SHAKESPEARE, ON- Less than a week after a potentially season-ending wreck at Sunset Speedway in Round 9 of the OSCAAR Super Late Model tour, Corey Jones has begun the long road to repair, with hopes of returning to competition before the end of the 2014 season.
“After the motor issues we grappled with at the beginning of the season, we certainly could have done without this wreck”, offered a visibly dejected Jones.
The incident occurred midway through August 23rd’s Bruce Gowland Memorial, when an incident involving Jones and two other cars resulted in heavy damage to the rookie’s No. 82 Castle Building Centres/RBC Chevrolet.
“As soon as I got out of the car, I was sure our season was over”, said Jones. “The entire front of the car was destroyed. I didn’t see any way that the frame hadn’t been completely mangled”
“Luckily, once we got it back to the shop and peeled some of the damage back, we realized that the suspension ended up taking the brunt of the impact. That’s not exactly good news, but at least the frame is ok”, added the former Canadian Vintage Modified standout.
Jones stepped back from competition in July and early August, after celebrating his marriage to longtime girlfriend Melissa, and is now eager to make up for lost time and get back to racing.
“We took a break from racing for all the right reasons midway through the summer”, explained Jones. “But, after four races on the sidelines, we were really hoping to come back and finish out the season in full. The damage we took at Sunset is going to delay that a little bit, but I’m not going to let it end our year”
“My guys have worked way too hard all year long for me to just call it quits”, said the oft-positive freshman. “My sponsors have already stepped up huge to make sure that we make it back out, which is incredible. Everyone affiliated with this team has gone above and beyond the call of duty”
‘Twinkle Toes’ has enlisted the help of legendary chassis guru Junior Hanley to return his No. 82 to racing condition, with plans of being back in action for Round 11 of the tour at Sunset Speedway on September 28th.
“I figured there wasn’t a more appropriate place to come back at than Sunset”, laughed Jones. “Between engine issues and wrecks, the place hasn’t been overly kind to us. Hopefully we can break that streak on September 28th”
Corey Jones’ proposed return to the OSCAAR Super Late Model tour would not be possible without the unwavering 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’s repair process on Twitter @CoreyJones82 and visit the team’s J Star Motorsports page on Facebook.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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