BAKERSFIELD,
CALIFORNIA (June 13, 2012)
– Derek Thorn concluded ten consecutive weeks of racing by winning
the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour race at Stockton 99 Speedway on
Saturday night, controlling all 125 laps in the event. Thorn and
his Bryon Campbell Motorsports team have won two consecutive SRL
events in the #43 Four Star Fruit/Hronis Racing Ford prepared by
crew chief Mike Keen. The team and driver combination have clicked
and have asserted themselves as the team to beat in the competitive
SRL series.
With the victory, Thorn also took over the points lead in the SPEARS
SRL Southwest Tour from series veteran M.K. Kanke. In the four
starts in the 2012 SRL, the Lakeport native has two fast-times and
two wins in a potent start to the season. Thorn's performances have
also propelled him to the top of the Sunoco Driven Challenge
national points.
Over the ten race stretch of competition between SRL and the NASCAR
K&N Pro Series West, Thorn has scored eight top-ten and six top-five
finishes. He also won his first career K&N West race at Lake Havasu,
AZ in April, securing a spot in the UNOH Battle at the Beach to be
held in Daytona, FL during Speedweeks next February.
"Finishing off our
10 race stretch with a win was awesome," Thorn said. "I had high
expectations for myself and the teams going into the 2012 season and
now with a week off it'll allow us to be just that much more
prepared. Bob Bruncati and Byron Campbell are two of the greatest
car owners you could ask for with great equipment, teams, and
families."
Starting off with Saturday afternoon practice, Thorn found himself
third fastest with a time of 13.680 seconds at the historic
quarter-mile asphalt oval in Stockton, CA. He followed that up with
the third fastest time in qualifying at 13.615 seconds.
For the 125 lap race, Thorn found himself starting on the outside
pole after the invert and quickly jumped to the lead out of turn two
on the opening lap. The first 23 laps went caution free and after
the first of seven cautions, Thorn found himself in the lead for the
restart ahead of Jim Pettit.
Throughout several more restarts Thorn continued to lead with only
brief challenges from Pettit. Thorn pulled away from the field in
the closing laps and took the checkers with a comfortable 1.5 second
advantage for his seventh career SRL victory.
"We
had great track position for the start of the race and it allowed us
to set the pace early on," Thorn said. "Mike Keen and the entire
Byron Campbell Motorsports operation have been giving me a
phenomenal car all year and it makes my job easy when you have
equipment that good...I feel we won't settle until we can capitalize
on an SRL championship."
Thorn will take this weekend off before returning to the NASCAR K&N
Pro Series, West in the Bob Bruncati owned Sunrise Ford #6 on Friday
and Saturday at Sonoma, CA. The event takes place on the 1.99 mile
road course and is the third road course event in 2012.
Thorn finished fourth at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota
in May, the last time the series raced on a road course, and should
be a threat for the victory at Sonoma during the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series weekend.
"Bob Bruncati and
Sunrise Ford Racing has had a lot of success in road racing over the
years and they gave me my first start on a road course," Thorn
said. "The team has gone to great lengths helping me in an area
that wasn't my strong suit. Sonoma Raceway would be considered my
home track on the K&N West schedule, and has always been high on my
list of places I've wanted to race."
Derek Thorn would like to thank the following sponsors for their
support in 2012: Sunrise Ford, Four Star Fruit, Hronis Racing, Lucas
Oil, Eibach Springs, Joe’s Racing Products, Oakley, Double Eagle
Transportation, PepperJack Kennels, and Blakesley Sports Media.
Race fans can
learn more about Derek Thorn at
www.derekthorn.com
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