INDIANAPOLIS (May 3, 2007) – Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Levi Jones knows how to win. With seven career USAC National Sprint Car victories to his credit, he’s hoping to drive his way back to the winner’s circle this Saturday at Iowa Speedway.
A victory this weekend would not only place a checkmark in the “W” column for the No. 20 TSR/Chevrolet/BEAST team, it would also mark a milestone in Jones’ racing career. To date, the 24-year-old hasn’t triumphed on the pavement in USAC’s most action-packed racing series.
On opening weekend at Iowa Speedway on Sept. 17, 2006, Jones earned a seventh-place finish in the USAC National Sprint Car Series feature event. He capped off the day with an eighth-place finish in the USAC National Midget Car Series feature for TSR.
Heading into this weekend’s doubleheader, Jones is ranked fifth in the USAC National Sprint Car Series point standings. He is only 22 points behind series leader Darren Hagen. Jones is also ranked sixth in the USAC National Midget Car Series championship, only 12 points behind Hagen, who leads the series.
The grandstand gates will open at Iowa Speedway on Saturday at 9 a.m. CDT. Practice for the USAC National Midget Car Series will begin at 9 a.m., with USAC National Sprint Car Series practice beginning at 10 a.m. Qualifying is set to begin at 12 p.m. with racing scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Iowa Speedway will host a post-race concert featuring artist Blake Shelton at the conclusion of the USAC Racing event. For more information, including a complete schedule of events, log on to www.iowaspeedway.com.
Quotes from Levi Jones, driver of the No. 20 TSR/Chevrolet/BEAST
Iowa Speedway is one of the larger pavement tracks you’ve competed on in USAC. Do you enjoy the race track’s unique qualities? (Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile paved tri-oval.)
“Keeping the car pretty tight all over is one of the biggest challenges we face when we run at Iowa Speedway. The car can’t be loose at all from turn four to turn one. You don’t want to be sideways down the straightaway. It’s a big, fast track and it’s a lot of fun to race on. Running side-by-side at speed is great. We can really put on a show for the fans. It’s also good in the way that it forces you to run different lines than some of the other tracks we race at. We tested in April and we learned a few things that will help us this weekend. The weather was quite a bit different when we tested, so we’ll have to adjust to that. I’d love to get my first pavement win at Iowa this weekend as well as give Chevrolet its second win of the season.”
Last year’s race at Iowa was the first appearance for the USAC Racing series. Are you looking forward to returning to the facility?
“Iowa Speedway is one of the nicest facilities we’ll race at all year. I learned a lot there last year. It’s really got a different feel than some of the other pavement tracks we compete at during the season. The community is also a big part of why racing at Iowa Speedway is so much fun. They really get behind the track and we had a great crowd last year. I’m looking forward to heading back there this weekend.”
Are you more confident about the USAC National Midget Car Series event at Iowa this year?
“The track time we got at Thunder Hill (Kyle, Texas) Raceway in early April really gave me a chance to get more comfortable in the car. With the time I was able to test, as well as the advice of my crew, especially Jay Drake (team manager), Bubby Jones (crew chief, No. 20 team), Bobby Barth (crew chief, No. 21 team) and my teammate, Tracy Hines, I am feeling pretty confident about getting back into the midget this weekend. Midgets have a completely different feel than a sprint car. You really have to have them set up in a manner that makes you as comfortable as possible. I think we’re going to be in good shape for Saturday’s race.
For complete results from this weekend’s USAC National Sprint & Midget Car Series doubleheader, log on to www.usacracing.com. For information regarding Stewart, TSR or Chevrolet, log on to www.tonystewart.com or www.chevrolet.com.
A victory this weekend would not only place a checkmark in the “W” column for the No. 20 TSR/Chevrolet/BEAST team, it would also mark a milestone in Jones’ racing career. To date, the 24-year-old hasn’t triumphed on the pavement in USAC’s most action-packed racing series.
On opening weekend at Iowa Speedway on Sept. 17, 2006, Jones earned a seventh-place finish in the USAC National Sprint Car Series feature event. He capped off the day with an eighth-place finish in the USAC National Midget Car Series feature for TSR.
Heading into this weekend’s doubleheader, Jones is ranked fifth in the USAC National Sprint Car Series point standings. He is only 22 points behind series leader Darren Hagen. Jones is also ranked sixth in the USAC National Midget Car Series championship, only 12 points behind Hagen, who leads the series.
The grandstand gates will open at Iowa Speedway on Saturday at 9 a.m. CDT. Practice for the USAC National Midget Car Series will begin at 9 a.m., with USAC National Sprint Car Series practice beginning at 10 a.m. Qualifying is set to begin at 12 p.m. with racing scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Iowa Speedway will host a post-race concert featuring artist Blake Shelton at the conclusion of the USAC Racing event. For more information, including a complete schedule of events, log on to www.iowaspeedway.com.
Quotes from Levi Jones, driver of the No. 20 TSR/Chevrolet/BEAST
Iowa Speedway is one of the larger pavement tracks you’ve competed on in USAC. Do you enjoy the race track’s unique qualities? (Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile paved tri-oval.)
“Keeping the car pretty tight all over is one of the biggest challenges we face when we run at Iowa Speedway. The car can’t be loose at all from turn four to turn one. You don’t want to be sideways down the straightaway. It’s a big, fast track and it’s a lot of fun to race on. Running side-by-side at speed is great. We can really put on a show for the fans. It’s also good in the way that it forces you to run different lines than some of the other tracks we race at. We tested in April and we learned a few things that will help us this weekend. The weather was quite a bit different when we tested, so we’ll have to adjust to that. I’d love to get my first pavement win at Iowa this weekend as well as give Chevrolet its second win of the season.”
Last year’s race at Iowa was the first appearance for the USAC Racing series. Are you looking forward to returning to the facility?
“Iowa Speedway is one of the nicest facilities we’ll race at all year. I learned a lot there last year. It’s really got a different feel than some of the other pavement tracks we compete at during the season. The community is also a big part of why racing at Iowa Speedway is so much fun. They really get behind the track and we had a great crowd last year. I’m looking forward to heading back there this weekend.”
Are you more confident about the USAC National Midget Car Series event at Iowa this year?
“The track time we got at Thunder Hill (Kyle, Texas) Raceway in early April really gave me a chance to get more comfortable in the car. With the time I was able to test, as well as the advice of my crew, especially Jay Drake (team manager), Bubby Jones (crew chief, No. 20 team), Bobby Barth (crew chief, No. 21 team) and my teammate, Tracy Hines, I am feeling pretty confident about getting back into the midget this weekend. Midgets have a completely different feel than a sprint car. You really have to have them set up in a manner that makes you as comfortable as possible. I think we’re going to be in good shape for Saturday’s race.
For complete results from this weekend’s USAC National Sprint & Midget Car Series doubleheader, log on to www.usacracing.com. For information regarding Stewart, TSR or Chevrolet, log on to www.tonystewart.com or www.chevrolet.com.
