Tristao, DeArmond collect Tulare triumphs

By Ben Deatherage 

TULARE, Calif. (April 8, 2022) – Racing returned to Thunderbowl Raceway Friday night as the Tulare County Fairgrounds 1/3-mile clay oval hosted the Van De Pol IMCA Western RaceSaver Sprint Series and the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars.  

The main event of the Vande Pol Western RaceSaver Sprint Series began with hometown driver George Tristao Jr. getting the lead on the opening lap. He had a brief battle with Kyle Rasmussen. Rasmussen kept Tristao company but the leader kept him in check on every occasion. 

Tristao developed a fantastic run as the race went incident-free and allowed him to construct a significant lead. Tristao went on to win the race to collect his first victory of the season with Rasmussen second and third going to Brandon Emmett. 

Loren DeArmond had the car to beat in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car main event. He seized control of the front place position and remained there the entire distance. It is the first time DeArmond has won in 2022. 

Michael Shearer was the runner-up, while Steven Johnson was third.