TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Jonathon Gomez of Twin Falls, Idaho is looking for his first career win in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and that win can come today at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT. Gomez has been solid in two previous roadcourse events this season and has had success at Miller in the past.
"Thank you for your interest and continued support of Jonathon Gomez, driver of the Heritage Motor Sports/Century Boatland Chevrolet in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series-West, SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour, and the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series."— John Gomez
Earlier this year in preparation for the NASCAR roadcourse events, Gomez participated in the Mustang Challenge at Miller scoring finishes of first and second in the two race format. That success can certainly translate over the NASCAR K&N Pro Series even though the cars are completely different.
"The biggest difference is the braking," Gomez said. "The layout at Miller is very challenging and fast. The Mustang cars are a lot of fun to drive but the West cars are harder on brakes and have a lot more power. The guys at the school taught me a lot and I feel we have learned a great deal about road racing in the last two events."
While winning is always the goal of a racer, sometimes mastering the layout can be a victory. "Realistically we have a top five car and that is where I want to finish," Gomez stated.
If momentum is any indicator of success then Gomez is primed for a top finish at Miller. Last Saturday, the 27-year racer finished fourth at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, CA to record his fifth consecutive top five finish in the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour. He also scored is his first series Pole Award and more importantly, he took over the season point lead by 24-points in search of his first series title.
Gomez sits in the fifth position in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series-West standings, 4-points out of fourth place and 228-points behind the series leader. After nine races this season 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. Gomez has completed 1,240 laps in competition this season to lead all competitors.
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 17 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 is currently the point leader in the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour where he has two wins and five top five finishes 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 Miller Motorsports Park will be broadcast on SPEED TV Thursday, September 16 at 4pm MT. The next event on the SRL schedule is September 25 at Madera (CA) Speedway. For more information on Jonathon Gomez, please log onto his website at www.jonathongomez.com. You can also follow all of the best in West coast racing action by visiting www.racingwest.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
Gomez has completed 1,240 laps this season (Most of any competitor)
Fast Facts
The Race: Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge
The Place: Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah
The Date: Sunday, Sept. 12
The Time: 3:40 p.m. MT
TV Schedule: SPEED, Sept. 16, 3 p.m. PT
Track Layout: 3.048-mile road course
Race Purse: $143,180
2009 Winner: Patrick Long
2009 Pole: Patrick Long
Schedule: Sunday: Practice 9.-10:30 a.m., Time Trials 12:25 p.m.
Race Notes
The race … This event is the 10th race for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in 2010. It is the third of three road-course events this season and marks the only visit to the state of Utah this year.
The track … Miller Motorsports Park is a multi-purpose road course with four possible configurations. The track is located adjacent to Tooele County’s Deseret Peak Recreation Complex, approximately 35 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City.
The procedure … The starting field is 28 cars, including provisionals. The first 24 cars will qualify through time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 36 laps.
The records … Qualifying: Jason Bowles, Aug. 2, 2008, 94.888 mph, 116.095 seconds; Race: Patrick Long, Aug. 1, 2009, 70.948 mph, 1 hour 46 minutes 6 seconds.
Remaining races … The three races that remain on the 2010 schedule include a road course, Miller Motorsports Park on Sept. 12; a short track, All American Speedway on Oct. 16; and a speedway, Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 13.
