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Thomas Captures Third Top Five, Set for Sprint Car Debut This Weekend

(Photo by Mike Howard Photos)

Inside Line Promotions – MACON, Ill. (April 29, 2014) – Tyler Thomas continued his hot start to the season last weekend with the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series.

Thomas kicked off the action by charging from eighth to a third-place finish in his heat race on Friday at Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, Ill.

“I got a really good start,” he said. “I got up to fourth by the end of Lap 1 and then we had a yellow. I got up to third after the restart and kinda settled in.”

That started Thomas on the outside of the second row for the 30-lap main event.

“We got to second on the opening lap,” he said. “I pulled a slider on Christopher Bell and almost got to the lead in turn two. For the next 15 to 20 laps, Chris, Rico (Abreu) and I were sliding each other for second, third and fourth. It was probably the most fun I’ve had in a long time. To be able to race with those guys was a cool deal.”

Thomas ended with a fourth-place result, which was his third top five this season.

“Honestly it kinda feels like a win just to be racing with those guys throughout the race,” he said. “It’s pretty special because it’s basically just me and my dad with the midget program.”

The team headed to Macon Speedway on Saturday to wrap up the weekend.

After starting on the outside of the front row of his heat race, Thomas led the distance to capture the win by nearly half a track.

As weather began to approach the area, he lined up on the outside of the fourth row for the main event. The drivers took the green flag, but a crash on the first lap brought out the red flag. The skies then opened and rain postponed the feature until May 17.

“The car was pretty much perfect,” he said. “I was bummed about the feature getting rained out. We had a really fast race car. It’s a pretty good feeling knowing that we have a chance to win right now.”

Thomas was presented with a unique opportunity following the stellar weekend. He will make his season debut in a 360ci sprint car this weekend driving for Jeff Lutz during the ASCS Gulf South Region doubleheader on Friday at Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, Texas, and on Saturday at Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas.

“Jeff Lutz just called out of the blue,” he said. “We came into this year not really needing to run for points in anything. I’ve been wanting to try to get as much sprint car experience as I can. It’s a long midget schedule so it’s hard to get away if you’re running for points. It’s a really good opportunity for me to get some good experience. I’m really thankful for the opportunity.”

This will be his first sprint car race since last season’s Short Track Nationals at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., where he captured the attention of the sprint car community by finishing second during his preliminary night to lock into the finale.

QUICK RESULTS –

April 25 – Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, Ill. – Heat race: 3 (8); Feature: 4 (4).

April 26 – Macon Speedway in Macon, Ill. – Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: Postponed (8).

SEASON STATS –

7 races, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 4 top 10s, 6 top 15s, 6 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday at Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, Texas, and Saturday at Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas, with the ASCS Gulf South Region

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.TylerThomasMotorsports.com

Twitter: https://Twitter.com/TylerThomas91

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tyler-Thomas-Motorsports/154971717863656

APPAREL –

Thomas has t-shirts for sale at his race trailer during every event this season. For his schedule, visit http://www.TylerThomasMotorsports.com.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – BT Machine Inc.

Located in Tulsa, Okla., BT Machine Inc. has been dedicated to the machining and fabrication of precision components since 1992. For more information, visit http://www.BTMachineInc.com.

“BT Machine is my family’s business and without the support from my parents and the business I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dream of racing,” Thomas said.

Thomas would also like to thank Quick Racing Products, Triple X Race Co., Haynes Equipment, Thriller Photo, Alpinestars, Factor 1 Racing, Bell Helmets and Esslinger Engineering for their continued support.

INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –

Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.

To meet the media relations needs of your program and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.

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