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 IRVINE,
CALIFORNIA (June 14, 2011)
– Following
a frightening oil fire that set him back in Vegas last month,
Lakeport's Derek Thorn is ready to get back on track in the SPEARS
SRL Southwest Tour Series this week. The tour is bound for
California's Central Valley at Stockton 99 Speedway for the Mid
Valley Iron and Metals 150 and Thorn will be aboard the repaired
#26 Superior Crankshaft/JRC Toyota Camry for the fourth segment of
the 10 race SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour.
Last month in the
Stream Pay Per View TV – Blackjack 121 at the Vegas Bullring, Thorn
was well on his way to another strong performance in a season that
has been strong thus far for the 25-year-old stock car ace and his
Superior Crankshaft Racing team. Thorn worked his way into the lead
of the race and led 64 laps until trouble broke out in the form of
an oil fire that ended his hopes of a second early season victory.
Thorn escaped injury in the frightening incident which caused
significant damage to the same #26 car that has driven to much
success this season, including a recent victory in Roseville,
California.
Prior to the Vegas
event, Thorn was leading the point standings of the SPEARS SRL
Southwest Tour Series following a pair of top three finishes and a
victory in round two of the campaign. Thorn is setting his sights on
the 2011 series title. Thus far the competition in the battle for
the championship has been fierce. With his 19th place finish in
Vegas, Thorn has slipped to 5th in the championship standings but
remains in striking distance of the leader, just 49 points back.
After being
postponed due to weather two weeks ago, this Saturday Thorn and his
SRL counterparts will tackle one of the tightest tracks on the
schedule, the quarter-mile Stockton 99 Speedway. The event is sure
to have its share of action and running out in front will mean a
driver must slice and dice their way through lapped traffic. For
Thorn, racing in lapped traffic is one of his strong suits. Crew
chief Junior Joiner and the entire Superior Crankshaft Racing crew
have been busy preparing the #26 Camry for Saturday's race and Thorn
is ready to get to work and rebound in the series standings.
In his 16-year
racing career, 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. As he returns to one of California's
most famous asphalt tracks he looks to increase the digits in his
win column and move forward towards the series championship.
Derek Thorn is
proud to carry the sponsorship of Superior Crankshaft and 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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