A STRONG RUN FORWARD FOR THE RAGIN’ CAJUN ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE TEXTRON OFF ROAD WORLD OF OUTLAWS WORLD FINALS AT CHARLOTTE RESULTS IN AN EIGHTH PLACE FINISH FOR THE #41 TEAM

CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA (November 3, 2017) – Many of the stars of sprint car racing were in Charlotte this weekend to cap off the 2017 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series season at The Dirt Track of Charlotte for the Textron Off Road World Finals. There were 53 sprint car teams entered with qualifying only for both Friday and Saturday night kicking off the weekend  on Thursday night, Jason and the team were looking to cap off their season with a strong effort to carry momentum into the off-season where they work long hours getting ready for the next one.

The field was split into two flights for qualifying. Jason would go out thirteenth in Flight B for his qualifying efforts aboard the Priority Aviation Services, LLC/Crow Enterprizes #41 Maxim entry. When Paul Nienhiser took the checkers on his two laps, Jason rolled onto the speedway and built up his speed and momentum using his Kistler Engines power plant. He took the green flag and turned his first lap in 12.773 seconds. He stayed on the loud pedal the second time around and picked up some time on the clock, this time stopping crossing the timing stripe in 12.671 seconds. When the last qualifier, Tony Stewart, ran underneath the waving checkered flags, the quicker of Jason’s two laps was sixth quick overall.

Starting on the outside front row in the sixth and final heat race in his Fischer Body Shop/Waco Metal #41, with Bill Balog’s #17B perched to his inside on the pole, Jason wasted little time driving around the top side when the flagman showed them the green flag. The car was fast and the driver had it under control as he was in clean air making tracks and not looking back from the top spot. He would not surrender that position throughout the eight laps of competition to take the heat race win over Balog and Tony Stewart who all earned spots on the coveted A-Main. Danny Dietrich and Chad Kemenah rounded out the top five in the heat race finishing order.

Earning a spot in his 51st Craftsman Club Dash, and 53rd overall dash event of the 2017 season – an impressive 66.77% success rate, Jason started from the fourth position in the second of two dash events. The finishing order would set the outside row starting spots in the 30-lap A-Main. Bill Balog and Kerry Madsen would bring the field to the green with Balog setting the pace from the top spot. He would go on to win the second Dash over Madsen as Brock Zearfoss, Daryn Pittman and Dave Blaney with Jason coming home sixth in the CCC/Max Papis Innovations (MPI) #41.

Philip and the JJR Marshall Racing crew prepped the car for the 30-lap feature while the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds and World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model series completed their feature events. There are a whole lot of laps raced around The Dirt Track at Charlotte on this night, and weekend for that matter, and the track surface takes a beating and makes it challenging for the crew setting up their equipment and making their tires last. The dust was certainly flying, but each of the first two feature events were exciting. But it was now time for The Greatest Show on Dirt, the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series, to take to the 4/10-mile oval. Jason would roll off 12th in the starting grid with Ian Madsen and Bill Balog holding the two front row starting positions. Balog would jump into the early lead as Jason moved up one spot into the 11th position. Balog would lead the first 9 laps before Kerry Madsen tried a slider and Donny Schatz passed them both for the lead. With 11 laps in the caution would fly for Sheldon Haudenschild regrouping the field. Schatz kept control of the top spot as Jason patiently and methodically worked his way into the top ten. Schatz would get the race win over Ian Madsen, Dave Blaney and Kerry Madsen with Joey Saldana rounding out the top five. Jason trucked home in the Mesilla Valley Transportation #41 with an eighth place finish, his 57 top ten run of the season – a 63.33% top ten success rate.

Jason and the JJR Marshall Racing team will now focus on running the last race of the season together on Saturday night to cap off a successful season. Come out to The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the finale of the Textron Off Road World Finals!