The “top-10†in the 2006 USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series standings have been “shut out†so far in 2007, but Tony Jones of Corona, Calif. is among drivers hoping to change that trend this Saturday when the series continues at the Perris (Calif. ) Auto Speedway.
Jones leads the 2007 point standings on the strength of a second and two fourths in three starts. He has a 22-point lead over Darren Hagen entering this Saturday’s race. Hagen, Mike Spencer and Rip Williams also have “top-10†finishes in all three 2007 events so far. Williams ranks third and Spencer fourth in the current points.
Jones, the son of legendary racer Bubby Jones, won eight times in USAC/CRA competition last year. All eight wins came at Perris, but it took until May last year to get that string started.
This year’s race winners have included a pair of surprises, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Phoenix, Ariz. and Garret Hansen Feb. 17 at Perris. Hagen won the 2007 opener at The PAS Feb. 3.
Next week, Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s 1/2-mile dirt oval hosts a pair of USAC/CRA Sprint Car events as preludes to the March 11 UAW/Daimler Chrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race on the 1.5-mile LVMS tri-oval. The Thursday and Friday night races will be the first ever for USAC/CRA Sprint Cars in the Silver State and the first for USAC dirt sprints since the Southwest Sprint Car Series made a 2004 appearance at Reno-Fernley Raceway.
1. Tony Jones—189
2. Darren Hagen—167
3. Rip Williams—157
4. Mike Spencer—151
5. Danny Sheridan—142
6. Garrett Hansen—133
7. Rickie Gaunt—130
8. Scotty Weir—120
9. R. J. Johnson—108
10. Tyler Brown—102
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