SPEARS Southwest Tour Series Championship Standings – 9th Place: Brandon White
White Finishes Ninth in Final SRL Championship Standings
Brandon White finished ninth in the final SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series Championship standings in a season that he and the team would call frustrating at best. It was a season that saw White uncharacteristically struggle for both speed and consistency, with only one top five qualifying effort and one top five finish. White, and the Joiner Motorsports team’s persistence, saw a late season rebound, however, with their best performance saved for last, providing momentum heading into the Winter Showdown.
For Brandon, the season started out with a practice crash, at the 2016 version of the Winter Showdown, at Kern County Raceway. After an eighth place effort at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, two mechanical DNF’s followed, and then a disappointing 13th place run at Irwindale. The team skipped the next event on the schedule, to concentrate on round six, for the series, at his home track in Eureka, CA.
Brandon had high hopes for the win at Redwood Acres Raceway, and led the event early on. A crash, while running second however, dashed those hopes and left the team extremely disappointed. It was a season that Brandon would label as “full of bad luck”, but he and the team were determined to carry on. A top 10 finish at Tucson Speedway was followed by another mechanical DNF, heading to the final race of the season.
That final race at The Bullring would turn out to be the highlight of the season. Brandon would qualify inside the top eight, in the 36 car field, to participate in the pill draw. He would draw a seven, but would exercise patience for the first half of the event. When the checkered flag fell, Brandon would find himself in the runner-up position. It was a finish that would cement his appearance at the 2017 Winter Showdown.
“The second place finish in Las Vegas meant everything to me and my team”, Brandon would tell the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series. “We worked our tails off that weekend and our hard work finally paid off. Everyone was happy and we are excited to go to The Showdown.”
When asked about what motivates him during the difficult times, Brandon had this to say. “The love of the sport motivates me. I also enjoy having a good finish, as well as having a crew that is like family to me.”
Brandon’s next event, in his North Coast Electric, Dirt Cop Toyota, will be the 2017 Winter Showdown at Kern County Raceway on February 10 & 11. Following the “Showdown”, White is looking to stay close to home next season, but if he were to win the $30,000 prize, who knows what this young talented driver may do.
