Tony Jackson and Scott Hess Racing Continue Learning Experience in the 410 Sprint Car Ranks with Three-Race Weekend

Tony Jackson and Scott Hess Racing competed in three nights of racing last weekend and together they qualified for two out of three A-main events. Jackson scored finishes of 18th at BAPS Motor Speedway and 20th at Williams Grove Speedway. He failed to qualify at Port Royal Speedway.

“I wish we had more to talk about, but we’re just in a spot where we’re learning and growing,” said Jackson. “I’m used to running up front and winning races, so it can weigh on you when results are not there. But everyone keeps reminding me that this is part of the learning process and I can see we’re getting better each weekend we get out.”

Jackson kicked off the weekend on Friday at Williams Grove where he advanced to the A-main directly out of a heat race with a fifth-place finish. As a result, he lined up 20th on the grid and that’s where he would finish as well.

“I think we raced better than the results show, but unfortunately we got lapped on that first long run and it doesn’t show,” said Jackson. “We passed a lot of cars, but overall, it’s not going to show that in the books.”

Mother Nature canceled a planned trip to BAPS Motor Speedway on Saturday before it got started, so Jackson and Hess made the decision to head to Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, PA for their first-ever 410 Sprint Car start at the Speed Palace.

He was 11th quickest in group warmups before finishing eighth in a heat race. As a result, he was regulated to the B-main, where he finished 11th and failed to qualify for the feature. While the results were not what he hoped for, it was a positive learning experience for Jackson as he continues to grow behind the wheel of a 410 Sprint Car.

“We’ve been wanting to get to Port Royal, but we didn’t exactly need to get there when the track was as fast as it was,” said Jackson. “But overall, I think racing on a track like that really taught me a lot and made us better on Sunday.”

Jackson and Hess closed out the weekend with a Sunday trip to BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, PA. After timing in 2nd quickest in group time trials, Jackson locked into the A-main with a fifth-place finish in a heat race. He then finished where he started – 18th – in the A-main to score his sixth top-20 finish of the season.

“We qualified really well, and I think the credit for that might go to Port Royal and just getting used to going faster,” he said. “We overcorrected a bit for the feature in terms of setup and ultimately, we came home with another top 20 finish.”

Jackson and Hess will take part in two Sprint Car events this weekend with stops at Williams Grove on Friday and Lincoln on Saturday.

“We’re at a spot now where we feel like we should start clicking off top 15 finishes and I’m hopeful to maybe be able to show that this weekend,” he said. “The Outlaws are coming up and that weekend is kind of up in the air as we don’t want to go out there and just make laps if we don’t feel we can qualify and run well. So this weekend will be a good measuring stick for us to kind of decide what next weekend looks like and we’ll give it our best.”

WEEKEND RESULTS

April 26 – Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA – Heat race: 5 (2); Feature: 20 (20).
April 27 – Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, PA – Heat race: 8 (6); B-main: 11 (10).
April 28 – BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, PA – Heat race: 5 (3); Feature: 18 (18).

SEASON STATS

11 races, 0 wins, 1 top 5, 1 top 10’s, 1 top 15’s, 6 top 20’s

UP NEXT

Friday, May 3rd, at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., Saturday, May 4th, at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa.