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 IRVINE,
CALIFORNIA (June 26, 2011)
– After a
disappointing night in Stockton one week earlier, Derek Thorn and
the Superior Crankshaft team arrived at the SPEARS SRL Southwest
Tour event in Madera with one goal in mind. That simple goal was to
put the team and its dedicated sponsors into victory lane and back
into the championship battle. When Thorn sets a goal for himself, he
rarely falls short of it and Saturday night was a shining example of
just that.
Putting the series
of events that ended a top run one week earlier behind them, Thorn
and his talented crew, led by crew chief Junior Joiner and team
owner Joe Farre’ arrived at Madera Saturday afternoon as a team on a
mission. They made their statement loud and clear from the first
green flag of the day from solid runs in practice, qualifying and
eventually driving the #26 Superior Crankshaft/PepperJack Kennels
Toyota Camry to a victory in the Children's Hunger Fund 125.
"After letting my
team down in
Stockton,
where I felt we had the dominant car all weekend, I felt like I
really owed them," said Thorn. "The car was a lot of fun to drive,
the Hoosier rubber we've got on these cars has a lot of grip and
Madera is really tough on tires so by the end of the race we were
hanging on for all it was worth and brought home the win that this
crew, Superior Crankshaft, PepperJack Kennels, Sigma Engineering and
Joiner Motorsports really deserved."
In practice on
Saturday, Thorn was near the top of the charts as he tested
different lines around the
Madera
oval that is known as the fastest third mile in the west. With a
fastest time of 14:839, Thorn clocked the fifth fastest time in
practice and was confident he had the car to beat for the upcoming
qualifying session.
In qualifying,
Thorn not only had the fastest lap of the night, he also drove his
way to a new track record at Madera for the SPEARS SRL Southwest
Tour Series. Thorn's time was a blistering 14:320 which was .132
seconds ahead of the second place qualifier.
“Derek was
confident from the start of the day. We knew we had a strong car but
the track record was a bit of a surprise,” said Cheryl Archer, CEO
of Superior Crankshaft. “The race was very competitive and it was
great to see the respect that he and Eric Holmes had for each other
in the final laps. Derek raced well and kept the car out of trouble.
The win was just what we needed to put us back in the race for the
championship.”
The inversion
placed Thorn in the sixth place starting position for the Children's
Hunger Fund 125 before an enthusiastic crowd that was celebrating in
patriotic fashion at Madera Speedway Saturday night, Thorn showed
the fans the talented driver that he is and how exciting the SRL
Southwest Tour is as he quickly sliced and diced his way to the top
three positions in the opening laps of the race.
After chasing
bridesmaid and former Madera Speedway Champion Ross Strmiska for 12
laps, Thorn saved his moved for a baker's dozen when he overtook
Strmiska on lap 13 and set his sights on the leader. Driving out in
front was one of California's most competitive asphalt drivers of
current time, Escalon's Eric Holmes, a multi-time champion in the
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West with a long list of career accolades in
multiple divisions.
In the early laps
of the race Thorn pursued Holmes without serious challenge to
himself. On the 27th lap, however, Jacob Gomes slipped into the
second position where he remained until Thorn had enough and
redeemed the second place spot once again nine laps later.. For the
next 20 laps Holmes and Thorn put on a show for the fans with a dog
fight for the lead that included its share of slicing and dicing,
fender rubbing and a great display of both talent, aggression and
sportsmanship.
"It feels awesome
to have our second win of the season so far," added Thorn. "I felt
like we should have had another one at Stockton, we're going to keep
digging and make sure we really showcase what our team is capable of
each week."
On the 56th lap,
Thorn got down to business and worked his way to the inside of
Holmes to take a lead he would never relinquish. Once in front,
Thorn maintained a tight line on the track and worked his way thru
lapped traffic with Holmes in his wake for the remainder of the
race. At the finish line Thorn was trailed by Holmes, M.K. Kanke and
Justin Westmoreland.
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 Cars, PepperJack Kennels,
Sigma Engineering, JRI Shocks, Joe Gibbs Driven, Eibach Springs,
Joe's Racing Products, ARP Bodies, Finishline Signs, Fastenal, and
Joiner Motorsports.
"I feel honored to
be driving for this group and I am thankful for all of them. I have
to give an extended thank you to team owner Joe Farre’ of Sigma
Engineering, Marty and Misty Melo of Pepperjack Kennels, JRC, Eibach
Springs, JRI Shocks, Hoosier Tires, Ron's Rear Ends, and Cheryl
Archer of Superior Crankshaft"
This week Derek
Thorn will return to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in Irwindale,
California behind the wheel of the Byron Campbell Racing #44 Four
Star Fruit and Hronis Racing Chevrolet. Thorn will return to the SRL
Southwest Tour on July 23 at Rocky Mountain Raceway in Salt Lake
City, Utah.
To learn more about Superior Crankshaft 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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