2016 SPEARS Southwest Tour Series Championship Standings – 7th Place: Carlos Vieira
Vieira’s SPEARS Southwest Tour Series Stock on the Rise after Seventh Place Championship Season
Carlos Vieira continued his improvement, as a driver, during the 2016 SPEARS (SRL) Southwest Tour Series season. The driver of the Campbell Motorsports, 51 FIFTY Energy Drink, Race for Autism Chevy SS, finished seventh in the final series championship standings, on the strength of one top 5, and six top ten finishes. The final result was a little off last year’s fifth place finish, but a broken sway bar, and a multi car accident, resulted in his only two DNF’s over the past two seasons.
Vieira entered the 2016 season with a new team, and teammate, with Campbell Motorsports and Derek Thorn. The marriage paid dividends right off the bat, as Carlos qualified twelfth for the highly prestigious Winter Showdown at Kern County Raceway. Carlos was running third, late in the race, when he was involved in an incident that relegated him to a 16th place finish. The effort, however, was a confidence builder for the team.
The championship season opener resulted in a 13th place finish, in a rain shortened event. Carlos then reeled off five consecutive top ten’s before a broken track bar resulted in a crash, at Tucson Speedway. The following event, at Kern County Raceway, showed the teams true potential when Vieira finished a career high second, to his teammate Derek Thorn. The season finished with a 14th place finish, at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with a damaged car. The season as a whole, however, met Vieira’s hopes on the performance side of the equation.
“I really think my expectations for 2016 were met, in regards to the quality of the team”, Vieira began. “Campbell Motorsports is a great team to be a part of. The car was fast, and the team members were a pleasure to work with. Byron and Carol Campbell run a professional team which I am proud to be a part of. We did have some bad luck, on a few race weekends. That ruined our chance for a championship, but the season was still a blast”, Carlos concluded.
The 2016 season saw Vieira set a personal best, with a qualifying average of 8.6, amongst an average field of 23. It shows that he and the team have the speed to compete for wins, heading into the 2017 season. It is a fact not lost on Carlos, as he looks to the future.
Vieira said, “My expectations, for 2017, is to take what we all learned during the first year at Campbell Motorsports, and use it to win races next season. I hope to be up there in championship points, near the end of the season. I hope to be battling it out for the championship, with some of the best racers in the country.”
The 2017 season will begin on February 9 – 11, at Kern County Raceway. The Winter Showdown, an Open Show for Super Late Models and Tour Cars, will once again kick off the season for Carlos and the Campbell Motorsports Team. The championship season will commence thereafter with Vieira looking for “Tour” win and championship number one.
