Mike Griffith: Pounds racing for wins, not points titles
| Wednesday, Jun 10 2009 09:43 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jun 10 2009 10:35 PM
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TOM MACHT / SPECIAL TO THE CALIFORNIAN Brad Pounds (15b) passes Zack Forster (1) during a Late Model main event Saturday, May 23, 2009 at Bakersfield Speedway. Pounds went on to win the race.
When it comes to racing, Brad Pounds is a bit of a vagabond.
He's been a slave to a points races before, married to a certain track or tracks in the quest for a track or regional championship.
No more. At age 24, the talented second-generation Bakersfield driver is racing where and when he wants. And doing quite well, thank you.
He's won seven races at six tracks in his Modified car this season, including back-to-back wins at his "home" track, Bakersfield Speedway.
Of course, those back-to-back wins didn't come in back-to-back races. He won on April 18, skipped the May 16 race to compete in a big-money race at Tulare where he won, and returned to the Speedway last week for another win.
"I'm not racing for points anywhere," said Pounds. "That way we don't get tied up in a points race anywhere. If a Late Model race pops up we want to go to we don't have to worry about missing a Modified race or anything."
Such as May 23 when he skipped a Modified race at Hanford to compete in a Late Model race in Bakersfield, which he won.
"The whole deal is about me and my dad (Scott, a former champion in Street Stocks, Modifieds and Late Models) having fun together," Pounds said. "This is what we enjoy doing and we'll do it it as long as we can."
There are fairly standardized rules for Modifieds, which afford Pounds the opportunity to compete somewhere once or twice almost every weekend.
"We've run the Mods everywhere," said Pounds, who will be doing so again on Saturday night as the Rotating Right Wild West Southern Tour for IMCA Modifieds makes one of two stops at Bakersfield Speedway.
Pounds will most likely compete in a series event at Watsonville on Friday night as well, though he'll head there with a feeling of trepidation.
"They tear a lot of stuff up at Watsonville," he said of the tight Ocean Speedway quarter-mile clay oval.
Pounds said so many drivers have good equipment in the Modified division nowadays which makes for great competition.
"You have to have a good car and the set-up had to be good," he said of the key to success. "The two biggest things are control and patience. You need to be there at the end to have a chance to win."
Upwards of 30 Modifieds are expected at Bakersfield Speedway on Saturday night.Seven different drivers have found their way to Victory Lane through the first eight races of the series.
Also competing on Saturday night will be Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and Mini Dwarfs. Racing starts at 6.
Quick shifts
NASCAR Camping Works Series West points leader Eric Holmes led wire-to-wire to win a race in Roseburg, Ore., on Saturday night. Jason Bowles was second with David Mayhew of Bakersfield third.
Brandon Toy passed Ryan Reed with five laps to go and raced to victory in Legends competition Saturday night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in a battle of Bakersfield drivers. Reed led 27 of the first 30 laps in the 35-lap feature.
Brian Campbell, Bill Cotton and Brian Sweaney and Pete Cochran of Laguna Beach teams up to finish second in the Class 40 (motorcycle riders 40 and over) in the Baja 500. They were 10 1/2 minutes behind the first-place team, finishing in 9 hours, 32 minutes and 54 seconds.
Marv Ricfhin, founder of M&H tires, died June 3. He was 94.
