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Herrera Scores First Top-Five Finish of Month During Debut at Smoky Mountain

(Photo by Speedway Shots)

Inside Line Promotions – MARYVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 28, 2017) – The month of August has been frustrating for Johnny Herrera as almost every race has been marred by misfortune.

Herrera hopes the bad luck has turned around after he scored his first top-five result of the month during his final race of August last Saturday when he made his debut at Smoky Mountain Speedway with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour.

“It was fun and high banked,” he said. “The track wasn’t the easiest place to pass. It was narrow, especially early in the heat races.”

Herrera finished where he started – third – in a heat race. That ranked him ninth in overall points, which was one spot shy of making the feature redraw. He started the main event on the inside of the fifth row.

“The track got slick in the feature and was pretty racy,” he said. “We got a great start and up to sixth in the first lap or so. We settled in there. The guys in front were running the top and I was running the bottom. They moved down so we started moving around.”

Herrera advanced into the top five before closing the night with a fourth-place result, which was his 11th top five in ASCS National Tour competition this season and his first since July 30.

“It’s been a struggle the last month,” he said. “We’ve had a monkey on our back.”

That was evident last Thursday at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., where Herrera finished second in a heat race to start the main event on the outside of the sixth row. He powered into sixth place before losing the right rear tire going down the backstretch as he prepared to take the white flag.

“I got in the fence and cut a tire,” he said. “I was trying to get more. That’s going to happen. It’s a small track. I didn’t realize how many laps were down. I just kept digging.

“We got rolling pretty good there. The first couple of laps the track had good moisture through the middle and the racing groove moved around. The best place to be in turns one and two was around the top if you could hit it. It was equal in turns three and four between the top and middle. I made most of my time and passes through the middle of turns three or four.”

Herrera’s charge toward a top five was stymied by the flat tire as he was unable to return to the track and was credited with a 20th-place result.

Herrera will return to competition with the ASCS National Tour this Friday and Saturday at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn. He posted a fifth-place result at the track last season.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “We’re coming off a good run and we ran well there last season. We have good confidence going into Jackson.”

QUICK RESULTS –

Aug. 24 – Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. – Heat race: 2 (2); Feature: 20 (12).

Aug. 26 – Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tenn. – Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 4 (9).

SEASON STATS –

37 races, 3 wins, 16 top fives, 29 top 10s, 32 top 15s, 33 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minn., with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.JohnnyHerreraRacing.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnnyHerrera2

APPAREL –

Herrera has t-shirts available for sale at his race trailer and at http://www.johnnyherreraracing.com/shopping.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Mesilla Valley Transportation

Mesilla Valley Transportation is one of the largest transportation providers in Western Texas and New Mexico. The company specializes in time-sensitive service between major manufacturing areas in the United States and Canada and the borders of Mexico. For more information, visit http://www.M-V-T.com.

“Johnny Herrera Racing would be nowhere near the team it’s been for the last five or six years without the help of Mesilla Valley Transportation,” Herrera said. “They’ve been one of our major contributors and a big reason for our success.”

Herrera would also like to thank Morton Excavating, Competition Suspension, Champion Brands, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Ostrich Racing Engines, FK Rod Ends, Hoosier Racing Tire, Schoenfeld Headers, Maxim Chassis, Schroeder Torsion Bars, Simpson Race Products, Outlaw Wings, Weld Wheels, Finish Line Coatings, Semi-Crazy Truck Wash, Smiley’s Racing Products, CSR Garage and Heidbreder Foundation Services 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 by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.

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