June 6, 2021 Jim Allen
(6/7/21) Sacramento, CA … An exciting double-header is up next for the NARC King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Cars as Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway hosts the 35th annual Pombo-Sargent Classic this Friday June 11th. The following night brings the 30th annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race at Placerville Speedway on Saturday June 12th. The two nights marks rounds four and five of the twenty-one scheduled.
Friday pays tribute to west coast racing legends, Al Pombo and Marshall Sargent. Saturday’s show honors Dave Bradway Jr., the former NARC racer who sadly lost his life competing in 1987. Bradway was a standout competitor who routinely parked in the winner’s circle in the early to mid-80s. This season marks the first time the Bradway Jr. Memorial race will be contested at a track other than Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway. Saturday will prove to be a lucrative night. The feature will award $5000 to the winner thanks to $1000 contributions from both Sierra Foothills Wine Services and Roth Motorsports. Other generous contributions from the racing community will boost the pay of Carwash Mike Avilla Fast Time, lap money and more.
Both annual showcases of west coast talent are coveted staples of the California racing circuit. Winning either race etches a driver’s name in the history books next to the many greats of the sport who have claimed victory in these prestigious events.
NARC will share the card with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods and WMR Midgets on Friday at Ocean Speedway. On Saturday in Placerville NARC will be joined by the state’s premier winged 360 series, the Sprint Car Challenge Tour, making for a west coast winged sprint car fan’s ideal evening.
The two bullrings should provide a must-see weekend of racing. Both tracks commonly develop distinct bottom and top grooves with just enough room in a slick middle for some sensational slide jobs.
Dominic Scelzi rolls into the weekend as the points leader and defending Pombo-Sargent Classic winner. His victory in the 2019 PSC marked the second of his series-high five wins during NARC’s last full season of competition. The ten-time NARC feature winner hopes to continue his strong start to the season. Scelzi is the only competitor who has finished in the top-5 in all three events this year.
Recent history points to the most recent series winner, Justin Sanders, as a favorite for a weekend sweep. In his last twelve series starts combined between the two tracks, Sanders boasts a 3.8 average finish. That stretch yielded eleven top-10s and four victories, including the 2018 edition of the Pombo-Sargent Classic. Sanders is also the defending winner of the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial. If Sanders can pull off the sweep, he’ll be only the second person to win both events in the same year, the first being Brent Kaeding. The Aromas,CA native is prioritizing preparation ahead of the important weekend.
“It would be really good to get those two wins back to back,” Sanders said of a potential sweep. “I’ve got a pretty good balance for Watsonville and Placerville, but the thing is I don’t get to run 410s a lot at both of those tracks. So, I’ve got to take a little bit of what I’ve done with the 360 and what we’ve learned with the 410 this year already and put them both together and hopefully I can get a good balance and keep qualifying good and staying up front. It would be awesome to win both of those races and win both of them for a second time.”
The Kaeding family has won Pombo-Sargent Classics in four different decades since the event’s inception in 1986, and Bud and Tim will be looking to make it five. A win for Bud would mark his fourth Pombo-Sargent triumph, while Tim hopes to match his brother’s current tally by earning his third. TK has his sights set on a third Bradway Jr. Memorial victory while Bud goes for his second.
Fremont’s Shane Golobic will be another to watch this weekend. The 2016 & 2017 Pombo-Sargent victor has averaged a 3.7 feature finish over his last nine series starts at Ocean Speedway. The pilot of the Matt Wood Racing No. 17 also finished on the podium in two of his last three series starts in Placerville. Golobic even topped the World of Outlaws during their most recent visit to the tricky quarter-mile in September of 2019.
Expect many other potent competitors to be in pursuit of these two cherished trophies. Some other drivers expected to be in attendance for one or both events are defending series champ DJ Netto of Hanford, Auburn’s Andy Forsberg, Sean Becker of Roseville, Iowa driver Austin McCarl, Billy Aton of Benicia, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto; Willie Croft from Colfax, Chico’s Kenny Allen, Sean Watts of Clovis, Tracy’s Kyle Offill and more.
The NARC King of the West Hoosier Tire format for Friday’s Pombo Sargent Classic will feature ARP Fast Time Qualifying, 10-lap heat races, a 6-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon trophy dash, and the Fujitsu 30-lap feature.
The NARC King of the West Hoosier Tire format for Saturday’s Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial will feature Carwash Mike Avilla Fast Time Qualifying, 10-lap heat races, a 6-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Dash, a 12-lap B-Main and the Fujitsu 40-lap feature.
Carwash Mike Avilla Fast Time Qualifying is currently set to pay $1350 to the top qualifier on Saturday courtesy of Kyle Larson Racing, Southern Pacific Farms and Bill & Claire Stammerjohn. Additional Heat Race Winner support comes courtesy of Hoserville CA and Arnolds for Awards. The Hardcharger Award will pay $1700, thanks to the additional support courtesy of Sierra Foothills Wine Services, Southern Pacific Farms and Starr Property Management.
All laps of both the B and A-mains of the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Race are sponsored, and a detailed list of those supporters can be found below.
Tickets for the Pombo-Sargent Classic at Ocean Speedway can be purchased at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/narc-kws-410-sprint-cars. Pit gates will open at 1:00 P.M. with the front gate opening at 4:30 P.M. Qualifying will kick off around 5:15 P.M. with racing to follow. Ocean Speedway is located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds at 2601 E Lake Ave Watsonville, CA 95076. For more information call (831) 688-7223.
Placerville Speedway is located at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville, CA. Pit gates open at 2:00 p.m. Racing begins at 6:30 p.m. For tickets and other information, go to www.placervillespeedway.com
The King of the West-NARC Fujitsu General Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. Associate and product award sponsors include ATL Racing Cells, Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Autometer, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, FK Rod Ends, FloRacing.com, Hooker Harness, Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, PAC Racing Springs, Pyrotect, Racing Optics, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Light Brakes, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.