IRVINE,
CALIFORNIA (MAY 11, 2011)
– When Lakeport's Derek Thorn takes the Superior Crankshaft/JRI
Shocks Toyota Camry into round three of the SPEARS SRL Southwest
Tour Series this Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, the 25-year-old
talent will look to put another win in the column next to his name
in the StreamPayPerView.TV –Black Jack 121. Thorn who is now the
series point leader with two events completed in the SRL Southwest
Tour and looks to continue his success as he returns to Sin City
with great momentum as he makes his run towards the 2011
championship.
“It’s nice
sitting on top of the heap going into Vegas.” said Thorn. “I am
excited to be driving the Superior Crankshaft, Sigma Engineering,
JRI Shocks Camry. The car was awesome at Roseville and we have been
working hard at Joiner Motorsports to make it even better. Vegas has
always been a great place to race and I am looking forward to
running up front and being able to hold onto that top spot in the
points.”
As he returns to
the fast .333 mile Bullring at Vegas, Thorn sits at the helm of
SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour point standings with a 15 point advantage
over M.K. Kanke of Frazier Park, California. The advantage in the
standings arose following Thorn's dominating performance on April 16th
when he won the World' Champion Hand Cleaner 140 at the All American
Speedway in Roseville.
The recent
victory was the first for Thorn in 2011 and the first for him since
teaming with his new sponsor Superior Crankshaft. In much bigger
firsts, his continued driving success and dominating performance at
Roseville caught the eyes of many in the auto racing industry
nationwide as it went down in history as the first victory for
Toyota in the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour.
"Derek and his
Jr. Joiner led team are extremely focused this season and the
results are showing that in both the SRL and K&N events they have
ran,” said Marty Melo, Motorsports Marketing Manager for Superior
Crankshaft. “Everyone around him is working hard and doors are
starting to open for him at some higher levels of racing. We are
extremely fortunate and proud to be associated with Derek and part
of this SRL series.”
While Thorn will carry the momentum of his recent victory into Las
Vegas the odds will very much be in his favor with a recent history
of success at the Bullring. In 2010 Thorn took home a victory at
the Bullring and in the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour 2011 opener, Thorn
had a strong podium finish of third place in the Spears
Manufacturing 111.
Following the most
recent success in Roseville, Thorn currently has 131 asphalt starts,
a total of 27 wins, 78 top five finishes, 107 top ten placements and
has earned fast time a total of 47 times. Judging from his
performance thus far in 2011, Thorn will undoubtedly be adding to
these strong statistics this coming weekend.
In addition to the title
sponsorship of Superior Crankshaft, Derek Thorn carries a great deal
of support from a number of marketing partners in the 2011 SRL
Spears Southwest Tour. Among the many contributors are Joiner Race
Car Chassis, PepperJack Kennels, Sigma Engineering, JRI Shocks, Joe
Gibbs Driven, Eibach Springs, Joe's Racing Products, ARP Bodies,
Finishline Signs, Fastenal, and Encore Metals.
In addition to sponsoring Derek Thorn,
Superior Crankshaft is proud to be the official Crankshaft of the
SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series and the sponsor of the Winner's
Bonus program for each event. To learn more about Superior
Crankshaft Racing and primary driver Derek Thorn, visit them online
at
www.superiorcrankshaftracing.com.
Derek Thorn's personal website can be found at
www.derekthorn.com. Further
information on Superior Crankshaft and the series can be found at
www.superiorcrankshaft.com
and www.srlsouthwesttour.com
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