SPEARS Southwest Tour Series Returns to Rocky Mountain Raceways
Bakersfield, CA – For the third consecutive year, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series will make its annual trip to the Rocky Mountain Raceway 3/8-mile oval just outside of Salt Lake City, UT. This Saturday, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series “NAPA Auto Care Five Star 150 presented by Berkley Fishing” will headline one of Rocky Mountain Raceway’s biggest annual events, which will feature fireworks, an INEX Legends national qualifier, Super Stocks, Figure 8’s and Train Races.
Near capacity crowds have watched two highly competitive SPEARS Southwest Tour Series races in 2011 and ’12, with Manteca’s Jacob Gomes holding off M.K. Kanke and Derek Thorn in ’11, and Thorn battling Jim Pettit for the win last year.
“It was a big win for us at Rocky Mountain,” said Gomes of his 2011 win. “We had a great late race battle with Kanke and Thorn. We led most of the race, but with about ten to go they (Kanke and Thorn) both got under me, but the car came alive in the second grove and we were able to hold them off for the win. It was the first time the series raced at RMR, and there was a huge crowd that night, so it was a memorable win for us.”
As the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series heads to Rocky Mountain Raceways, Gomes, who currently leads the “Flowmaster Young Guns Championship” for drivers 23 and under, feels good about his chances this weekend.
“We feel really good about this weekend,” Gomes stated. “Our Sunnyvalley Smoked Meats car was really strong last year, but we had mechanical issues that sidelined us, so we feel confident about returning to RMR. It’s one of my favorite tracks that the series goes to each year.”
Gomes currently sits fourth in the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series championship standings with 709 points. With two wins on the year, two-time series champion Pettit leads the series with 815 points, Ross Strmiska is second with 771 and Thorn is currently third with 710, including three wins in 2013.
Before the cars hit the track for open practice on Friday afternoon, the teams of the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series will compete in the second annual “Berkley Fishing Tournament” at the Deer Creek Reservoir located in the mountains southeast of Salt Lake City. On Saturday, heat races begin at 6pm, SPEARS Southwest Tour Series qualifying at 6:30pm, with main events underway at 7:25pm. For more event information, go to www.rmrracing.com or www.srlsouthwesttour.com.
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Tentative Roster for Rocky Mountain Raceways as of July 16, 2013
0 Fred Lind, Prunedale, CA – R&M Transport, Performance Electrical Co*
1 Donny St. Ours, Upland, CA – Eibach Springs, K&N Filters, Peters Racing Engines*
5 Troy Ermish, Fremont, CA – Datsun 510 Parts Outlet, Allied Auto
8 Mariah McGriff, Vail, AZ – Best Salvage, TOE Racing Engines*
10 Mike Mendenhall, Santee, CA – The Farmer’s Music, Nikki Wood Racing
12 Colby Potts, Stockton, CA – Nascimiento Motorsports*
16 Jacob Gomes, Manteca, CA – Sunnyvalley Smoked Meats, Inc., Dennis Arbini
18 Jim Pettit II, Prunedale, CA – Moeller Bros., HUR Performance Engines
19 Brandon White, Eureka, CA – Northcoast Lighting & Electric, Inc.*
20 Tracy Bolin, Valley Springs, CA – Bolin Builders, David’s Racing Products
24 Scott Sanchez, Livermore, CA – HUR Performance Engines
25 Brandon Loverock, Norwalk, CA – 1-800LoanMart*
28 Nick Williams, Fort Collins, CO – Roush-Yates Performance Products
29 Greg Voigt, Goleta, CA – NTS Motorsports
43 Derek Thorn, Bakersfield, CA – Four Star Fruit, Campbell Motorsports
51 Carlos Vieira, Livingston, CA – 51 FIFTY Energy Drink, Allied Packaging
54 TBD – Sigma Engineering Solutions
73 Ken Benhamou, San Ramon, CA – S.A.S. German Auto, HUR Performance Engines
75 Jeremy Doss, Upper Lake, CA – Nitro Racing, Pathfinder Chassis*
88 Jason Gilbert, Dublin, CA – S.A.S. German Auto, HUR Performance Engines
89 Bobby Hodges, Carson City, NV – Nevada Auto Test Center, J Bews Racing*
90 Ross Strmiska, Manteca, CA – Mainline Equipment, Jack Tone Vineyards
* SPEARS Southwest Tour Series Rookie
