Rip Michels and his honorary sponsors, Stock building Supply and IDevAffilate, will make their first series start in the highly competitive Spears Manufacturing SRL Southwest Tour Series this Saturday night in the “NTS, Inc 125” at Toyota Speedway of Irwindale.
"I did want to send out a message to my boys Mendenhall and Pettit; we are racing on the Big Boy Track this weekend, not the 3rd mile at Toyota Speedway. The ¼ and 1/3 mile tracks that you guys have won on in the past two SRL races are for Bandoleros and"— Rip Michels
The Spears Manufacturing SRL Southwest Tour Series is considered to be the Champion series, with 6 different touring champions, an all time win leader in tour cars, and a multitude of young guns to round out the field. Simply put, this is the most competitive field of drivers in any series throughout the United States. In eight races, there have been 6 dif ferent winners.
This race will mark the 2nd career start in the Spears Manufacturing SRL Southwest Tour Series for Rip. His first start came last year in the Stock Building Supply, Andersen Windows series “100” Race and Home Improvement show at Toyota Speedway, where he finished second to West Coast legend, Jim Petit.
“To say I am excited about running this race is an understatement,” commented Rip. “When you look at the caliber of drivers that run this series, you know you are running against the best of the best. We struggle a little bit with our SLM car here at the Dale. Hopefully we can tune this tour car in, and be competitive in the race.”
“We would really like to thank Wayne and Connie Spears for sponsoring such a great series,” said Team Manager, Michael Medlin. “They, along with the Collins family, have dedicated their time and money to promote racing on the West Coast for many years, and they have done an outstanding job. When you look at the list of drivers, guys like MK. Kanke, who has the most tour victories, to championship winning drivers like Raudman, Vidovich, McKean, Pettit, and David Byrd.
Then you throw in guys that have all won local division Championships like Greg Voigt, and David Mayhew, then you truly get an understanding that this is the most competitive series in the nation. I am not sure if the Sprint Cup Series has as many champions running as this coming Saturday night. It is going to be awesome, and thank you to Jim Williams and his staff at Toyota Speedway for giving all of us a great place to race.”
Sponsors Corner:
Currently the team has an open hood space that needs a sponsor’s name on it. If you’re interested, please contact us below.
The Crew:
“This is a pretty exciting race for us,” stated tire specialist Chris Lazade. “I have been on loan to Mike Mendenhall for a couple of races, and we were able to get Mike his first victory. Now we have an opportunity to compete against him, and all of the great drivers of this series. It is hard not to be excited.”
Smack Talk:
“Wow, it is really hard for me to smack talk any of these guys. I have nothing but respect for them,” said Rip. “I did want to send out a message to my boys Mendenhall and Pettit; we are racing on the Big Boy Track this weekend, not the 3rd mile at Toyota Speedway. The ¼ and 1/3 mile tracks that you guys have won on in the past two SRL races are for Bandoleros and the kiddies. Your park it in the corner, and stab and steering driving style will not work here. You need to roll big in the center of the comers. I know Jim won last time out, but I am hungry, and need to establish that this is my house. I am still the all time win leader at the Dale, so this will be fun, and Mendenhall, I loaned my guys to you for your first victory at Madera, but you can’t use them this time, so bring your own crew.”
The Car: Gidget
Chassis Gidget has made four starts in her short career. Gidget is the car that powered Rip to the 2006 Southwest Tour championship. She was victorious in her first start, and finished second twice, with one DNF. “The last time she raced was back on April 26, 2008, so we knocked the cob webs off of her, and woke her up from her dormant sleep. I hope she is ready to go, she seems like she wants to race,” said Crew Chief Roger Theoabald.
The Sponsors:
The team would also like to thank the following associate sponsors for their help this season:
Ron’s Rear Ends, Victory Circle, Total Power Batteries, Orme Brothers, Aurora Rod Ends, Quarter Master, Schroeder Torsion Bars, Ringers Gloves, Circle Racing Wheels, BC Sportsimages, Apache Studio Rentals. Merengue Bakery & Café, Hot Rod Hobbies, UPgrade Decals, and Works of Art Johnson.
For more information on Rip Michels and sponsors, please visit Rip Michels Racing Inc., at www.ripmichels.com or ripmichelsracing@myspace. Also check out our new Facebook page
