J&J Auto Racing weekly news 2002-10-23

McKenzie, TN - With the season winding down, there are only a handful of races remaining in the 2002 season. This weekend's 15th annual Team Affiliated Short Track Nationals presented by American Racer at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock offers several J&J teams one last chance for a big money win.

Terry Gray, Mike Ward and Lewis Jenkins Jr. lead the list of J&J runners entered in the three-night program which begins on Thursday. Gray and Ward have both won the event in the past (Gray in 1994 and Ward in 2000) and Jenkins has won numerous feature events at the high-banked 1/4-mile dirt oval.

"We've had a pretty good year, but winning this weekend's race would certainly make it a really good one," said Gray, who will pilot his #10 Wesmar J&J. "Our J&J has been fast all season and I'm sure we'll have it dialed in for our qualifying night and Saturday, too. There will be plenty of tough competitors there and you want to be the best any time you can."

If there is anyone with a home-track advantage it would be Lewis Jenkins Jr. He has won more than 40 feature events at the track in the last seven seasons including 9 of 16 feature events this season and seven in a row last year. The driver of #1 J&J based out of Bryant, AR, knows he'll have his hands full.

"There's going to be an incredible field that's for sure," said Jenkins, who will qualify in Friday's program. "We've had a pretty good handle on this place the past few years and we'll have our J&J ready to go. I'm sure it will help a little bit that I've raced here so much, but it comes down to putting yourself in position to win. My goal is to get locked into the Dash and start in one of those top four spots, but this race can be won from the middle of the pack, too."

More than 85 drivers have completed entry forms and AG Rains, Pete Butler, Toby Brown, Dewayne Prince, Ricky Stenhouse, Henry Gustavus, and Jody Roland will join Gray, Ward and Jenkins as J&J teams looking to bring home the $15,000 prize.

"This is a great event and has attracted a lot of top teams," said Jack Elam, President of J&J Auto Racing. "We want to wish all of our guys good luck. In races like this, luck usually plays some role in the outcome. We're excited to be represented by some of the most talented teams in sprint car racing, and we know they'll do their best to finish first on Saturday night."

-j&jar-