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Born in Salinas California, Son of Auto racing legend Marshall Sargent. Mike’s on track accomplishments are impressive by any measurable standards ,in His 22 year racing career, he had scored over 200 main event wins in many types of race cars including stock cars, super modifieds, sprint cars, midgets, and sports cars.
At both of San Jose’s legendary racetracks , against the very best short track racers on the west coast, Mike scored 53 main event wins, on both asphalt and dirt surfaces.
Those main event wins helped lead the way to 4 San Jose Speedway Track Championships in a 9 year stretch.
There was also a period of where for four years in a row Mike never qualified outside the top four.
He won San Jose’s premier racing event, The 100 lap Johnny Key Classic. Also The Lloyd Beard Classic 100, twice.
He was a series champion with GSRA, and was the Baylands Champion twice, as well as an Altamont Speedway Champ. He was the Nascar California State Champion seven times.
Even while racing away from Nascar sanctioned events during a suspension period he posted 19 feature event wins at other tracks.
Mike also did some traveling in racing, going all the way back to Ohio, Pa., and Indiana, while there racing against the regions very best. While racing with a San Jose legal Super Modified 350 Chevy engine and leaf spring suspension vs. rear ended and roadster type cars, most with giant wings and even more giant engines, Mike still managed to pull off a few main event wins in a true Outlaw Style.
Mike is also the designer and fabricator of the Sargent brand Super Modified and Sprint car Chassis. Mike usually used His own cars during his racing career, his cars were so successful, that other race teams used his cars to capture their own main event wins and championships. He also has done custom fabrication work on all types of cars from stockcars, formula cars to hot rods for all kinds of car owners both in and out of state as well as over seas.
The cars he built were so beautiful and successful, that some of his very own cars were featured in national published magazine covers and centerfolds. Open Wheel Magazine in particular.
As one of the most popular driver personalities of all time with the fans from the San Jose area and continues to enjoy name recognition through out the California racing community, Mike has carried the family racing banner handed to him from his father very well and has pushed the presence of the Sargent family in motor sports even further into racing history.
Although now retired from work and racing, Mike is still involved in the sport as a fan and even a car owner of a very successful IMCA team.
For all his great accomplishments in racing, Mike was recognized and inducted into the Motor Sports Press Association’s Hall of Fame in 2010.
(info provided by Mykeal Clark, racing photographer and great family friend)
Madera Speedway
1985 Mike's Blue #7
1985 Lloyd Beard Classic 100 (last 15 laps of 100)
1988 Coors Beer 50
1988 The Firecracker 50
The Calistoga Wreck
Mike on KNTV News
Picture Slideshow
View stills from slideshow plus a few more
Sargent Racing's IMCA Modified
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