to take the lead off turn two. The likable driver also picked up a second place finish at the helm of his Tarlton & Son No. 21 with the Bandit's in Tulare on April 11 and is coming off an eighth place finish at Skagit Speedway's Dirt Cup last week.
Other possible Bandit Wingless 360 competitors taking to the track at the Pombo/Sargent Classic on Saturday will include Visalia's "Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr., Richard Vanderweerd, Jace Vanderweerd, Rusty Carlile, Albert Pombo, Davey Pombo and others.
The Western States Modifieds are geared up for the final event of the season at the Thunderbowl Raceway and will feature a three-way dogfight for the title between Bobby Hogge IV, Paul Stone and Brad Pounds. Hogge IV has finished on the podium in all three races so far this season at the 1/3 mile clay oval and is coming off a strong victory during the previous event where he came from the back after pitting due to what he thought was a flat tire midway through the feature.
Stone has missed out on the title each of the past two years by a slim margin and comes into the Pombo/Sargent Classic just four digits behind Hogge for the lead. Stone hasn't had the flashiest season at the Thunderbowl, but consistency has kept him near the top of the standings and within striking distance of his first WSM championship. Lurking back in third is Pounds, who claimed victory in Tulare on May 16 and will be looking for a strong night on Saturday to overtake the top two.
The front gate at the Pombo/Sargent Classic will open up at 5 pm this Saturday with reserved grandstand tickets costing only $18 and general admission bleacher tickets just $15. Log onto http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com to view a seating chart and then call (559) 688-0909 to get the seats you want. The Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare.
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
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