Collins In at Kern County Raceway – Brooks Appointed Competition Director


Collins In at Kern County Raceway – Brooks Appointed Competition Director

 

 

Bakersfield, CA — An agreement has been finalized for Larry Collins to fill the position of General Manger at Kern County Raceway. Collins, the current managing partner of the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series will take on his new position at Kern County Raceway starting October 1st.

 

Collins will still maintain an active role in managing the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series, and will appoint Florida’s Ricky Brook as the ‘Competition Director’ of the series. Brooks, one of the nation’s most recognized officials in short track racing, will travel from his home state to officiate each of the 2017 SPEARS Southwest Tour Series events. Brooks is currently the head tech official for the Snowball Derby, the Southern Super Series, Speedweeks at New Smyrna and Competition Director for New Smyrna Speedway, Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, and the SUNOCO Challenge Series.

 

“Brooks has worked well with both our race teams and our series officials at the Winter Showdown, he brings an unmatched amount of experience and technical expertise to our series,” Collins stated, “The schedules should allow me to be at most of the SPEARS Southwest Tour events next season. Brian (Olsen) and I will still function as a team in managing the series, with Ricky working with us on the competition side of the things.”

 

Collins’ family owned and operated Bakersfield’s Mesa Marin Raceway from 1977 to 2005, when the track was sold for future housing development. Since 2005, Collins has maintained his involvement in the motorsports industry, first working with the Destefani Family, who initially funded the Kern County Raceway project, and then Collins became a managing partner of the SPEARS Southwest Tour, a stock car series that competes on racetracks throughout the southwest region.

 

“I look forward to working everyday to make Kern County Raceway better, at this time my focus is to work to build a great 2017 race season for both the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series and Kern County Raceway,” stated Collins.

 

Both Kern County Raceway and the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series have work still to do to finish out their respective 2016 race seasons, but the focus has already began to shift towards the 3rd annual “Winter Showdown” which will kick off the 2017 season on February 10th and 11th.