Mopar’s Wise and Jones Lead Championship Chase Into Final Stretch
Mopar’s Presence Dominates Series Points Battle
Event Information
About DaimlerChrysler’s Mopar Brand
Center Line, Mich. – Team Mopar’s open-wheel aces Josh Wise and Levi Jones may be teammates in the Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises stable, but when the green flag falls this weekend at Manzanita Speedway, the duo won’t be looking to follow each other to the finish line. With Wise and Jones entering this weekend’s USAC National Sprint Car Series finale ranked 1-2 in the points chase, both drivers are mathematically alive in the championship chase.
Wise leads the series into the three-day event at Manzanita Speedway with an 87-point spread over second-place Jones. With points awarded for the fast qualifier, heat race and semi feature event winners and the feature event winner, there are over 70 points available for both Thursday and Friday’s events. On Saturday, heat races will not be held, lowering the total number of points available for the night. If Wise can enter Saturday night’s event finale 70 or more points ahead of Jones, he will clinch the series title. For the Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises teams, Thursday and Friday night’s performances are key.
The No. 20 team will be seeking their third USAC National Sprint Car Series title, while the championship would mark Wise’s first in the sprint division. Having notched two series victories thus far in 2006, Wise also leads the Earl’s Fast Qualifier Championship for the USAC National Sprint Car Series heading into this weekend’s events.
Jones enters the Manzanita Speedway event fresh off an impressive second-place run at the Perris Auto Speedway on November 4. Having battled Wise throughout the season for the series points lead, the No. 21 team will seek to win the championship for the first time. Jones has already notched a victory at Manzanita Speedway in 2006, winning the USAC/CRA Sprint event at the facility on January 21.
While a title for the No. 21 Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises team would mark its first championship, Jones is no stranger to the podium. The Olney, Illinois, native is the defending series champion and looks to put his name in the history books as one of the few open-wheel drivers to win back-to-back national titles in the USAC National Sprint Car Series.
Mopar’s Presence Dominates Series Points Battle
Wise and Jones are joined by several other Team Mopar driver/team combinations in the USAC National Sprint Car Series championship battle, as five of the Top-10 drivers in the point standings pilot Mopar-powered machines. Hoffman Auto Racing’s Jerry Coons Jr., is ranked seventh in the series point standings heading into Phoenix this weekend. The No. 69 team is also ranked second in the series entrant’s points championship. Hoffman Auto Racing has a storied history of championship runs, having won eight USAC National Sprint Car Series titles in 77 years of racing.
Keith Kunz Motorsports’ Darren Hagen is also a presence in the series, as the young Californian driver is ranked fifth in the championship chase. The No. 67 team has been solid throughout the season and will look to close the year on a high note this weekend. Ganassi Racing Development driver and Keith Kunz Motorsports pilot Bryan Clauson is ranked sixth in the series point standings, having been a front runner in the chase early on in the season. Injuries sustained in a crash at Lucas Oil Speedway in September have sidelined the young driver until 2007. Clauson also competed in the No. 67 entry for Keith Kunz Motorsports.
Event Information
The 39th Checker Auto Parts/Budweiser Western World Championship is scheduled to take place at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 9–11. The three-day finale for the USAC National Sprint Car Series will host 25-lap feature events on Thursday and Friday, with a 40-lap feature event rounding out the weekend on Saturday. Gates open at 4 p.m. MST on Thursday and Friday, with racing at 6:30 p.m. MST. Gates will open to the public on Saturday at 2 p.m. MST, with racing beginning at 7:30 p.m. MST. For more information regarding Manzanita Speedway, log on to www.manzanitaspeedway.us.
About DaimlerChrysler’s Mopar Brand
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts supplier led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Division. In 1937, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was created for the business of distributing parts through a depot system and car divisional wholesalers.
Mopar made its mark in the 1960s—the muscle car era. Beginning in 1962, Mopar carried a line of “Special Parts” for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
Today, the Chrysler Group’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to DaimlerChrysler engineering standards.
