BAKERSFIELD, California — Jim Pettit has a long and storied career built on the short tracks of the southwest. Saturday night, Pettit expanded his short track racing legacy by winning the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series “RealFast.TV 200 presented by K&N Filters” at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Saturday night’s SRL championship finale was both the longest and the richest race in series history, and with the win Pettit moved ahead of the late Jeff Anthony as the SRL’s all-time win leader.
“It feels great to get our team back in victory lane, they deserve the credit for putting a great car under me and for never giving up,” Pettit stated after the race.
Pettit entered the race in second place in the championship standings behind Jonathon Gomez. Gomez needed to finish 14th or better to secure the championship if Pettit won. Gomez drove his Heritage Cattle-Century Boatland Chevrolet to a third place finish and the 2010 SRL title.
“After we suffered a mechanical at Madera, we took a big hit in the points, so we did all we could by winning tonight and giving it our best shot at the championship, but Jonathon and his team are very deserving of the championship and I congratulate them. Winning the SRL championship is quite an accomplishment.”
The 2010 championship was not the only title on the line Saturday night as the Victory Circle Chassis Rookie-of-the-Year and the K&N Young Guns titles were both up for grabs, as were positions 4th through 7th in the championship standings.
Ross Strmiska, who was in contention for both the Rookie and Young Gun titles, made a statement in qualifying with a new track record of 14.363 seconds, besting the 29 entries at the event.
After Strmiska drew a seven for the invert, Troy Ermish and Jacob Gomes brought the field to the green for the start of the 200 finale, which had a scheduled 10 minute break at lap 100 where teams could change tires, add fuel and make adjustments.
Ermish jumped to the lead, followed by Dan Holtz, Joe Farre’ and Gomes who got stuck in the outside lane and lost positions.
Ermish’s lead was short lived as smoke began to show from under his car. The caution flew for the first time on lap 4, and he was brought to pit lane where a leaking rear end was found to be the issue. As the caution flew, Derek Thorn got into the back of Brennan Newberry causing the Metal Mulisha Chevrolet to spin, sending both cars to the rear for the restart.
On the lap 7 restart, it was Dan Holtz in the lead, followed by Joe Farre’, Ryan Reed, Pettit up from his 8th starting position, Strmiska in 5th and Gomez in 6th.
Farre’ and Holtz made contact in turn one, with Farre’ powering ahead to lead the first lap of his SRL career. By lap 10,Farre’ had the Sigma Engineering Chevrolet ten-car lengths out front, with 2nd through 4th nose to tail.
The second caution flew on lap 19 as the Victory Circle Rookie-of-the-Year leader Jacob Gomes began to smoke, Gomes pulled his Thunder Valley Casino - Resort #16 onto pit lane, and soon thereafter pulled it behind the wall for the night.
Lap 22 restart, Farre’ still up front, followed by Holtz, Reed, Pettit, Gomez, Strmiska, Cole Cabrera, Dallas Montes, Jared Vorse and Eric Holmes rounding out the top 10.
On the restart Vorse was on the move, along with Auggie Vidovich who moved into the top 10, passed Holmes.
On lap 30, Reed got shuffled back to 6th, with Pettit now in 3rd working on Holtz. Three laps later Pettit was by Holtz and began to eat into Farre’s lead, while Gomez was searching for a way past Holtz.
The caution was once again displayed as John Wood, Montes and Clay Wattenbarger got together up in the Turn 3 wall. Wood and Montes’ cars would be towed to the pit area.
Top five on lap 50 were, Farre’, Pettit, Holtz, Gomez and Olympia, Washington’s Vorse.
Pettit continued to stalk Farre’ for the lead, until lap 72 as Farre’ slipped up and Pettit made the move for the lead.
Lap 80, the top 10 were Pettit, Farre, Gomez, Holtz, Vorse, Newberry who had worked his way back to the leaders after the lap 4 mishap, followed by Vidovich, Holmes, M.K. Kanke who started 20th, and Thorn.
