SCHMIDT IN FAMILIAR TERITORY
Eric Schmidt is heading to The New Stockton 99 Speedway on July 4th. It is a facility that the 2006 Spears Srl Southwest Tour Series Champion knows well, and he knows the way to Victory Lane on the historic ¼-mile oval. He has a Late Model Track Championship; three Pacific Challenge Series wins, and a Westcar Late Model Series victory at the facility. The only thing he is missing is a SPEARS Southwest Tour Series victory. Schmidt will look to put that footnote to rest in the “JM ENVIRONMENTAL, INC. Wild West Shootout – Shoot to Thrill 127 presented by 51 FIFTY LTM”.
Schmidt finished second, the last time the series visited Stockton, in 2018. In that event, he had to work his way to the front, after contact with Craig Raudman on lap 14 saw him spinning in turn two. Schmidt would work his way back to the front, challenging four-time SRL Champion Derek Thorn for the lead, eventually settling for second in the hard-fought battle.
After the event Schmidt commented on his run to the front of the 21-car field, after the caution filled race. “I was looking at trying to get by 20 cars and that was a mess. Once we got later-on in the race, when the tires started wearing out, it was easier to maneuver around them. The guys raced well for the most part until the very end when it got a little physical. But that tends to happen here.”
Schmidt continued, in reference to the hard racing and his comeback. “I could have used a couple of right-side tires. I don’t think Thorn was going to lose tonight. He was racing aggressive and there was a lot of contact. You usually don’t have that with him, but he was going to win tonight. I’m happy to come out of this thing rolling and with the fenders mostly on it. I’ve been coming to Stockton for a long time, 15 years, and it’s just a good rowdy short track and it is fun.”
The 2013 Pacific Challenge Series Champion would have more, rowdy, short track fun, if he could park it in Victory Lane. A win would be series victory number six for Schmidt and tie him for eighth all-time. The Roseville, CA driver currently ranks fifth in all-time top-five’s and top-10’s, with 30 and 47, respectively. With his Stockton start, he will break a tie for 8th, with SRL Legends Dave Byrd and Jim Pettit II, with 69 starts.
The 2007 ALL AMERICAN SPEEDWAY – ROSEVILLE CA Late Model Champion will be bringing a teammate to the Ron Strmiska Memorial weekend event. Randy Hedrick will also be looking for a good run and compliment the 2018 SRL Championship Runner-up. The duo will be a formidably pair, racing for the $5,000 win, thanks to the “Winner’s Bonus” from Senneker Performance. Fast-Time will pay $500 and the leader on lap 27 will receive a $1,000 bonus. For those not in attendance, the event will be live streamed and can be viewed at www.SpearsRacing.TV. MAVTV will carry the event on a delayed basis, at a date to be announced later.
