Garrett Jones Rallies to 13th Place Finish at Montgomery Motor Speedway
Jones Battles Through Engine Problems to Secure Top-15 Finish
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (June 21, 2015) – It was a tough weekend for Garrett Jones at Montgomery Motor Speedway, but he and his team persevered through engine problems to grab a 13th place finish at the latest Southern Super Series event this past Saturday.
Jones felt that he had a fast car from the start but wasn’t able to show that in his qualifying efforts when he wound up 17th. After the green flag waved, he quickly worked his way up through the field to 12th before a caution fell at Lap 31.
“After we went back green, I was super loose on the exit of both corners and couldn’t touch the gas. It seemed as if everyone was having this problem, but our car seemed to have it the worst,” said Jones. “I tried multiple lines during the race and found the top groove felt the best, but it was too late in the race to make up enough time to get towards the front. I had been running the low groove all night because the top groove was real dirty with speedy dry from the previous race. As the laps winded down there were enough cars that moved to the top to get the top groove worked in.”
Around Lap 60, the motor in Jones’ car started cutting in and out as the race went on. Unsure of what the exact problem was, he and his team worked with what they had in order to finish the race. The motor completely quit on Jones as he was coming to the checkered flag, forcing him to coast back to the trailer.
“I think we had a fast car and if I’d tried that high line sooner, I believe we’d finished much better than 13th place,“ said Jones. “I’m not going to lie these past couple of races have been really disappointing. I know I have the equipment and team to finish better. We started the year real strong but have hit a bit of a rough spot. We are all in this together. The whole team is working harder than ever. I’m certain that our hard work will pay off big soon! We will keep our heads up and get prepared for the next race in the coming weeks.”
Jones’ next race in the Southern Super Series is Friday, July 24 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.
About Garrett Jones
Garrett Jones began his racing career at just five years old. After starting out in karts, he moved onto quarter midgets and really hit his stride. Over the next couple of years, Jones captured multiple championships and titles including multiple National USAC .25 Touring Championships. In 2012 at 12 years old, Jones became the youngest winner in history at Dillon Motor Speedway in a late model stock car. Jones’ success continued in 2013 capturing both Rookie-of-the-Year honors in the UARA series as well as the Pro Late Model Championship at the historic Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL, home of the Snowball Derby. In 2014, in a down to the wire finish after a season long battle where Jones marked 3 wins at the famed track in Pensacola, he finished 2nd to Johanna Long, a regular in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series. 2015 marks Jones’ first time racing in a super late model series.
Sources: Kayla Darrow/Zerolight Communications