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Bullring May 2012
- Details
- Created: Saturday, 26 May 2012 14:45
- Written by Dan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SRL Media
May 14, 2012
THORN ON A HOT STREAK IN VEGAS
Bakersfield, CA - Derek Thorn won his second consecutive SPEARS Southwest Tour Series event at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday night in the "GoLiveStream.TV - Blackjack 121". It was Thorn's first SPEARS Southwest Tour Series win driving for the Campbell Motorsports team.
Thorn started from the 11th position after setting fast time in qualifying at 14.475 seconds, then drawing an eleven invert for the 27-car field.
At the drop of the green Jason Gilbert moved to the lead from the pole position, followed closely by outside front row starter Nick Joanides. Gilbert, who flew home after Friday's practice to be with his wife Kathryn, as the couple was expecting their first child, then returned to the track on Saturday.
Gilbert, who started the "GoLiveStream.TV - Blackjack 121" second in the championship standings, led until lap 8, when Jim Pettit II took over the lead. Gilbert would fall back as far as sixth, before rallying back to fourth, for his third consecutive top five of the year.
Pettit maintained the lead until lap 30, when Thorn moved under the defending series champion exiting turn 2.
At the halfway point of the race, Thorn was in control, Pettit second, followed closely by Jonathon Gomez, Eric Schmidt fourth, with Madera winner M.K. Kanke moving up from his 13th starting position into the top five.
By lap 100, Gomez had moved by Pettit for second, Kanke was applying the pressure for third and Gilbert was now looking for a way past Kanke.
With 15 to go, the battle was for third, as Pettit, Kanke and Gilbert were nose to tail. Kanke looking low on Pettit, with Gilbert looking for an opening.
Eight laps to go, Gilbert found his way by Kanke for fourth, Pettit was now closing on Gomez for second, while Thorn was maintaining his lead.
At the checkers it was Thorn, Gomez, Pettit, Gilbert, Kanke, making up the top five, Olympia, Washington's Jared Vorse in sixth, Schmidt in seventh, Greg Voigt eighth, Keith Spangler ninth and Bobby Hodges rounding out the top ten.
"I want to thank the entire crew, because that's why you do so well, because of the people you have around you. I'm surrounded by really great people and I thank them for putting me in this situation." Stated Thorn from the Bullring winner's circle.
The "GoLiveStream.TV - Blackjack 121" was part of "The PASS Road To The All-American 400" which awarded the winner of Saturday's race an automatic starting position for the October 6th, All-American 400 at the famed Nashville Fairgrounds. Thorn will take some experience to the high-bank oval as he finished second in the North-South All-Star 400 in Nashville in 2006.
The next race for the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series is the "Strandwold Properties 125 presented by Wrapped Graphix" on June 9th at Stockton 99 Speedway.
About SPEARS MANUFACTURING: Spears Manufacturing is a world leader in plastic pipe fittings and valves. SPEARS' maintains over one million square feet of manufacturing facilities in four states and nine distribution centers across the USA for worldwide distribution. For more information go to http://www.spearsmfg.com.
About the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series: Celebrating its twelfth season in 2012, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series is a regional stock car series competing on paved ovals in the southwestern portion of the U.S. http://www.srlsouthwesttour.com. "The SPEARS Southwest Tour Series...Where the Champions Race"
Follow the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series on facebook (Spears Srl Southwest Tour) and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SRLSWTourSeries <http://www.twitter.com/SRLSWTourSeries>
