FIRST ROUND WIN FOR JONES’S STRATUS

With high hopes of winning his first round, Rickie Jones and the Quarter-Max Mopar Dodge Stratus headed to St. Louis for the NHRA O’Reilly Midwest Nationals. On the final qualifying session, Jones ran a career best 6.627 at 208.23 in the last session to qualify in the 10th spot. He faced Mike Edwards in the first round. Jones’s .030 reaction over a.058 for Edwards gave Jones a slight advantage. Both drivers had some tire shake, but some more than others. Edwards clicked his off and Rickie ran a 6.812 at 205.85 to get his first round victory.

“It was awesome!” the 20-year-old Jones said. “I remember letting the clutch out and the car shaking, so I pulled second gear and it got sideways. I steered it back in the groove and hit third. I looked over and I didn’t see him. He must have had more problems then we did. I finally got to high gear; I was waiting for him to drive around me but he never did. It was an awesome feeling. The whole team did a great job.” 

Greg Anderson dashed Jones’s hopes in the next round, but the Galesburg, Illinois, driver is looking forward to the next race May 16-18 at Bristol, Tenn., where he hopes to celebrate his 21st birthday with a win. (Ron Lewis photo) [05/07/08]

SALDANA STEALS SECOND AT KNOXVILLE RACEWAY

Kasey Kahne Racing driver Joey Saldana stole the second spot from veteran Jac Haudenschild off the final corner and was closing in on winner Donny Schatz when the checkered flag fell at the World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series event on Saturday, May 3, at Iowa's famed Knoxville Raceway.

In the final stages of the 30-lap Knoxville A-Main, Saldana’s Speedway Engines-powered No. 9 Budweiser JEI/Mopar was the fastest machine on the track. The popular Indiana driver was simply relieved to be back in action after a spell of wet spring weather that greatly affected the early portion of the 2008 WoO schedule.

The KKR team had Saldana's sprint car humming all evening. He qualified 10th best of the 45 cars on hand, won his heat race handily, and then finished fourth in the "dash" event, which determines the A-Main starting grid.

It was the sixth top-10 finish of the WoO campaign for Saldana and his chief mechanic, Justin Adams. Saldana is now fourth in the WoO Sprint Series points standings. The Mopar KKR team will see action again this Friday night, May 9, at the Tri-City Speedway in Illinois. The following night, May 10, they'll be at Kentucky's Paducah International Raceway. (courtesy Mopar) [05/07/08]