With just 10 laps to go until the halfway break, Gomez’s championship hopes dimed as the Bob Strandwold Racing #22 began sliding back, losing positions to first Holtz, then Vorse and Newberry and by the time a lap 95 caution flew, Gomez had also lost positions to Kanke and Vidovich and now found himself in 8th position. Holmes also began to lose positions and would eventually retire during the break with mechanical issues.
At the break, the cars stopped along the bottom of the front straightaway and the crews went to work for ten minutes, changing tires, adding fuel and making any necessary adjustments.
For the lap 100 restart, Pettit was the leader, followed by Farre’, Vorse, Holtz, Newberry, Kanke, Vidovich, Gomez, Strmiska and Thorn in 10th. Eleventh was Jonathon Mawhinney in his first SRL start, followed by Reed, Kevin Callahan, Carlos Vieira, Keith Spangler, Cabrera, Bryan Herzog and Wattenbarger completed the field still on track for the restart.
The dog fight began on the lap 100 restart as Holtz made contact with Vorse exiting Turn 4, spinning Vorse and relegating both to the rear for the lap 106 restart. Newberry was now up to second followed by Gomez, Vidovich and Thorn.
Back to green the battle for positions continued, Vidovich moved passed Kanke for fourth, Thorn and Kanke then made contact with Thorn taking the position. Farre’ was looking under Pettit for the lead, then Newberry looked under Farre’ for second, Farre’ slammed the door, Newberry still made the pass as Farre’ slides back up in the second groove before he fell back in 8th position.
Pettit with Newberry glued to his bumper moved 10 car lengths ahead as Gomez moved back into third.
Lap 108, Newberry moved passed Pettit for the lead. Newberry was at the point for the next 56 green flag laps, with Pettit never more than a few feet behind. Newberry looking for his first career SRL win and the 2010 K&N Young Guns championship, while Pettit was looking for his second win of 2010 and maximum championship points for the night.
The caution few on lap 164, as Farre’ broke something entering Turn 3 and made hard contact with the wall, ending his night after a great run.
Back to green, Thorn spun in turn 2, no contact but the yellow was back out, Thorn would restart 10th.
Back to green with 30 to go, Pettit got the nose of the Golden Gate Petroleum/Top of the Hill Ford under Newberry to regain the lead. Gomez was working Kanke hard for third.
Lap 180, Herzog and Wattenbarger both spun to bring out the caution. The red flag was then brought out for oil clean up. On the lap 183 restart, Pettit was still out front with Newberry now dogging the 2008 series champion for the lead. Kanke was 3rd, followed by Gomez who was safely in position to win the championship title, Vidovich was third, with a resurging Reed in 6th, Mawhinney in 7th, Strmiska 8th, Holtz 9th, Thorn maintaining 10th.
The two leaders distanced themselves from Kanke. Reed moved passed Vidovich for 5th. Gomez began to force the issue for third with Kanke.
Reed spun in turn 4 bringing out the final caution. On the restart, the top five were nose to tail. Five to go, Gomez began looking low on Kanke, Mawhinney was up to 5th. With four to go, Gomez moved under Kanke for third exiting Turn 4. Mawhinney and Kanke made contact racing for 4th with 3 laps to go.
At the checkers, it was Pettit by .475 seconds over Newberry. Third was the 2010 SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series champion Gomez, fourth Kanke, Mawhinney 5th, Strmiska 6th, Holtz 8th, Vidovich 9th and Thorn 10th.
After 200 laps at the final points race of 2010, there were now answers to many previously unanswered questions. Jonathon Gomez was the 2010 series champ. Pettit’s win now moved him to the top of all-time SRL wins. Jacob Gomes was the 2010 Victory Circle Chassis Rookie-of-the-Year. Brennan Newberry had a career night and secured the 2010 K&N Filters Young Guns championship for drivers under the age of 23, and Cale Kanke became the inaugural champion of the SRL Legends Tour.
