By Lance Jennings
JANUARY 30, 2021… Officials with the United States Auto Club (USAC) have announced that Tony Jones is the new coordinator of the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series. Jones, who joined the series as race director in 2019, replaces Chris Kearns who has led the group since the 2011 campaign.
Jones will head the daily business operations for the traditional 410 series. Among his new duties will be working directly with race track promoters, racer relations, scheduling, and looking for new sponsors to increase purses, bonuses, and the championship point fund. On race day, Tony will still manage the night’s racing program and lead the racer pit meetings. He can be reached at tonyjonesracing@gmail.com.
Jones brings a wealth of racing experience to the position. The son of National Sprint Car Hall of Fame driver Bubby Jones and brother to noted crew chief Davey Jones, was a star driver in his own right on the west coast. Among his accomplishments, Tony scored a Non-Wing World Championship victory at Terre Haute, Indiana in 1999, won the Budweiser Oval Nationals at Perris, California in 2000, and claimed the USAC/CRA Championship in 2007. Jones has also won some of the most noted races on the schedule, including the Bagley Classic (twice), Firecracker (twice), Glenn Howard Memorial, Hall of Fame Classic, Jack Kindoll Classic, Legends of Ascot Night, Salute to Indy, and the Sokola Classic. At press time, Tony still ranks fourth in USAC/CRA wins (20) and tied for eighth in USAC/CRA fast time awards (8). After retiring as a driver, Tony served as Matt McCarthy’s crew chief and helped the young driver earn Rookie of the Year honors with USAC/CRA in 2017.
The 2021 USAC/CRA campaign is slated for twenty-four events, starting March 12th at Canyon Speedway Park’s “Spring Showcase” and concluding November 13th at Arizona Speedway’s “54th Annual Western World Championships.” The schedule is subject to change as the races are subject to local county and state health regulations regarding the COVID 19 Coronavirus.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks All Coast Construction, Component Repair Company, Flowdynamics, Hoosier Racing Tire, Woodland Auto Display, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Loudpedal Productions, Rod End Supply, Specialty Fasteners, surfNsprint.com, Sway-A-Way Torsion Bars, and Ultra Shield Race Products for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, contact Tony Jones at tonyjonesracing@gmail.com or PR Director Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
For more information on the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit the United States Auto Club (USAC) website at usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC/CRA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS: 2004-Rip Williams, 2005-Damion Gardner, 2006-Cory Kruseman, 2007-Tony Jones, 2008-Mike Spencer, 2009-Mike Spencer, 2010-Mike Spencer, 2011-Mike Spencer, 2012-Mike Spencer, 2013-Damion Gardner, 2014-Damion Gardner, 2015-Damion Gardner, 2016-Damion Gardner, 2017-Damion Gardner, 2018-Damion Gardner, 2019-Damion Gardner, 2020-No Champion.