GOMES TO HIT MILESTONE AT KERN
Jacob Gomes is without a doubt the “Ironman” of the Spears Srl Southwest Tour Series. Like Tony Stark, Gomes has learned to be resourceful, when it comes to getting his Sunnyvalley Smoked Meats, Dell’Osso Family Farms, Dennis Arbini Chevrolet to the track. He and his team are problem solvers when it comes to overcoming mechanical issues throughout the weekend, and while Jacob my not have a mini-arc reactor to power his Chevy, he and the team certainly have heart.
These qualities have led Gomes to 94 straight starts over the last 11 seasons, an all-time series record. But Gomes is not going to stop there, as on June 29th, Gomes will make series start number 95, tying Troy Ermish for the all-time lead in that category, in the Bulwark Protective Apparel 50/50 presented by Spears Manufacturing 50th Anniversary” at Kern County Raceway.
“I think it’s great that we have been around so long and are still doing it”, Gomes stated.
Gomes has seven career victories and 32 top-five finishes, with those 94 starts. He is second all-time in top-ten finishes with 58, behind only Derek Thorn. He was the first driver in series history to win the Rookie-of-the-Year Award, and then become the series champion. That SRL Championship, in 2015, is what Gomes points to for his inspiration this year, after a blown motor resulted in a 22nd place finish, and a drop to fourth in the championship standings.
“I think we got a good shot at it this year (the championship)”, Gomes told the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series. “After Madera, it kinda knocked me down thinking we didn’t have a shot. But we’re just gonna go to every race to win, and we’re not gonna look at points. We are just going do the best we can, just like we did in 2015.”
As the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series heads to Kern County Raceway, for Round #5 of the season, Gomes is looking forward to competing at the ½-mile tri-oval. He hopes that they will find the speed that they exhibited at the October Classic, in 2018. The team finished seventh, and qualified fifth in the event with a field of 27 cars.
“We’re ready for Kern and have been working on the car, trying to get it to the way he had it last time there, and hoping we have a good shot at it” Gomes commented.
Through the years, Jacob has required a great deal of support from his friends, family, team and sponsors. His soon-to-be 95 starts in a row show his extreme dedication to the sport he loves, and he is thankful for those who have helped him achieve his success.
“I’d like to thank my whole team, all my sponsors and everyone who gets us to the track”, Gomes expressed. “I’d like to thank Sunnyvalley Smoked Meats, Dell’Osso Family Farms, David’s Racing Products, Studio 10 Wraps and Arbini Farms”
The action for the weekend gets underway Friday night, with three practice sessions, for the SRL, beginning at 5:00 pm. The teams will qualify that evening at 10:00 pm. The Legends and “Spears Modified Series presented by Lucas Oil” will also practice.
On Saturday, June 29th, the Modifieds will have two practice sessions, the Legends, Mini Dwarf’s and Jr. Mini Dwarfs also practicing. Spectator Gates open at 4:30 pm, with Qualifying for the SPEARS Modifieds and Legend cars scheduled for 5:30 pm, with the Dwarf Main Events to follow. The On-Track Autograph Session begins at 6:15 pm, with Opening Ceremonies set for 6:45 pm. The first 50 lap segment for the “Bulwark ‘FR 50/50 presented by SPEARS Manufacturing 50th Anniversary”, featuring the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series, is slated thereafter with the Modifieds, Legends and Modifieds running their features. The SALUTE TO AMERICA FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR is tentatively up next, with the 50 lap Segment #2, for the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series, scheduled to round out the evenings activities.
Gomes will be competing for the $5,000 first place prize, thanks to the Winners Bonus by KHI Management Inc.
