White Defending Race Winner of the October Classic

Admittedly, Linny White is not a big fan of the high-speed ½-mile ovals on the Spears Srl Southwest Tour Series schedule, but his results would tell a different story. White is the defending winner of the October Classic at Kern County Raceway, after sweeping both events at the facility in 2019. He drove a Gary Balough throwback scheme to victory last October, and will now look to further put his mark on October Classic history by winning two in a row, a feat only accomplished during the Southwest Tour Series era by Mike Chase and David Gilliland.

The “JM ENVIRONMENTAL, INC. Wild West Shoutout Round #3 – Boogie Man 127 presented by KHI Management Inc.” will be White’s 24th series start. His three victories have all come on the series ½-mile facilities with the other victory coming at Irwindale Speedway. White has five championship starts at Kern with  two additional in the Winter Showdown. He was eighth at the inaugural Winter Showdown after starting 32nd and 17th in the other. In championship competition, he has the two victories, and four top-10 efforts. His most memorable moments in the series have certainly been at the Bakersfield facility, as his first two series wins are there. But after his October Classic victory last year, he was still unsure about his feelings for the facility, as he described after the win.

“The win is hard for me to put into words”, White explained.  “Me and this place have such a love/hate relationship.  We swept the year here, so they are asking me how I feel about this place here now, and I just don’t know.  I’m 41-years-old now and I like to go 100 mph now.  You are going 140 to 145 (mph) here, and it’s a little out of my comfort zone.  It doesn’t feel that bad, but when you see cars in the wall and cars spun out, you can really see the speed.  I’m just fortunate to be in the position we are in tonight.”

White currently sits second in the 2020 SRL Championship Standings, with a 142-marker deficit to Derek Thorn. White could certainly use a third victory at Kern County Raceway to decrease the shortfall, and cut into that lead. If White can achieve that goal, the Colton Cowboy will really have to evaluate his apprehension towards the big ½-mile in his Rowdy Manufacturing Super Late Model owned by Earl Robbins.

The “JM Environmental Inc. Wild West Shootout Round #3 – Boogie Man 127 presented by KHI Management Inc.” will be Round #7 of the nine-race SPEARS Southwest Tour Series schedule. The event will pay $5,027 to win. $1,000 will be paid out to the leader on lap 27 from JM Environmental. $500 will be paid at the halfway mark, thanks to Kendall Peters with AKM Maintenance. The Performance Friction Brakes Zero Drag Fast Time Award will also payout another $500 with help from JM Environmental. The SPEARS Southwest Tour Series will be joined by the Spears Modified Series, ARCA Menards Pro Series West, Sigma Performance Services Pro Late Models and Super Stocks, for a huge weekend of racing. The Pro Late Models and Super Stocks will compete on both Saturday and Sunday, with 60 and 40 lap features, respectively.

For those unable to attend, the event will be shown live at www.SpearsRacing.TV. The Spears Southwest Tour Series will be featured on the live broadcast, along with the Spears Modifieds, Pro Late Models and the Super Stocks. Saturday’s broadcast will begin at approximately 3:30 pm (PST) and capture the final practice sessions for the Spears Modifieds and Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series. The Super Stock and Sigma Performance Services Pro Late Model Features will follow. Sunday will capture the Spears SRL Southwest Tour, Spears Modified, Sigma Performance Services Pro Late Model and Super Stock Feature events.

The event will also be shown on MAVTV at a date to be announced later. It will be a part of the 2020 “Southwest Short Track Racing” series, which will air every other week on Sundays at 2:00 pm (PST).

Celebrating its twentieth season in 2020, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series is a regional stock car series competing on paved ovals in the southwestern portion of the U.S. “The SPEARS Southwest Tour Series…Where the Champions Race”.