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Brent Kaeding is no stranger to victory lane.

The veteran sprint car driver from Campbell has won 71 main events on the Golden State Challenge series alone.

But Kaeding's dominance at Tulare's Thunderbowl Raceway is impressive even for a driver with such an accomplished résumé.

Kaeding has won the past three GSC races held in Tulare heading into Saturday's Pombo-Sargent Classic. Racing begins at 7 p.m.

And that's not all.

Kaeding also won two nonwinged 360 races in Tulare last season, the Trophy Cup 360 race in 2005 and a nonsanctioned, $5,000-to-win 410 race at the Thunderbowl in 2004.

"We just got real comfortable there about three years ago," Kaeding said. "We've got a basic setup that works well there, and our motors run well."

The secret to Kaeding's Thunderbowl thundering?

It's all in the width of the one-third-mile clay oval. Essentially, Thunderbowl's track is wide enough for multiple racing grooves. And more grooves around the track allow more opportunity for a crafty driver to push his way to the front.

"It's a racer's race track," Kaeding said. "The track is wide enough where there is usually a couple of lanes to race on. That's what makes it more appealing."

Kaeding's success in Tulare is ironic, according to crew chief Billy Albini, considering Kaeding used to have mixed feelings about the track after suffering a bad wreck 10 years ago.

But Albini also said Kaeding's hot streak at the Thunderbowl is no accident. Along with fellow 25-year crew members Rich Paulson and Chris Good, Kaeding has a wealth of experience to draw on when setting up the car from hot laps through the main event.

"We've been doing it so long, the big thing is experience in what you think the track is going to do," Albini said. "It's basically a guessing game. But when you do it long enough, 90% of the time you are going to guess right."

Kaeding sits eighth in points behind Oroville's Sean Becker (512-504) in the GSC standings. Becker has finished in the top five in six of the seven GSC races this season. Kaeding has five top-fives, but he's won two main events, including March 31 in Tulare.

Kaeding, a 12-time series champion, hasn't won the points title since 2003.

Defending series champion Jonathan Allard of Chico is in third place, 12 points behind Becker at 500. Former series champion Jason Statler of San Jose (467) and first year full-timer Willie Croft of Sacramento (454) round out the top five.

In addition to the 15 drivers running the series every weekend, local racers Tommy Tarlton of Fresno, Ricci Faria of Visalia, Mike Faria of Tipton, Craig Stidham of Fresno, Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton, Garrett Ishii of Caruthers and Mike Stallings of Fresno are expected to be in the field. Tarlton is a two-time Pombo-Sargent Classic champion.

The Pombo-Sargent Classic -- which pays tribute to California racing legends Al Pombo of Fresno and Marshall Sargent of San Jose -- will be run at the Thunderbowl for the second straight season with two slight modifications. The event has been shorted from a two-night to one-night race and the date has been moved up to April from its traditional July. Thunderbowl officials chose to switch the date to avoid the summer heat that keeps race fans home.

Thunderbowl director of competition Don Sharp said Pombo and the Sargent family will be presented plaques during a ceremony.

Pombo's No. 3 and Sargent's No. 7 super modifieds, as well as three other vintage race cars, will take a lap around the track.

The Western States Modifieds make their second appearance of the season at Thunderbowl as the support class.

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