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Perris Auto Speedway
18700 Lake Perris Drive
Perris, CA 92571
(951) 940-0134
http://perrisautospeedway.com/
For further information contact Scott Daloisio (909) 226-7768 or mailto:[email protected]
For Immediate Release
A CHAT WITH PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY’S MOST POPULAR DRIVER - TONY JONES!
(Perris, CA, November 6, 2015) Hard as it is to believe, Perris Auto Speedway is closing in on the end of its historic 20th season. Hundreds of drivers have graced the famous Riverside County clay oval with their brand of daring and skill over the years, but make no mistake about it, no driver has been more popular at The PAS than Tony Jones. Several months ago promoter Don Kazarian decided to honor Jones by naming him as Grand Marshal of the 20th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals Presented by All Coast Construction. That race will take place next Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 12 - 14 and Jones will be on hand.
On Thursday night, the talkative Jones, now 45-years-old and living in Orange, California, took some time to talk about the Oval Nationals and his great career. You can read his thoughts in the interview below.
THE PAS: Have you ever been a grand marshal before?
JONES: I have not. I always thought someone who is a grand marshal has done some amazing tasks in racing.
THE PAS: So, do you know what your duties are being grand marshal?
JONES: I talked to Kim (Kazarian) yesterday and she basically told me to come out and have fun. They are going to interview me around 7:00 or 7:30 (Saturday). Then after that, there is some kind of Budweiser sponsor and that is going to be my task for the rest of the night (laughing).
THE PAS: You won the Oval Nationals in 2000. What do you remember most about that race?
JONES: You know, it was a lot like the 2001 race. In 2000, I followed Kirby (Mike) for a long time. He was just fast enough to where I could not catch him and pass him. Just like Bud (Kaeding) in 2001. It seems like the lapped traffic played into my hands with a few laps to go. I dive bombed him and slid him in three and four and got past him. Honestly it seemed like the next two or three laps were the longest laps of my life because I was waiting for the white flag. I knew Kirby was fast. He had whooped all of us that entire weekend up until that point. He was still faster than I was (after Jones got by) and a couple times he had to get out of the gas to avoid running me over. He was that much faster than I was. It was a very, very nice win.
THE PAS: The next year, you almost became the first driver to win the Oval Nationals twice, but it was not to be. What happened in that race?
JONES: Besides winning the Oval Nationals, honestly, that was one of my most favorite races that I can recall. Racing with Bud (Kaeding) lap after lap and Brent (Brent Kaeding, Bud’s famous father) was right there. Both of them are pretty darn good. Looking back in the record books, beating those two guys would be a good highlight. A feather in my hat and winning two in a row would have made it even better. I think the greatest thing was my brother Davey Jones was working (crew chief) on Bud’s car. We had a good car and we had good people around me. Johnny Vermeer, Mike Wahl and the Ferreria Dairy clan and I wanted to beat that car for them, too. Whenever I went to the racetrack, there was not just one person I wanted to beat. I wanted to beat everybody. I followed Bud a majority of the race. Probably a good 15 or 20 laps. The last lap flag came out and I set him up through one and two and I was going to slide him in three and four, but the yellow flag came out. It did not discourage me. I had to regroup as we had a green, white and checkered so I told myself, “Let’s do this.” I just could not catch him. He was fast, man. He was good on the cushion. I thought I was good up there, but he gassed er’ up and he had the car. Especially with Davey behind the wrenches. Bud is one spectacular driver. It made a nice podium with Bud, me and Brent, but with my competitive nature, it sucked. Running second is probably the worst position you can run.
THE PAS: Hands down of all the guys who raced at Perris Auto Speedway, nobody has been more popular than you. Why?
JONES: Basically, I am a promoter’s dream. I like to talk, I like to promote, and I like to rough it up a bit. And, the wins came and I climbed the front straight fence after them. I was out there for the fans. I was out there to put on a show and put more fans in the stands. When I crashed, I crashed big. I did not just take out a front end, I destroyed the car. Obviously I did not want to crash, but when I did it, I did I good. I used to stay a long time after the races signing autographs and talking with all of the fans. Win, lose or draw you put the smile on your face for the fans. Did I like answering the same question 150 times? Not really. Especially when I had a bad night, but those fans are there and they pay their hard earned money to come out and watch people like myself. You put a good show on for them and be nice to them and maybe they come back the next weekend.
THE PAS: You just said when you crashed, you crashed big. Those crashes pretty much ended your career didn’t they?
JONES: Yeah, pretty much. That is what got me thinking (about quitting). Back in 08’ when I retired the first time, I had quit having fun. There was a lot of miscommunication with point funds in 2006 and 2007. I got a bad taste in my mouth, because sprint car racing on the west coast was going in the wrong direction and our hands were tied. So, I quit having fun and I was not making money doing it, so what was the use in being out there? Especially when my family was at home waiting for me to get there at 2:00 AM. I came back after a half of a year and got back together with the Alexanders and we did well. Ran a bunch of good races. We got Scott Sales to come on board with us and things were rolling in the right direction, but I still was not having the fun I had in the past. I think it again had a lot to do with money. I took a couple big hits (crashes) throughout my career and one night I was racing Matt Mitchell for the lead. It was a green, white checkered and he slid me. I got back by him and got in the cushion and he got back by me. I came off the cushion with a good run down the front straight and something happened with the left rear of my car and I got sideways. I don’t know if the tire folded under and came off of the bead, but I flipped down the front straight. As I landed - and a lot of guys have gotten hurt this way - I landed with my cage facing towards the oncoming traffic. A guy hit me so hard with his right rear, it broke his axle and he flipped to the infield when I was out by the outside wall. It got me flipping again. As I was sitting in the car when it ended, I was basically trying to make some sense of what happened and I saw some friends and family and most important, I saw my son sitting there. It was probably the most heartbreaking thing I had ever experienced. I knew right then and there I had to make a choice. When you have that in your head you should not even be out there. Throughout the rest of that year that was in the back of my mind. Throughout my career previously, that was never on my mind so I knew the rest of that year was going to be tough on me. It just got to the point where it got the better of me and I did not want to live the rest of my life with someone else having to think for me. I am way too independent for that. That one hit really changed my whole life.
