Tough Start Tough Decisions for 2010 SRL Champ Gomez

TWIN FALLS, IDAHO (May 10, 2011) Jonathon Gomez, driver of the Heritage Cattle Co./Century Boatland Chevrolet, is the defending champion in the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour and defending that championship was a driving factor to return to the series this season. After two races in which a crash and a blown engine has mired him deep in the point standings, he has changed his plans.




Watford, ND is a twelve hour drive from his home base of Twin Falls, Idaho but it is in Watford that Gomez has found a new challenge. While the rest of the country is struggling through the current economic downturn, including the family farming and dairy operation in Idaho, Gomez has set up shop in Watford hauling gravel for the oil boom in the area.



"After the first two races and the finishes we had, we thought we needed to change our focus," Gomez said. "I really wanted to defend the 2010 championship but it will be next to impossible where we are currently at in the points. Plus having to spend $40K on a new motor is not the right thing to do right now."



The right thing to do is focus on work and generating revenue. That is exactly what Gomez is doing. In the last month he has moved eight truck and trailer rigs up to North Dakota. He has a team of nine employees working 2-3 weeks on with a week home on two rotations.



"There is a lot of opportunity up there right now," Gomez said. "It is good money and I am told we have at minimum five years of work hauling gravel preparing the roads in the oil fields. We would eventually like to start hauling oil but gravel gets our foot in the door."



With an estimated 200-year oil supply in ground, the opportunity may be limitless. While Gomez continues to grow the North Dakota operation, he is currently back in Idaho preparing the fields for the spring planting season. "Farming is tough right now but we have so much invested we have to keep at it," Gomez offered. "



Dropping the SRL from his racing plans was a tough decision, but one that he is comfortable with. "I love the SRL," Gomez said. "They have some of the best drivers around and I have enjoyed every race competing with Jim (Pettit), M.K. (Kanke), Derek (Thorn) and the rest of the guys. We decided to concentrate on just the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and chase that title. After a long discussion with my SRL car owner (Bob Strandwold) we came to the same conclusion. He fully supports our decision."



Gomez currently sits third in the K&N standings and knows he has a lot left to accomplish in the series. "We have been pretty good but we still want that first win. We believe that we can contend for wins and the championship this year and we are going to give it everything we have to do so. Cutting back on the SRL deal will really helps us focus."



The next race for Gomez is Saturday, May 21 at Iowa Speedway in the annual combination East/West Shootout for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Gomez finished 8th overall last year and second among the competitors from the West. "I really like Iowa," Gomez said. "It is just an awesome track and we are bringing the same car that we finished second with at Phoenix."



His first NASCAR win could be right around the corner but Gomez has already been a proven winner both on and off the track.



Jonathon Gomez is supported by Heritage Cattle Company, Century Boatland, J&C Custom Harvesting, United Oil, Modern Machinery, DJ Safety, and Gomez Farms. Jonathon Gomez is the 2010 SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Champion and is also a winner on the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series as well as in the Mustang Challenge Series at Miller Motorsports Park. For more information on Jonathon Gomez, please log onto his website at http://jonathongomez.com or NASCAR Hometracks.