SHAKESPEARE, ON- Despite a pair of mechanical DNFs in the first two events of the 2014 season, freshman competitor Corey Jones is not prepared to give up on his first full season with the OSCAAR Super Late Model Tour.
“This has definitely been a little more adversity than we would have liked to face this early in the season”, said Jones with a smile after loading his Castle Building Centres No. 82 at Kawartha Speedway. “But we’re going to push back. We’ve come too far to turn back now. I’ve got one of the best teams around, and the best marketing partners a driver could ask for. We’re not giving up”
Jones’ recent trip to Kawartha was frustrating at best, his first practice session ended early with an ignition box failure, before the team discovered potentially terminal engine damage as Jones prepared to stage for his qualifying heat.
“The fact that we’re staring at more engine problems after popping the motor at Sunset took some of the wind out of our sails”, admits Jones. “But my guys put in a lot of hours on this car over the off-season, and that alone is all the motivation I need to do whatever’s necessary to get back out”
“We’ve got a great program and a stout chassis”, continues the former Canadian Vintage Modified star, “we’ve just had no chance to showcase exactly what we’re made of”
As the J Star Motorsports team prepared to depart Kawartha Speedway for their near 3-hour haul back to their base in Shakespeare, ON, a timeline for their return was not clear, though Jones remains optimistic.
“I’d love more than anything to tell you that we’ll be back for Round 3 at Barrie [Speedway] on June 14th”, offered Jones. “But, until we get this car home, pull the engine and see exactly what we’re dealing with, it’s hard to make promises”
“All I can guarantee is my effort, and the support of the people we’ve surrounded ourselves with. A slow start to the year just means we’ll have to swing for the fences when we come back. There’s still a lot of fight left in this team”
Corey Jones’ rookie campaign would not be made 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)
Discussion about this post