Inside Line Promotions
TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2016) – Jason Sides charged to Victory Lane last weekend during a preliminary night at the Ronald Laney Memorial for the second straight year.
Sides, who was using a 22-year-old engine, kicked off the marquee event at East Bay Raceway Park last Thursday by advancing from third to second place in a heat race. He then powered from 10th to claim the opening feature.
“The engine has always run well,” he said. “I won that in a drawing in 1996 with the ASCS. At the end of last year we took the 360 (engine) and put it in the Knoxville car and was headed to Little Rock when it got rained out. When we got home we thought let’s just leave it for now, that way it was already done.”
The plan worked well for Sides, who maneuvered into the top five by the midpoint of the main event. He then caught a couple of breaks when cars in front of him ran into issues, which allowed Sides to take the lead with nine laps remaining.
“Late in the race when the fuel came off and the track dried out we started passing cars,” he said. “There was a lot of luck there, too. On the last restart me and Danny Martin Jr. raced together for a couple of laps before I pulled away. It started laying rubber late in that race so the car was getting better and better.
“It’s always good to get a win, but especially there it’s really good. It’s special to win in the backyard of one of my main sponsors and also to win a race in honor of Ronald.”
Sides returned to East Bay Raceway Park on Friday for Round 2 of preliminary competition, which he began by winning a heat race from the pole position. That locked him into the 12th-starting spot for the main event.
“Because the track rubbered up the night before they weren’t sure about it so they put more water on it and the wind died down so it made it heavier than they wanted,” he said. “The track was too good in the feature for us. At the end it slicked up enough to free up the car and we got a few cars.”
Sides rallied to post a seventh-place finish, which, combined with his points from the opening night, placed him third in overall points and locked into Saturday’s 40-lap main event. Unfortunately, Sides drew the highest number – six – during the redraw. That lined him up on the outside of the third row for the $10,000-to-win feature.
“With it being 40 laps we tightened the car up like we normally would, but the track stayed entirely too good because there were fewer races on the track that night,” he said. “It never really slicked up and got to where we could run around there where we needed to be.”
Sides maintained a top 10 throughout the feature before ending eighth.
He will return to World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series competition this Friday at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, Texas, for the ATX Rentals Outlaw Shootout and Saturday at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, for the O’Reilly Auto Parts presents the World of Outlaws hosted by Kasey Kahne.
It will be his debut at Cotton Bowl Speedway. Sides was victorious with the World of Outlaws at Royal Purple Raceway in March 2010 when the track was known as Houston Raceway Park.
QUICK RESULTS –
Feb. 18 – East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. – Heat race: 2 (3); Feature: 1 (10).
Feb. 19 – East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. – Heat race: 1 (1); Feature: 7 (12).
Feb. 20 – East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. – Feature: 8 (6).
SEASON STATS –
7 races, 1 win, 1 top five, 4 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 6 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, Texas, for the ATX Rentals Outlaw Shootout and Saturday at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, for the O’Reilly Auto Parts presents the World of Outlaws hosted by Kasey Kahne with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.SidesMotorsports.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SidesMotorsport
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sides-Motorsports/283833970847?ref=br_tf
LIVE AUDIO –
Keep up with Sides Motorsports via free, live audio from DIRTVision at every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event throughout the season. Select events also include live Pay-Per-View video. For more information, click http://www.DIRTVision.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Clean Seal, Inc.
Clean Seal, Inc. has supplied extruded rubber products to the transportation industry since 1978. The company, which is based in South Bend, Ind., is a full-line, full-service source for standard and custom-designed seals and gaskets. For more information, visit http://www.CleanSeal.com.
“Clean Seal came on board last year and we’re excited to have them as part of our program,” Sides said. “I want to say thanks to Bill Dawson and the entire team at Clean Seal. We look forward to future success together.”
Sides would also like to thank Wetherington Tractor Service, Inc., King Racing Products, R.E. Enterprises, BR Motorsports, VRP Shocks, Dancer Logistics, Inc., Jim Schuhknecht, FSR Radiators, East Coast Logistics, Driven Racing Oil, Ingles Racing Engines, Wings Unlimited and All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.