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MOTORSPORTS TEAM PRESS RELEASE – JMS MOTORSPORTS/CAMRON MENDES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, JULY 27 , 2008
MEDIA CONTACT: Bill Sullivan: [email protected]
TEAM CONTACT: [email protected]
WEBSITE INFORMATION: www.camronmendes.com
Home track bound; Mendes looks ahead to Civil War #9 at track he calls home - Placerville Speedway
ROHNERT PARK, CA (7-27-08) – For the entire 2008 racing season, 17-year-old Camron Mendes has been competing with some of Northern California’s top 360 sprint car drivers at Placerville Speedway on a weekly basis. This Saturday, the Cardinal Newman Catholic High School Junior is looking to put a tough weekend of racing behind him and is optimistic about competing on the distant track he calls home aboard his family owned JMS Motorsports #29x Sprint Car with the competitive Hoosier Racing Tires Civil War Series.
“We chose to race at Placerville for the whole season to run with the best drivers and learn from them,” says Mendes, who travels over two and a half hours each Saturday to Placerville while Petaluma Speedway is just minutes from his Rohnert Park home. “The competition at Placerville is tough and I’ve learned so much by running there every week. So I think it was a good choice. We had a tough week at Petaluma and I am looking forward to the Civil War at Placerville.”
Mendes is competing at Placerville Speedway in the hunt for the 2008 Rookie of the Year title. His quest for the honor prevents him from testing and tuning at various tracks on the Civil War Series like many drivers that are not in a point battle at a weekly facility are able to do. Saturday night, Mendes competed just minutes from home at Petaluma Speedway, a track that differs greatly in surface and characteristics then Placerville.
After qualifying 24th in the field on Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway, Mendes knew what he had to do to make the A-feature and maintain his position in the point standings when was 22nd entering the night. Mendes has competed in all but one Civil War event during the season and like most drivers, is gunning to be within the to 32 drivers in the standings in two weeks to be eligible for the September 3 Pacific Sprint Cup Invitational at Silver Dollar Speedway in September, the crown jewel and the highest paying event of the Civil War series annually.
In the fourth and final heat race of the evening, Mendes finished third to secure a starting spot in the A-feature. After struggling with a extremely tight race car and Petaluma’s challenging North Bay surface, Mendes’ night came to an end with eight laps complete when he spun and drew his second yellow flag of the night. Despite the early trip to the pit area, Mendes unofficially advanced into the top 20 positions in the current series point standings and has nearly secured a starting spot in the upcoming Pacific Sprint Cup with only two remaining Civil War events prior to the Gold Cup opener.
“The car was just too tight tonight,” said Mendes. “We loosened it up but didn’t loosen near enough for the main. We haven’t run here too much this year. I’m glad we finished in one piece and I’m ready to back to Placerville this week and put this night behind us.”
In the weekly Placerville Speedway Championship campaign, Mendes is in heated battle for the Rookie of the Year honors with fellow drivers Billy Strange Jr. and Trent Canales. Currently Mendes is 13th in the ranks and only five points separate him from Strange while only two point separate him from Canales for the honors. Mendes has won five heat races in 11 events at Placerville Speedway and is tied for the most preliminary wins with Shannon Newton. He has claimed four top ten finishes in feature event competition at the track far from home which he considers home.
Camron Mendes and the JMS Motorsports #29x sprint car are financially supported by the Schellinger Brothers, VSR VanLare Steering Repair of Windsor and A1A Performance Muffler of Santa Rosa. The team is actively seeking additional sponsorship and welcomes you to visit them at any of the upcoming events or check out their website at www.camronmendes.com.
PRESS PHOTO ATTACHED/Photo Courtesy of Steve Lamothe
Cameron Mendes (29x) of Rohnert Park will head back to his home track of Placerville Speedway this Saturday, August 2 to compete with the Hoosier Racing Tires Civil War Series.
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