TULARE, Calif. — When Fresno veteran Steve Kent hung up his racing shoes at the end of 2006, he left the Henderson Motorsports team searching for a new driver. New driver Roger Crockett has made the team one of the West Coast’s best sprint-car racing operations.
Crockett proved that Saturday night when he won the Golden State Challenge Series 30-lap feature at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway. It was Crockett’s third victory in the series and first of the season.
Crockett led from the start, while fast qualifier Jason Meyers quickly moved into second on the third-mile oval. Meyers’s challenge came to an end when he hit the lapped car of Danny Faria, Jr. The contact punctured a tire on Meyers’s No. 14 and he restarted from the back of the pack.
Blake Robertson was the final challenger to Crockett, making a dive inside on the final restart, but Crockett held on, with Robertson finishing second.
“This is great to come out here and win in our first race of the season,” Crockett said. “I have to thank Roger Henderson for giving me a great car tonight as well as Chris, Tony and the whole team. I have to thank Steve Kent for building these cars because this thing was fast all night, and also all the fans for coming out and supporting us.”
Brent Kaeding finished third, with point-leader Tim Kaeding fourth and Jonathan Allard fifth.
The finish:
Roger Crockett, Blake Robertson, Brent Kaeding, Tim Kaeding, Jonathan Allard, Mike Henry, Brad Sweet, Shane Stewart, Jason Meyers, Bud Kaeding, Evan Suggs, Peter Murphy, Tommy Tarlton, Charlie Louden, Toni Lutar, Garrett Ishii, Taylor Malsam, Jon Maiwald, Ken Fredenburg, Craig Stidham, Brett Bjork, Danny Faria, Jr., Kyle Hirst.