TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Jonathon Gomez of Twin Falls, Idaho continues his aggressive racing schedule this weekend heading to Roseburg, OR for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at Douglas County Speedway. In his first career series start, Gomez scored a 9th place finish at the tricky 3/8-mile paved oval and looks to continue his rise in the point standings searching for his first career series win.
Coming off a solid performance at Iowa where he debuted a brand new car, Gomez will be back to familiar surroundings this weekend. His primary short-track car that ran second at All American and his crew chief Craig Raudman are back giving the 27-year old a lot of confidence heading into this weekend.
"I am really glad to have Craig back on the box," Gomez stated. "We have been good so far this year and we will only get better at each track we go too. Craig is really good with these cars and knows all the tracks really well. I am excited about our chances on Saturday and feel we have a good shot at the win." Raudman won at DCS with Brian Ickler behind the wheel back in 2007.
Douglas County Speedway provides quite a challenge for the drivers. Qualifying up front is paramount as there have been nine different winners in 13 races at DCS and four out of the last five races have been won from the pole. "You can pass but the guy in front really needs to make a mistake," Gomez said. "It is pretty simple really, qualify up front and you have a good chance. Qualify on the pole and you have a real good chance at the win."
Gomez currently sits fourth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series-West standings after three races and a second place performance among the West series drivers at Iowa Speedway two weeks ago. Gomez finished 9th in his first career start at DCS in 2008.
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 eleven NASCAR K&N Pro Series races since 2008 scoring six 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 and 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 next NASCAR K&N Pro Series event for Gomez will be at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA June 19. The next event on the SRL schedule is June 12 at Stockton (CA) Speedway. Gomez is also planning to be in action June 12 in the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series at his home track of Magic Valley Speedway. For more information on Jonathon Gomez, please log onto his website atwww.jonathongomez.com. You can also follow all of the best in West coast racing action by visiting www.racingwest.com.
Race Notes
The race … The Toyota / NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge 150 is the fourth event of a 12-race schedule this season for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
The procedure … The starting field is 18 cars, including provisionals. The first 14 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 … Douglas County Speedway is a .375-mile paved oval with 11 degrees banking in the corners. The track – located just off Interstate 5 on the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Roseburg, Ore. – hosted four races between 1966 and 1971, when it was a quarter-mile oval. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series has made eight visits to the track since it was renovated and expanded in 2001.
The records … Qualifying: Eric Holmes, July 11, 2008, 90.168 mph, 14.972 seconds; Race: Brian Ickler, June 30, 2007, 65.768 mph, 51 minutes 19 seconds.
Special autograph session … A special autograph session with some of the K&N Pro Series West drivers is set for Elmer’s restaurant in Roseburg from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 4.
Fast Facts
The Race: Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge 150
The Place: Douglas County Speedway, Roseburg, Ore.
The Date: Saturday, June 5
The Time: 8:30 p.m. PT
TV Schedule: SPEED, June 17, 3 p.m. PT
Track Layout: .375-mile paved
Race Purse: $106,061
2009 Winner: Eric Holmes
2009 Pole: Eric Holmes
Schedule: Saturday: Practice 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m., 12:45-1:30 p.m. Time Trials 4:30 p.m.
