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TONY JONES TAKES OVAL NAT’L OPENER
By Robert Mayson
Perris, Calif…(October 30, 2008) Tony Jones of Norco, Calif., continued his winning ways at the Perris Auto Speedway Thursday grabbing an opening night 25-lap win to kickoff the 13th Budweiser Oval Nationals.
Jones’s latest PAS triumph marked the fifth time in the last six Lucas Oil USAC/CRA Sprint Car events that he has driven the Alexander Trucking / La Villa Restaurant No. 4 DRC to victory. It also marked the third USAC National Sprint Car win of his career.
“We had 62 cars out here tonight and to be able to go out and do what we did pumps up the whole crew and it pumps me up too,” Jones said. “It’s nice to come out on top, but there’s a couple more nights left here and we can’t lose our focus.”
Blake Miller, Yorba Linda, Calif. Miller led the 28-car field to the green flag in the Jeff Gardner / Roy Miller Frieghtlines No. 93 Sled before relinquishing the top spot to pole-sitter Brady Bacon exiting turn-two. Wasting little time from his eighth starting spot, Jones passed USAC National series point leader Jerry Coons, Jr., Tucson, Ariz., for third on the sixth lap. Before the end of the lap, Miller had moved back ahead of Bacon with a nice low line move exiting turn-four.
Two laps later, Jones drove around the outside of Bacon heading down the back-straight before diving underneath Miller for the lead entering turn-three. Jones’ brilliant maneuver would be negated, however, after Bacon and Dustin Morgan flipped in separated incidents before the completion of the lap. Neither driver was hurt.
The red flag did little to slow Jones’ charge to the front of the pack. In fact, Jones would take the lead just two laps after the restart and maintain it throughout the balance of the race.
Damion Gardner, who snapped Jones’s four-race winning streak just 12 days ago, drove his Leffler Racing / Pace Electronics No. 71 to a third-place finish behind Miller.
Coons placed fourth in the Dynamics, Inc. / Kroger-Tide, No. 69. F-5, while current USAC/CRA point leader Mike Spencer, Temecula, Calif., drove the Ron Chaffin / Temecula Valley Pipe & Supply No. 50 Maxim to a fifth-place finish. Earlier in the evening, Spencer turned the fastest lap in time trials. “Showtime” Danny Sheridan lived up to his nickname during the race, and earned “Hard-Charger” honors with his 25th to 7th-place run.
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