THE PAS: How much do you miss it?
JONES: Oh man, I miss strapping in and doing my job. I miss the fans, I miss the other drivers, I miss my old team the Alexanders, and I miss everybody at The PAS. I miss everything about it, but the thing I miss most is strapping in and doing my job. I can sit there and watch a race and it drives me crazy. That is why I do not come out. I cannot see how Oskie (Jimmy), Redican (John) and those guys can come out and watch the races, because it drives me crazy. I do not know if it drives me crazy, because maybe I retired too soon and did not fulfill what I wanted to fulfill. I do not know what it is, but it drives me crazy to watch a race. Bottom line, I miss strapping in.
THE PAS: But, you had a darn good career. USAC/CRA championship, lots of main event wins and the Oval Nationals victory. Not many drivers can claim they had a career as good as yours.
JONES: I am very appreciative of everybody who was involved in helping me do that. It was not just me. It was everybody who was involved in my whole career. The sponsors, the crew guys who put in so many hours on these cars. I had a good career and had fun doing it. I don’t regret retiring as I am having the time of my life with my family. My two boys are my life. If it comes down to me doing something, I always want to do better. I do not want to leave anything behind and leave anything on the table. I think I was pretty satisfied every night when I came home whether we won the race, finished tenth or whatever the case might have been. I was always happy because I did my best. It seems like there was more (for him to accomplish), but such is life. You know, shoulda’ coulda’ woulda.’ It is just not fulfilling sitting back and watching other people win races. I just sometimes wonder if there was more out there for me, but for the most part, I am happy for the way things are and the way they turned out.
To date 50 cars have pre-entered the prestigious race and the more will be on hand when the first green flag flies next Thursday.
Teams wishing to enter the historic running of the 20th Oval Nationals can download the entry blank at the following link: http://perrisautospeedway.com/forms/15ovalform.html.
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First place will pay $25,000.00, second will pay $15,000.00 and third will pay $10,000.00 at the Saturday finale of the Oval Nationals. The main event will pay $1,000.00 to start. The two preliminary nights, Thursday and Friday, will each pay $5,000.00 to win and $500.00 to start. All three nights of intense racing action will be full-points paying races for the USAC National and USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series.’
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Advanced tickets for the Oval Nationals are on sale now at: http://pas.tix.com/Schedule.aspx?OrgNum=7 or by calling 1-800-595-4849.
Camping on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds will be available for the Oval Nationals for $25.00 per night beginning on Wednesday, November 11th. Tailgating is encouraged in the spectator parking lot as well.
Perris Auto Speedway wants to thank its corporate sponsors for the 2015 season. AA Lynco Painting, All Coast Construction, All Seasons Tree Repair, Amsoil, Archibald’s Restaurants, Ayers Hotel and Spa, BlueLine Rentals, Budweiser, California Budget Finance, CamGuard, Champion Towing, City of Perris, Perris Com Ecco, Daytona Boat & RV Storage, Drop Zone, Edelbrock, Engine Pro, Harry’s Café, HD Industries, Hoosier Tires, Horizon Solar, K&N Engineering, Livingwaters Hospice, Luke’s Transmission, Moon Nursery, Paul Oil Company, Pepsi-Cola, Pick-A-Part Auto Salvage, Pizza Factory, Red Lion Inns and Suites, Robert Dempster, Scott Sales, Shaver Racing Engines, Sherwin-Williams, Stassines Cross, Square H, Swedish Speed, Trench Shoring, US Foods and Valley News.
To keep up with all of the latest Perris Auto Speedway news, photos, gossip and receive special offers, sign up at The PAS Facebook site at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perris-Auto-Speedway/113876798686480?ref=hl
You can also keep up with the latest news and receive special offers from The PAS Twitter site: Perris Auto Speedway on Twitter.
Video and DVD productions of all racing events at Perris Auto Speedway are available from Loudpedal Productions. For more information on these productions you can contact them by calling (805) 844-3854, E-mailing mailto:[email protected] or you can visit the web site LoudPedal Productions
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds (home of October’s Southern California Fair), approximately one hour east of Los Angeles and one hour North of San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, exit on the Ramona Expressway and go three miles east to the fairgrounds.
[email protected] is the only authorized Internet address to issue official media news released from The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval Entertainment.
2015 PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY SCHEDULE
November 7 PASSCAR CAMPIONS NIGHT PASSCAR Series - Street Stocks, Super Stocks, Factory Stocks, IMCA Modifieds
November 11 Oval National Practice
November 12 20th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals USAC National & CRA Sprint Cars
November 13 20th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals USAC National & CRA Sprint Cars
November 14 20th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals USAC National & CRA Sprint Cars
November 25 Turkey Night Grand Prix Practice
November 26 Agajanian Enterprises and Oval Entertainment, LLC Present the 75th Running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix USAS National and Western Midgets
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
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