Mopar’s Presence Dominates Series Points Battle
Event Information
About DaimlerChrysler’s Mopar Brand
Center Line, Mich. – Team Mopar’s open-wheel aces Josh Wise and Levi Jones may be teammates in the Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises stable, but when the green flag falls this weekend at Manzanita Speedway, the duo won’t be looking to follow each other to the finish line. With Wise and Jones entering this weekend’s USAC National Sprint Car Series finale ranked 1-2 in the points chase, both drivers are mathematically alive in the championship chase.
Wise leads the series into the three-day event at Manzanita Speedway with an 87-point spread over second-place Jones. With points awarded for the fast qualifier, heat race and semi feature event winners and the feature event winner, there are over 70 points available for both Thursday and Friday’s events. On Saturday, heat races will not be held, lowering the total number of points available for the night. If Wise can enter Saturday night’s event finale 70 or more points ahead of Jones, he will clinch the series title. For the Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises teams, Thursday and Friday night’s performances are key.
The No. 20 team will be seeking their third USAC National Sprint Car Series title, while the championship would mark Wise’s first in the sprint division. Having notched two series victories thus far in 2006, Wise also leads the Earl’s Fast Qualifier Championship for the USAC National Sprint Car Series heading into this weekend’s events.
Jones enters the Manzanita Speedway event fresh off an impressive second-place run at the Perris Auto Speedway on November 4. Having battled Wise throughout the season for the series points lead, the No. 21 team will seek to win the championship for the first time. Jones has already notched a victory at Manzanita Speedway in 2006, winning the USAC/CRA Sprint event at the facility on January 21.
While a title for the No. 21 Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises team would mark its first championship, Jones is no stranger to the podium. The Olney, Illinois, native is the defending series champion and looks to put his name in the history books as one of the few open-wheel drivers to win back-to-back national titles in the USAC National Sprint Car Series.
Mopar’s Presence Dominates Series Points Battle
Wise and Jones are joined by several other Team Mopar driver/team combinations in the USAC National Sprint Car Series championship battle, as five of the Top-10 drivers in the point standings pilot Mopar-powered machines. Hoffman Auto Racing’s Jerry Coons Jr., is ranked seventh in the series point standings heading into Phoenix this weekend. The No. 69 team is also ranked second in the series entrant’s points championship. Hoffman Auto Racing has a storied history of championship runs, having won eight USAC National Sprint Car Series titles in 77 years of racing.
Keith Kunz Motorsports’ Darren Hagen is also a presence in the series, as the young Californian driver is ranked fifth in the championship chase. The No. 67 team has been solid throughout the season and will look to close the year on a high note this weekend. Ganassi Racing Development driver and Keith Kunz Motorsports pilot Bryan Clauson is ranked sixth in the series point standings, having been a front runner in the chase early on in the season. Injuries sustained in a crash at Lucas Oil Speedway in September have sidelined the young driver until 2007. Clauson also competed in the No. 67 entry for Keith Kunz Motorsports.
Event Information
The 39th Checker Auto Parts/Budweiser Western World Championship is scheduled to take place at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 9–11. The three-day finale for the USAC National Sprint Car Series will host 25-lap feature events on Thursday and Friday, with a 40-lap feature event rounding out the weekend on Saturday. Gates open at 4 p.m. MST on Thursday and Friday, with racing at 6:30 p.m. MST. Gates will open to the public on Saturday at 2 p.m. MST, with racing beginning at 7:30 p.m. MST. For more information regarding Manzanita Speedway, log on to www.manzanitaspeedway.us.
About DaimlerChrysler’s Mopar Brand
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts supplier led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Division. In 1937, Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was created for the business of distributing parts through a depot system and car divisional wholesalers.
Mopar made its mark in the 1960s—the muscle car era. Beginning in 1962, Mopar carried a line of “Special Parts” for super stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.
Today, the Chrysler Group’s Global Service & Parts division is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of nearly 250,000 authentic Mopar replacement parts, components and accessories for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles sold around the world. To assure quality, reliability and durability, all Mopar parts and accessories are designed in strict adherence to DaimlerChrysler engineering standards.
