The Drive for Five
Tony Stewart Racing’s Jones, Stenhouse,
Jr., Take Aim at
USAC National Sprint Car Series Championship
at California’s Perris Auto Speedway
INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 30, 2007) – The storyline is one that Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Levi Jones has taken part in once before. But as he and the No. 20
TSR/Chevrolet/Maxim team head to California ’s Perris Auto Speedway (PAS) for the first of the
season’s final five USAC National Sprint Car Series events, they know it’s
up to them to write the ending. Beginning with the 12th Annual
Budweiser Oval Nationals this Thursday through Saturday, Jones and the No.
20 team will look to wrap up Chevrolet’s first-ever USAC Sprint Series
championship.
Jones leads
the USAC Sprint Series championship standings heading into this weekend
three-day event with 1,232 markers – 71 points ahead of second-place Darren
Hagen. A lot rides on the shoulders of the 2005 series champion. Not only
would the title mark his second such accomplishment, but it would represent
the fifth USAC National Series title for TSR since it began operations in
2003. While nothing is certain, Jones’ recent track record at PAS is
excellent. In his last appearance at the half-mile oval, he earned a
solid second-place finish (Nov. 4, 2006).
TSR’s Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.,
will also look to pad his current ranking in the USAC Sprint Series
championship standings this weekend at Perris. Stenhouse, who has won one USAC Sprint Series event
thus far this season, currently sits in fifth in the standings with 874
points, 358 markers arrears Jones. Stenhouse did
not compete in the 2006 event at PAS.
The three-day
Budweiser Oval Nationals will kick off on Thursday with a 25-lap
preliminary feature. A second preliminary feature will be held on Friday
with the 40-lap event finale on Saturday.
Race fans can
purchase tickets for the event by calling 1-800-595-4849 or on the Internet at www.tix.com.
The official Web site of the PAS is www.perrisautospeedway.com. For more
information regarding the facility, please call 951-940-0135.
Quote from Levi
Jones,
driver of the No. 20 TSR/Chevrolet/Maxim – USAC National Sprint Car Series
When you won the
2005 USAC National Sprint Car Series title, the situation heading into the
final two weekends was very similar to the one you face as you prepare for
the Perris event. What’s your outlook as you look to wrap up the title?
“We’ve been here before. This weekend isn’t going
to be unfamiliar. In 2005, I was racing for another team but the situation
was extremely similar to the one that the No. 20 team faces. At this point,
we’ll have to be very heads up in this three-day event. While you want to
go out and win every night, you also have to recognize what your car is
capable of when it comes to the feature event. There are two dynamics that
we’re going to look at this weekend – winning each night and the
championship. Ideally, we’ll have some luck in the qualifying draw each
night and we’ll get a good starting place each night. If not, we’ll have
some work to do. We’re going to have work to do
either way. My goals for the weekend are very simple. Obviously, I’d like
to win if possible but I also want to come out of the weekend with the
championship locked up. I know that the TSR team has been working very hard
to get ready for the final two events and I know we’re going to have great
cars each night. Most importantly, we want to win the title for Chevrolet and Bass Pro Shops and this weekend will be a key
part in doing so.”
Quotes from Ricky Stenhouse,
driver of the No. 21 TSR/Chevrolet/Maxim – USAC National Sprint Car Series
This will
be your first appearance in the Budweiser Oval Nationals. Are you looking
forward to the three-day format?
“This weekend is
going to be a lot of fun. I really like it when we race at the same track
for several nights in a row. Not only do you get an opportunity to try
things each night, you also get a chance to apply what you learn the night
before to make the car even better. I’m also looking forward to getting
back into the sprint car. It’s been over a month since we raced in the USAC
National Sprint Series. I know that TSR has really been working hard in the
shop during the break to make sure we’re ready to go for the west coast
swing. We’re coming into this weekend ranked fifth in the points and I
think we’re going to have a great shot to move up in the standings or at
least maintain our top-five. We’re going to have great cars each night and
I think TSR will be able to put Chevrolet
and Bass Pro Shops back in victory lane over the weekend.”
For complete
results from this weekend’s USAC Sprint Series event, log on to www.usacracing.com.
For information regarding TSR or Chevrolet,
log on to www.tonystewartracing.com or www.chevrolet.com.
-TSR-
