Levi Jones Weekly Rewind
LEVI JONES – No. 20 TSR/CHEVROLET/MAXIM (USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR SERIES) No. 20 TSR/CHEVROLET/BEAST (USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CAR SERIES)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CAR SERIES AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – NOV. 8
USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR SERIES AT MANZANITA SPEEDWAY – NOV. 9 –10
Thus., Nov. 8 – Phoenix International Raceway — (one-mile pavement oval)
- Finished 32nd in the 25-lap feature. Mechanical issues ended Jones’ night prematurely.
- Qualified 23rd fastest of 47 cars.
Fri., Nov. 9 – Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix — (half-mile dirt oval)
- Finished fourth in the 25-lap preliminary feature.
- Qualified sixth fastest of 59 cars.
- Finished third in the first heat race.
- Clenched 2007 USAC National Sprint Car Series Driver and Owner Championships.
- Bubby Jones was named as Mechanic of the Year.
Sat., Nov. 10 – Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix — (half-mile dirt oval)
- Finished 23rd in the 40-lap feature. Battled right rear tire issues throughout event.
- Was officially announced as the 2007 USAC Sprint Series Champion.
To date:
- Jones won five sprint feature events this season – (4) USAC and (1) open event.
- Jones has won one midget feature events this season (1) USAC/BMARA national event.
- Jones won the 2007 USAC National Sprint Car Series championship earning his second series title.
- Jones is ranked seventh in the USAC National Midget Car Series championship with 862 points.
FAST FORWARD…
Thus., Nov. 22 – Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway – (half-mile pavement oval) – USAC Midget Series
- Jones will compete in the 67th Turkey Night Grand Prix with the USAC Midget Car Series.
- Practice for the USAC Midget Series will take on Wed., Nov. 21, from 3 – 8:30 p.m. PST.
- Gates will open to the public at 4 p.m. PST on Nov. 22.
- The event is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
- Jones finished 13th in his last appearance at Irwindale Speedway on Nov. 23, 2006. Billy Wease won the feature event.
HE SAID IT…
LEVI JONES ON CLENCHING THE 2007 USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP:
“When I won my first Sprint Car title in 2005, it was a huge milestone in my career. Winning a second championship this weekend means just as much as the first title did, maybe more. I am so glad we were able to finish the season this way. It’s really exciting to be able to present Chevrolet with its first USAC championship. The TSR team didn’t give up, and their hard work and dedication put me in a position to win at every event this season.
“It was also great to have Tony (Stewart, team owner) with us for this weekend. I really appreciate the opportunity he’s given me in being a part of his team, and I’m glad I was able to win a championship for him and the guys. My family has also been behind me all season long, and having them here in Phoenix for this weekend was pretty special.
“I was really relieved that the championship didn’t go down to Saturday night. I’m glad we’re able to focus on going after the victory and the money in the finale. When I won in 2005, it came down to the final night at Manzanita. Knowing that we have it won heading into tonight’s race is a real confidence booster. The boss (Stewart) told me Friday night after we won to have fun and to go for the win, and that’s exactly how we’ll approach this race.”
JONES REGARDING THE No. 20 TEAM’S ROUGH DAY AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY:
“Starting in the back of the field you always have a greater risk of running into trouble, especially on the starts. We were battling a fuel pump issue and I couldn’t get the car to take off the way I needed it to. In the end, I had to pull in to save the car. We’ve got another race left in the midget series this season and I wanted to have a good car for that event. With Turkey Night coming up next week, we’ll go back and work on our approach. It would be great to get another win in the midget series for Chevrolet and Bass Pro Shops.’
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