Tyler Thomas posts pair of 6th places in career-opening non-wing sprin

[rebelracewriter]

Tyler Thomas posts pair of 6th places in career-opening non-wing sprint car events

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (Dec. 1, 2014)Tyler Thomas was running in second place going into the final lap of the $10,000-to-win sprint car feature Saturday at Southern New Mexico Speedway when the right rear tire blew, relegating the 18-year-old from Collinsville, Okla., to sixth in the results.

Thomas also finished sixth at the 3/8ths-mile clay track on Friday. It was the first event driving a non-wing sprint car of his career.

I was very pleased with how we ran on both nights, especially considering it was my first time driving a non-wing sprint car, Thomas said.

Thomas started on the outside of the front row Saturday in a car prepared by owner and crew chief Robert Miller of El Paso, Texas.

We had a heck of a run, Thomas said. We went from fifth to second in our heat. Robert really had the car dialed in, it was awesome, and we started the (30-lap) feature on the front row. We led the first five or six laps, but the track got really slick. I just missed my line by a little and fell back to third for the next 15 or 20 laps. The cars started putting rubber down and we couldnt pass at all and then with five to go, the leader blew his right rear tire.

We were second behind (eventual winner) Dave Darland and my right tire blew just after I took the white flag. There were many cars which blew right rear tires, Ive never seen so many in one race, it was just chaos.

The two events in Las Cruces ended a month-long Western swing for Thomas in which he drove four winged events in the American Sprint Car Series National Division, four in the Honda USAC National Midget Series and the two non-wing sprint car events. He had top-10 feature finishes in every type of car.

I sure didnt expect to be racing this much in so many types of cars late in the year, Thomas said. It was pretty cool and I got a lot of experience.

Thomas has one event remaining this year, POWRis Lucas Oil National Midget Battle at the Center on the Southern Illinois Centers mini-magic mile in Du Quoin on Dec. 20.

For further information, go to www.tylerthomasmotorsports.com.