BARRIE, ON- After back-to-back mechanical DNFs due to engine issues, rookie Corey Jones broke through for his first career OSCAAR Super Late Model top-10 at Barrie Speedway.
“Pulling off the speedway tonight after the race, it felt as though a weight was off my shoulders”, smiled Jones. “After starting out the way we have, an 8th place finish feels like a victory”.
The former Canadian Vintage Modified standout opened up his afternoon in victory lane, earning his first career qualifying heat race win, to earn a 5th place starting position for the 50-lap A-Main.
“We unloaded this car having never laid eyes on Barrie Speedway before”, explained Jones. “Needless to say, we weren’t quite sure what we were going to have in terms of setup”
“So, it was a pleasant surprise when the car responded right out of the box, with minimal adjustments”, continued the Rookie of the Year contender. “This was, by far, the best this car has ran all season long”
Despite developing a handling issue early in the A Main, Jones managed to press his way just outside of the top-3, before a spate of late-race cautions shuffled the freshman outside of the top-5.
“We made a pre-race tire change that ended up coming back to bite us”, explained Jones of his set-up issues. “We bolted fresh tires on, thinking that would be the way to go, but it upset the balance of the car and loosened us right up at the drop of the green”
“From there on, the car was a bit of a handful, but we were still able to claw our way to 4th”, continued Jones, “but we had a rash of cautions at the end that hung us out to dry on the restarts. The car just wasn’t handling well enough to respond on the outside, and we ended up shuffling backwards”
With OSCAAR’s first Crown Jewel of the season – the Don Biederman Memorial – looming in the distance, Jones is confident his J Star Motorsports will be ready for a solid follow-up to their performance at Barrie.
“We needed a run like this just to remind ourselves what we’re capable of”, said Jones. “When you’re not getting results, it’s easy to get down on yourself. I think every member of this team needed this top-10. We’re excited to go home and put our program together for Sunset [Speedway], and get ready to chase our first podium at the Biederman”
Corey Jones’ 2014 campaign would not be possible without the support of Castle Building Centres, RBC, Accountable Automotive, Dan Simpson – RBC Mortgage Specialist, Lafleche Roofing, Anmar Cleaning Services, Inno-Tech, Ken Robinson Refrigeration, Oktane Productions, Epic Racewear and Westmeadow Dental.
Fans can keep up with Corey on Twitter @CoreyJones82 and visit the team’s J Star Motorsports page on Facebook.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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