AFTER FINALLY WINNING THE RACE AGAINST MOTHER NATURE – BARELY – A STRONG SIXTH PLACE RUN AT FULTON SPEEDWAY FOR JJ AND THE JJR #41 TEAM CAPS OFF THEIR VISIT TO THE EMPIRE STATE

FULTON, NEW YORK (October 8, 2016) – It seems like forever since Jason and the JJR #41 team have been able to race after the three nights at Williams Grove Speedway got rained out last week. But the team loaded up and headed North on Interstate 81 through the beautiful fall foliage, and rain most of the way, in hopes they would get a chance to race at Fulton Speedway’s 3/8th mile oval. Surprising they did as the skies cleared and the track officials did a nice job getting the racing surface ready for the evening of competition as huge puddles lined the lower lying area of the pits but not the track.

There were 32 cars registered to race at Fulton Speedway and the grandstands were packed full of eager fans excited to see the World of Outlaw (WoO) stars and potent modified drivers take to the track in this dual show. Jason was the 29th car to push out for his two qualifying laps and they both were good ones as each of them were in the twelve second bracket. His first lap aboard the Priority Aviation Services, LLC/Valvoline #41 came it at 12.927 seconds. He kept rolling and his Kistler Engines motor delivered as his second lap came in quicker at 12.857 seconds. He was fourth quick overall on the night as seven one-hundredth of a second separated quick timer Lucas Wolfe and the next four fastest cars.

Philip, Jeff. Kyle and Jason started wrenching the car to make improvements for the 10-lap heat race. By virtue of his qualifying efforts, he would start on the pole of the fourth heat race in the Jonestown KOA/BMRS #41 Maxim. Tony Stewart Racing’s, Donny Schatz, was to his outside with Shawn Donath and Jacob Allen making up row two. When the green flag waved, Jason angled the car low just outside the large white tractor tire lining the infield in turn four and drove into the lead as they crossed the start/finish line. Schatz was close behind and heading into turn three dove low to attempt a slider, which almost worked as he slid up the banking in turn four, but the Ragin’ Cajun powered out of the turn with the lead. He rested his right rear Hoosier Racing Tire up against the cushion building around the track the remainder of the way to take the heat race victory over Schatz, Allen, and Donath with R.J. Johnson securing the fifth and final transfer position.

It was time for the Dash, Jason’s 28th of the 2016 racing season – a 33.33% success rate, where he would start fifth as an inversion pill of eight was pulled. Donny Schatz sat on the pole with a Pennsylvania Posse regular, Danny Dietrich, on the outside of row one. Schatz jumped into the early lead with Dietrich following on his rear nerf bar. A few car lengths back, the Louisiana-born star driving his forty-one was up on the wheel, but on lap two bicycled his entry going into turn one masterfully saving it from going over. But the exciting moment put him back to eighth in the running order in the Fischer Body Shop/CCC Maxim. He would then spin off turn two the next time around to bring out the yellow. Tagging the Dash field at the rear, he restarted eighth and raced his way to a seventh place finish as Schatz took the win over Dietrich, Daryn Pittman, Lucas Wolfe, Brad Sweet, and Ryan Smith with Brent Marks rounding out the field in eighth.

Sitting in the seventh starting spot for the 30-lap feature event, Jason and the JJR crew made some last minute changes and bolted on some new rubber for the payoff race. By money time, the cushion had built up just above the midpoint of the racing surface as the topside was definitely the fast way around. Outside front row started, Danny Dietrich, took the lead over Schatz early as Jason got pushed back to eighth in the running order. Shane Stewart was making the bottom work in the early going and so was the Cajun Sensation as he moved down to try to make some forward moves. He raced his way into seventh as Schatz took the lead from Dietrich at the front of the pack on lap eight. With each passing lap the bottom went away more and more as the track started to take rubber around the cushion making it the hot way around Fulton. Jason moved up in his Waco Metal/Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution #41 and started to close the gap. It was a great race for position between Pittman, Sweet, Stewart and Johnson for a number of laps. Schatz would go on to collect his 24th win of the season as he beat Lucas Wolfe, Dietrich and Pittman to the winner’s stripe with Shane Stewart rounding out the top five. Jason drove home with a strong sixth place finish at Fulton Speedway. A good run for the forty-one!