Gomez Has Momentum on his Side Heading to First Ever First To CNS
TWIN FALLS, IDAHO (August 12, 2010) Jonathon Gomez of Twin Falls, Idaho will experience another in a long list of firsts this season as his Heritage Cattle Co. sponsored team heads to Colorado National Speedway outside Denver. Gomez has never laid eyes on CNS but that has not been a problem this season for the 27-year competitor, as he has met every challenge so far this season and finds himself in contention for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series championship heading into the final four races of the season.
Gomez is coming off a stellar run last weekend in Montana (another track he visited for the first time) where he finished in the fourth position. His finish at Montana was perhaps his best run of the season as he held on to finish in the top five for the third time this season despite a rear-end housing that was coming apart at the end of the race.
"We were lucky to hang on," offered John Gomez (car owner). "We thought we had a car that could win and then over the final 25-laps the rear-end started to whine and Jonathon had to back it down just enough to save it for the end."
With essentially only two on-track finishes outside the top ten (11th at Infineon and 12th at Portland) Gomez might well be in the point lead if not for a penalty in the opening race of the season that negated a second place performance. "We have had a great year no matter what happens from here on out," Jonathon Gomez said. "The team has worked really hard and we have adapted to every new track and feel that we are in a great position to win a race this season."
His first series win could easily come at Colorado National Speedway this weekend. The wide and fast 3/8-mile paved oval has been the site of several first time winners in the series. Craig Raudman (crew chief) prepared the track qualifying record holder car for Brain Ickler several years ago and knows the team is peaking at the right time. "I really believe that this team is ready to win and Jonathon has proven that he can get it done," Raudman said.
The race this weekend will be Gomez' 19th race this season as he continues his ambitious schedule racing not only in NASCAR, but the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour, CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series, and selected other Late Model events around the region.
"I am looking forward to Colorado," Gomez said. "I hear it is a fun place to race and the crowds are amazing."
Gomez sits in the third position in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series-West standings, 83-points out of second place and 162-points behind the series leader. After eight races he has scored three top five and five top ten performances with his best finish this season of second place at Iowa Speedway back in May. In the SRL Southwest Tour, Gomez is second in the standings just seven points out of the lead on the strength of two dominating wins this season.
Jonathon Gomez is in his fourth year of competitive racing having won local track titles at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls and competed in various Late Model events the past couple of seasons. He has started 16 NASCAR K&N Pro Series races since 2008 scoring nine top ten finishes and is in his first full-time season in the NKNPS. Gomez will contend for championships in both the NASCAR K&N Pro Series as well as the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour this season.
Jonathon Gomez is supported by Heritage Cattle Company, Century Boatland, J&C Custom Harvesting, United Oil, Modern Machinery, DJ Safety, and Gomez Farms. The race from Colorado will be broadcast on SPEED TV Thursday, August 26 at 4pm MT. The next event on the SRL schedule is September 4 at Toyota Speedway. The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series event for Gomez will by August 21 at Rocky Mountain Raceways in SLC, UT. For more information on Jonathon Gomez, please log onto his website at www.jonathongomez.com.
HIGHLIGHTS
Jonathon Gomez (No. 22 Heritage Cattle/Century Boatland Chevrolet)
Gained career-best runner-up finish by finishing second among West drivers in combination race
First full season of series competition
Average finish of 9.0 this season
Has led 35 laps this season
Fast Facts
The Race: Toyota / NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge 150
The Place: Colorado National Speedway, Dacono, Colo.
The Date: Saturday, Aug. 14
The Time: 8:15 p.m. MT
TV Schedule: SPEED Aug. 26, 3 p.m. PT
Track Layout: .375-mile paved
Race Purse: $104,584
2009 Winner: Paulie Harraka
2009 Pole: Eric Holmes
Schedule:
Saturday: Practice 12-12:45 p.m., 1:15-2 p.m. Time Trials 5:30 p.m.
Race Notes
The race … The Toyota / NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge 150 is the ninth of 12 races on the NASCAR K&N Series West schedule for 2010. It marks the only series visit to the state of Colorado this year.
The procedure … The starting field is 22 cars, including provisionals. The first 18 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (56.25 miles).
The track … Colorado National Speedway is a .375-mile paved oval with four degrees of banking in the straights and progressive banking of six to 12 degrees in the corners. The track has hosted seven series events.
The records … Qualifying: Brian Ickler, June 2, 2007, 82.057 mph, 16.452 seconds; Race: Paulie Harraka, Aug. 15, 2009, 63.341 mph, 53 minutes 17 seconds.
Narrow margin … Eric Holmes leads the standings by 79-points over David Mayhew. Jonathon Gomez is in third 83-points back.
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