Friday, October 21, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
15 Year-Old Michigan Driver Erik Jones Is JEGS CRA All-Stars Tour Champ
A Team That Considered “Giving Up on the Series” Halfway Through the Season Claims Title
Michigan native Erik Jones may be only 15-years-old, but he is already a Late Model champion in a touring series. He accomplished that mission Saturday by claiming the prestigious JEGS CRA All-Stars Tour championship with a fourth place finish in the 100-lap season finale on the high-banks on Winchester Speedway (IN).
Jones survived a few scuffles on what turned out to be one wild night in his Paragon Corvette Reproductions, CG Financial, Penske Racing Shocks, Snap Fitness Chevy at the mid-Indiana racetrack. In the end, Jones beat veteran Eddie Hoffman (16th) by 12spots to secure his position as the inaugural JEGS CRA All-Stars Tour Champion.
“It was definitely a crazy night,” said Jones. “It felt like the full moon was out. We were working our way up there, just being patient; you know, not trying to get caught up in anything. A car got into us on the restart and ran us into the wall. We came in and the car was actually still ok, so we went back out and just started picking them off.”
Steadily back in the top-5, Jones’ crew kept him updated of the championship status throughout the remainder of the event.
“Actually,” explained Jones. “The crew came over the radio on about lap fifty or sixty and said there were only eighteen cars left and they just told me to open it up.”
At only 15 years old, Jones has accomplished something many grown men, some he’s even competing against, have only dreamed about. And he’s not going to let the splendor of it get away too quickly.
“Now that it’s finally over,” said Jones, “It’s really cool. It’s starting to sink in a little bit actually.
“It’s been a crazy year. We were at Anderson (Speedway, IN) about halfway through the year and thought we were just going to give up on the series because we were just not doing as well as we wanted to. So to come back from feeling like that and win the championship is amazing.
The season produced a pair of wins and seven fast time awards, including the finale at Winchester, to propel him to the top of the standings.
“This whole crew and all of our sponsors all came together to win this thing,” continued Jones. “It wasn’t just me. All the support my family has given me all the way through has been crucial. From when I was seven years old, all the way until now; they support me in everything I do.”
While Jones is only 15 years old his crew chief was also a youngster as 19-year-old Butch VanDoorn served as the winning crew chief all season long.
Now with a Late Model Touring Series title firmly stamped on his racing resume, Erik Jones will look forward to some exciting post-season racing action. Jones and his Paragon Corvette Reproductions #4 Chevy team will now prepare for two of the biggest short track races of the year, the Allen Turner Snowflake 100 and the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway on December 3rd and 4th in Pensacola, Florida.
Michigan native Erik Jones may be only 15-years-old, but he is already a Late Model champion in a touring series. He accomplished that mission Saturday by claiming the prestigious JEGS CRA All-Stars Tour championship with a fourth place finish in the 100-lap season finale on the high-banks on Winchester Speedway (IN).
Jones survived a few scuffles on what turned out to be one wild night in his Paragon Corvette Reproductions, CG Financial, Penske Racing Shocks, Snap Fitness Chevy at the mid-Indiana racetrack. In the end, Jones beat veteran Eddie Hoffman (16th) by 12spots to secure his position as the inaugural JEGS CRA All-Stars Tour Champion.
“It was definitely a crazy night,” said Jones. “It felt like the full moon was out. We were working our way up there, just being patient; you know, not trying to get caught up in anything. A car got into us on the restart and ran us into the wall. We came in and the car was actually still ok, so we went back out and just started picking them off.”
Steadily back in the top-5, Jones’ crew kept him updated of the championship status throughout the remainder of the event.
“Actually,” explained Jones. “The crew came over the radio on about lap fifty or sixty and said there were only eighteen cars left and they just told me to open it up.”
At only 15 years old, Jones has accomplished something many grown men, some he’s even competing against, have only dreamed about. And he’s not going to let the splendor of it get away too quickly.
“Now that it’s finally over,” said Jones, “It’s really cool. It’s starting to sink in a little bit actually.
“It’s been a crazy year. We were at Anderson (Speedway, IN) about halfway through the year and thought we were just going to give up on the series because we were just not doing as well as we wanted to. So to come back from feeling like that and win the championship is amazing.
The season produced a pair of wins and seven fast time awards, including the finale at Winchester, to propel him to the top of the standings.
“This whole crew and all of our sponsors all came together to win this thing,” continued Jones. “It wasn’t just me. All the support my family has given me all the way through has been crucial. From when I was seven years old, all the way until now; they support me in everything I do.”
While Jones is only 15 years old his crew chief was also a youngster as 19-year-old Butch VanDoorn served as the winning crew chief all season long.
Now with a Late Model Touring Series title firmly stamped on his racing resume, Erik Jones will look forward to some exciting post-season racing action. Jones and his Paragon Corvette Reproductions #4 Chevy team will now prepare for two of the biggest short track races of the year, the Allen Turner Snowflake 100 and the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway on December 3rd and 4th in Pensacola, Florida.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Spring Lake's Jacob Poel fuels bank account with Modified racing success
Spring Lake's Jacob Poel fuels bank account with Modified racing success
By Steve Kaminski | The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com
SPRING LAKE -- Jacob Poel has won more feature races than just about any Modified driver in the country this season, but his stomach was churning during his trip to Hartford Motor Speedway this fall.
The Spring Lake driver was scheduled to race in the Dirt Cup Modified Tour’s season finale, and the 2011 championship was on the line. But the Dealer’s Choice also paid $5,000 to win, and for Poel, who was laid off from his job in May, that would pay a lot of bills.
