From Gary Thomas
Watsonville, CA — (February 10, 2015) — With the season creeping closer and the excitement building, we’re pleased to announce that the annual Pombo/Sargent Classic will be held this season during the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series event at Ocean Speedway on Friday night June 26.
The Pombo/Sargent Classic honors California racing legends Al Pombo & Marshall Sargent and has been going on for nearly 30-years, originally starting at Kings Speedway in the 1980’s, before moving to the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway from 2006-’11. In 2012 the event returned to Kings Speedway where it had been held the last few years, before now finding a new home at the Ocean Speedway in 2015 and beyond.
“It’s going to be really exciting to host the Pombo/Sargent Classic at Ocean Speedway when the King of the West 410’s are here on June 26,” said Prentice Motorsports Group President John Prentice. “I’m honored that the Pombo & Sargent families have chosen Ocean Speedway to celebrate the memory of two great families that have done so much for the sport out here. Creating special events is something we’re trying to do very hard and the Pombo/Sargent Classic fits right in with that.”
Al 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 West Capital Raceway, the same event that 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. Pombo was a fixture at the event until his passing a few years ago.
Early in his career Marshall Sargent won a pair of San Jose titles, which included two wins in the Johnny Key Memorial and also captured 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 Friday June 26 we’ll once again pay homage to a pair of legends, who helped set the foundation for the sport in our state.
The Pombo/Sargent Classic is also part of a Prentice Motorsports Group Double Down Weekend, which includes the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series event the following night at Calistoga Speedway on June 27. If a driver can sweep the KWS weekend at Ocean Speedway & Calistoga, they will go home with a $3,000 bonus.
All things pertaining to the King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series can be found at http://www.kwssprints.com
Be sure to like the KWS Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints and become a member of our Twitter community at https://twitter.com/KwsSprintRacing for all the latest breaking news regarding the series
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Former winners of the Pombo/Sargent Classic
1986- Brent Kaeding
1987- Jimmy Sills
1988- Brent Kaeding
1989- Jimmy Sills
1990- Brent Kaeding
1991- Brent Kaeding
1992- Steve Kent
1993- Chuck Miller
1994- Steve Kent
1995- Brent Kaeding
1996- Tim Green
1997- Bud Kaeding
1998- Bud Kaeding
1999- Brent Kaeding
2000- Brent Kaeding
2001- Blake Robertson
2002- Tommy Tarlton
2003- Tommy Tarlton
2004- Tim Kaeding
2005- Ronnie Day
2006- Brent Kaeding
2007- Brent Kaeding
2008- Brent Kaeding
2009- Brent Kaeding
2010- Tim Kaeding
2011- Tommy Tarlton
2012- Bud Kaeding
2013- Tommy Tarlton
2014- Kyle Hirst