Inside Line Promotions
PERRIS, Calif. (Dec. 2, 2013) – Tyler Thomas battled a tight race car for most of the 73rd annual Turkey Night Grand Prix last Thursday at Perris Auto Speedway.
Thomas timed in 27th quickest during qualifying at the Honda USAC National Dirt Midget Series event on the half-mile track, which started him seventh in a B Main.
“Ever since we had unloaded for practice we struggled with a tight car,” he said. “We couldn’t get the speed we wanted.”
Early in the consolation, Thomas maneuvered from seventh to third place and he maintained that position to earn a transfer to the feature.
“We dodged a couple of wrecks in the beginning and got up to third,” he said. “We held our own with everyone up there. The track was really hooked up and everyone was kind of the same speed.”
Thomas started the 98-lap main event on the inside of the 10th row, but quickly fought handling issues.
“Once again we started out really tight,” he said. “I fell back to about 25th I think. About midway through the race the track started slicking off and I started picking up spots. I got up to 11th or 12th with about 10 laps to go.”
The race had a handful of cautions in the closing laps and as Thomas made a bid for a top 10, he began to experience a fuel problem.
“The last two laps I started running out of fuel and lost a few spots,” he said.
Thomas ended with a 14th-place result.
“I was pleased with how we ran in the feature,” he said. “I do wish we could have been a bit better. We obviously have some things to work on to get more speed for next year. For as long of a race that it is, it’s a pretty big deal just to finish. We didn’t tear anything up and we had a solid run.”
Thomas is scheduled to compete on Saturday at Du Quoin Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Ill., for the 4th annual Great Clips Battle at the Center presented by K & N Filters with the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series.
“I really like the place,” he said. “I really enjoy the short track racing and we seem to go pretty good there. I’m really looking forward to it.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Nov. 28 – Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif. – Qualifying: 27; B Main: 3 (7); Feature: 14 (19).
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Du Quoin Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Ill., for the 4th annual Great Clips Battle at the Center presented by K & N Filters with the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series
MEDIA LINKS –
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Triple X Race Co.
Based in Burlington, Wash., Triple X Race Co. offers top-of-the-line sprint car, midget and micro sprint parts and chassis. For more information, visit http://www.xxxraceco.com.
“I’ve always ran the Triple X chassis and I’ve always enjoyed how it has handled,” Thomas said. “They have a great product and I enjoy running with them, and I hope to continue that in the coming years.”
Thomas would also like to thank BT Machine Inc., Quick Racing Products, Haynes Equipment, Bell Helmets, Alpinestars, Factor 1 Racing, Keizer Aluminum Wheels and Esslinger Engineering for their continued support.