The problem, though, was that 66 cars were entered, including NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader, and that had Poel’s stomach in knots.
"I have raced with Ken Schrader probably 10 times in my career, and 90 percent of the time, I’m chasing him as hard as I can, and he’s out on a Sunday cruise," said Poel, 24.
But not even Schrader could cool off Poel.
"Beating Ken Schrader by half-a-lap, and just the feeling of Ken Schrader coming down in Victory Lane and telling me that his crew was telling him that he was fast, but not as fast (as Poel), to hear from someone who has 42 years of racing experience, makes me feel like I have accomplished something," Poel said.
Actually, Poel has accomplished plenty in what has been a break-through season for the second generation driver.
Poel finished fourth this year in the UMP Modified national points standings after winning 21 feature races and 28 heat races. He locked up the Dirt Cup title that night in Hartford, and he won the track championship at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa and the Michigan State Modified Championship as well. In all, Poel won feature races at six different tracks.
Poel’s father, Steve Poel, was an area racer, too. Poel started racing about nine years ago, and his father is a big help in the pits, along with crew members Matt Moore and Kenny Morris.
What is arguably most impressive about Poel, though, is not just what he did, but how he has done it. Poel decided in May, after he was laid off his job of two years as an auto mechanic, that he would turn racing into his full-time job while he continued to look for work.
JACOB POEL
Age: 24
Hometown: Spring Lake
Car: No. 82 Modified
2011 Highlights: Poel has won 21 feature races spread out at six tracks. He won the Dirt Cup Modified Tour and I-96 Speedway championships.
True, it has given him extra time to work on his Modified. However, with no steady income, he had to keep winning to make it to the next race.
"I have sat in this garage for hours and hours, trying to find small ways to take one-tenth of a second off my lap times," Poel said. "Last year, we won nine features. I went into this year saying I want to do better than last year. I want to win 10 features. Ten features came and went.
"I never thought in a million years that I could accomplish so much in one season. It just goes to show you, when your head gets low, if you work hard, it is possible to succeed at anything you want to do if you put your mind to it."
Poel plans to return to racing next year, with or without a job. He also is exploring the possibility of opening his own race car fabrication business.
Either way, racing will remain.
"He puts a lot of time and effort into it and makes sure every little detail, every little nut and bolt is where it needs to be," said his girlfriend, Kari Beutler, who he met at I-96 Speedway. "No matter how much time and effort it takes, he makes sure it is done and done in the right way rather than just throwing it together and just going."
By Steve Kaminski | The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com
SPRING LAKE -- Jacob Poel has won more feature races than just about any Modified driver in the country this season, but his stomach was churning during his trip to Hartford Motor Speedway this fall.
The Spring Lake driver was scheduled to race in the Dirt Cup Modified Tour’s season finale, and the 2011 championship was on the line. But the Dealer’s Choice also paid $5,000 to win, and for Poel, who was laid off from his job in May, that would pay a lot of bills.
The problem, though, was that 66 cars were entered, including NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader, and that had Poel’s stomach in knots.
"I have raced with Ken Schrader probably 10 times in my career, and 90 percent of the time, I’m chasing him as hard as I can, and he’s out on a Sunday cruise," said Poel, 24.
But not even Schrader could cool off Poel.
"Beating Ken Schrader by half-a-lap, and just the feeling of Ken Schrader coming down in Victory Lane and telling me that his crew was telling him that he was fast, but not as fast (as Poel), to hear from someone who has 42 years of racing experience, makes me feel like I have accomplished something," Poel said.
Actually, Poel has accomplished plenty in what has been a break-through season for the second generation driver.
Poel finished fourth this year in the UMP Modified national points standings after winning 21 feature races and 28 heat races. He locked up the Dirt Cup title that night in Hartford, and he won the track championship at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa and the Michigan State Modified Championship as well. In all, Poel won feature races at six different tracks.
Poel’s father, Steve Poel, was an area racer, too. Poel started racing about nine years ago, and his father is a big help in the pits, along with crew members Matt Moore and Kenny Morris.
What is arguably most impressive about Poel, though, is not just what he did, but how he has done it. Poel decided in May, after he was laid off his job of two years as an auto mechanic, that he would turn racing into his full-time job while he continued to look for work.
JACOB POEL
Age: 24
Hometown: Spring Lake
Car: No. 82 Modified
2011 Highlights: Poel has won 21 feature races spread out at six tracks. He won the Dirt Cup Modified Tour and I-96 Speedway championships.
True, it has given him extra time to work on his Modified. However, with no steady income, he had to keep winning to make it to the next race.
"I have sat in this garage for hours and hours, trying to find small ways to take one-tenth of a second off my lap times," Poel said. "Last year, we won nine features. I went into this year saying I want to do better than last year. I want to win 10 features. Ten features came and went.
"I never thought in a million years that I could accomplish so much in one season. It just goes to show you, when your head gets low, if you work hard, it is possible to succeed at anything you want to do if you put your mind to it."
Poel plans to return to racing next year, with or without a job. He also is exploring the possibility of opening his own race car fabrication business.
Either way, racing will remain.
"He puts a lot of time and effort into it and makes sure every little detail, every little nut and bolt is where it needs to be," said his girlfriend, Kari Beutler, who he met at I-96 Speedway. "No matter how much time and effort it takes, he makes sure it is done and done in the right way rather than just throwing it together and just going."
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