Jones to Begin Title Defense at the PAS
By Bram • Feb 4th, 2008 • Category: Sprints
JONES OPENS USAC/CRA TITLE DEFENSE AT PERRIS;30-LAP FEATURES SLATED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
Tony Jones of Norco, Calif. opens defense of his USAC/CRA Sprint Car Championship this weekend, with 30-lap feature events slated both Friday and Saturday nights at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway.
Jones won last year’s title by 60 points after a late-season shootout with Mike Spencer of Temecula, Calif., who is again expected to be a title contender in 2008. Jones and Spencer each won five times in 2007, as did former USAC/CRA Champ Cory Kruseman.
It remains to be seen if the 2008 series will produce the kind of results experienced last year when a record-tying 11 different drivers won the first 11 races! The only other time that occurred in USAC history was in 1994 in USAC’s now-defunct Modified Series.
The Perris events will also serve as a “tuneup” for those drivers and cars planning to compete in the following weekend’s “The Copper on Dirt” at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Ariz. where the USAC National/Western Midgets and USAC Silver Crown cars will share billing in the “tripleheader” on the 1/2-mile dirt oval.
Jones trails Damion Gardner on the all-time USAC/CRA Sprint race winners list at Perris, 19-12 since the 2004 USAC/CRA debut at the 1/2-mile dirt oval. Kruseman is the only other driver in double figures at 10 wins, while Rip Williams has seven and Mike Kirby six. Spencer has five.
Williams and Kruseman are the only drivers who have won at least one race at Perris in each of the last four USAC/CRA seasons.
Friday’s race marks the 82nd appearance of the USAC/CRA Sprint cars at The PAS. A total of 22 different drivers have graced victory lane in the previous 81 races.
