In three previous starts at The Bullring, Gomez has qualified no worse than fourth and finished no worse than third completing all 464 laps contested on the 3/8-mile paved oval.
Qualifying will be key at The Bullring this weekend as more than thirty of the regions top race car drivers will be on hand for round one of the ten race championship series. The racing groove at The Bullring is also a key factor in how the race will play out.
"It is not a two-groove track," Gomez offered. "You have to really be patient and set up a guy up in order to make the pass. You can't just drive around them. That is why qualifying is so important here. If you start at the back then you just made the whole race real difficult for yourself."
While The Bullring offers unique challenges, it is a track that Gomez really likes to drive. "It is a cool place," Gomez continued. "You have to be really smooth and hit your marks. If you mess up then it takes several laps to get back what you lost. I love racing there as it is the kind of track that makes me a better driver."
With experience on his side and solid stats to back up his 2010 championship campaign, Gomez will face one new challenge in 2011. He is the defending series champion. "It will certainly be a new experience this season defending the championship," Gomez said. "I really like racing in the SRL as the series has so many great drivers and teams. We may have snuck up on them last year but this year I am sure there is a big bulls eye on us."
The goals are simple for Gomez. "We just plan to do exactly what we did last season," Gomez continued. "If we do that then hopefully we will have the same results. I feel that this year we are so much more prepared, organized and ready to step up to the next level. The team is really excited to get on track."
There will be a few new twists this season for Gomez to contend with. His NASCAR crew chief and driving coach Craig Raudman will get back behind the wheel in a Bob Strandwold Racing team car to Gomez in select SRL races this season. Raudman is a former Southwest Tour champion and is considered one of the best all-time to pilot a Southwest Tour car.
"It is going to be a lot of fun racing Craig this season," Gomez said. "We have only raced each other one time and I came out on top and I like to rub that in when ever I can. He has taught me so much over the past couple of seasons it will be great to go fender-to-fender with him and see who comes out on top."
Gomez drives a Chevrolet owned by Bob Strandwold, a multi-time SRL championship car owner. Ron Copeland is his crew chief and is supported on the crew by Craig Raudman, Dave Reed, Derek Copeland, Adam Wyse, and Ty Henson.
Jonathon Gomez is in his fifth 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 several seasons. Gomez has started eleven SRL Southwest Tour Races and has two wins, nine top-10 and eight top-5 finishes along with two fast time awards. He has also started 21 NASCAR K&N Pro Series races since 2008 scoring ten top ten finishes and finished sixth last season in the final standings. He is already touted as a title contender after finishes of second (Phoenix) and fourth (All-Star Showdown) in two races 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. Gomez will contend for championships in both the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour and NASCAR K&N Pro Series this season along with making several starts in other regional racing series'. For more information on Jonathon Gomez, please log onto his website at www.jonathongomez.com.
Marketing partnerships and sponsorship opportunities for the 2011 racing season are still available with Heritage Motor Sports and rising star Jonathon Gomez. For a custom proposal and additional information please contact John Gomez at 208/731-1288 or Derrick Shannon at 208/870-8066.
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