DOSS WINS SPEARS SOUTHWEST TOUR AT STOCKTON 99
Bakersfield, CA – Upper Lake’s Jeremy Doss won Saturday night’s SPEARS Southwest Tour Series “Sunnyvalley Smoked Meats 125” at Stockton 99 Speedway. It was Doss’ second win of 2014, and his second consecutive win at Stockton 99 Speedway. Saturday’s win moved Doss back on top of the 2014 championship standings, eighteen points ahead of Derek Thorn.
“I just have to thank everyone who supports me, I-5 Tire Factory, my crew chief Dale (Dodds), my Dad and Mom, Furia Construction, JRI Shocks, Draco Springs, Joes Racing Products and the whole crew,” Doss said after his win. “The car was great tonight, it feels so good to get the win. Stockton is a tough, fun place to race.”
Doss took the lead from Brandon White on lap 5. On lap 6, fast qualifier Thorn moved into second where he challenged Doss for the lead over the next 63 laps. The Doss -Thorn battle for the lead ended on Lap 69, when the two drivers entered turn 3 side by side, with a third car on the outside. The three cars squeezed into turn 3, making it three wide. Thorn on the inside spun as he tried to avoid contact with Doss.
As the lap 70 yellow came out, Doss maintained the lead, followed by White, Ross Strmiska, Jacob Gomes, Blaine Rocha, Garret Archer, Keith Spangler and Thorn who fell in line in eighth position.
“Man, it was nerve racking with Derek right behind us all those laps, he raced us clean and it was a great race,” Doss added. “Stockton is becoming one of my favorite tracks, it’s the closest to home that we race all year, and they always have a great crowd here.”
On the lap 73 restart, the top five changed, as Strmiska got shuffled back to fifth, and Gomes and Archer jumped up to third and fourth respectively. Two laps later Gomes continued his move forward passing White for second.
Gomes began to pressure Doss for the lead, but the real battle was for fifth as Thorn applied the pressure to take the position from Strmiska, as Strmiska pressured Archer for fourth.
The race would remain green to the finish, Doss distanced himself from Gomes, who developed brake issues, White was solidly in third, Archer pulled away from the Strmiska-Thorn battle, and Thorn continued to pressure Strmiska hard for fifth.
On the final lap, Gomes had rallied to within inches of Doss’ rear bumper as the two drivers exited turn 4 coming to the checkered. At the finish it was Doss, Gomes, White, Archer, Strmiska, Thorn, Rocha, Spangler, Jason Gilbert and Jeff Bischofberger in tenth.
Next race for the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series takes place on Saturday, August 16th, as the series returns to Irwindale Speedway for the “51 Fifty Energy Drink 100 presented by AmeriPride Services”. The August 16th race will be the first time the series has competed at Irwindale since 2010. The race will also be the first of three events that make up the “Pat Pettit Memorial Triple Crown”.
For more information, go www.SRLSouthwestTour.com.
