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NASCAR BGN: An Opportunity To Turn The Page On A High Note Awaits Buckshot Jones

31 October 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
(Spartanburg, S.C.)--- For Buckshot Jones the HotWheels.com 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway will not only serve as the season finale for the 2000 NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division, but also a turning point in the career for the driver of the No. 00 Cheez-It Chevrolet.

For five years now Jones has participated in the NASCAR Busch Series and has started 15 races in the Winston Cup Series. In each of those five seasons the team has been owned by Buckshot's father, however, many of the day-to-day operations of the team have fallen upon the shoulders of the younger Jones. In addition to being the driver, Jones has been responsible for everything from paying the bills to personnel issues. Next season Jones' sole responsibility will be to pilot the No. 44 Dodge Intrepid for Petty Enterprises in the Winston Cup Series.

"I'm looking forward to getting back into the role of just driving," Jones explained. "Although my primary responsibility to the team has always been as the driver, there have been moments when it's been difficult to juggle running the team and driving. Don't get me wrong, the knowledge I've gained in the office will help me down the road in racing, but right now I just want to race."

Homestead-Miami Speedway presents Jones with a great opportunity to end his already successful Busch Series career on a high note. In 1998 Jones ran in the top-10 at Homestead for much of the race and even grabbed the race lead for 15 laps during the middle of the race. While running seventh with one lap remaining, Jones ran out of gas and had to settle for a 16th-place finish.

"We pushed the envelope and came up one lap short," Jones said. "That's just the way it goes. Sometimes you guess right and other times you learn from your mistakes."

This year's HotWheels.com 300 will mark Jones' fifth start in six attempts at the track. Jones and the Buckshot Racing team did not qualify for the 1996 race at Homestead in his rookie season, and since that attempt, Jones has competed in every Busch Series he attempted to qualify for dating back to Daytona in 1997. This year, Jones is one of just 15 drivers to run in every Busch Series event.

In his Busch Series career, Jones has recorded two victories (Milwaukee '96, New Hampshire '98), three poles (Rockingham '96, IRP '98, Michigan '00), 13 top 5s, 31 top 10s and was voted as the series 'Most Popular Driver' in 1998. He twice finished in the top-10 in the final driver point standings in his only two full seasons of Busch Series competition ('97, '98).

This season hasn't gone as planned for Jones and the Buckshot Racing team, but the organization will have one more race before the team will lose its driver to the Winston Cup Series. The team has posted just one top-five finish, three top-10s and a pole at Michigan Speedway in August.

"Obviously we've had more 'downs' than 'ups' this season," Jones remarked. "We ran well at Daytona, Talladega, New Hampshire and have had some other solid runs, but those strong efforts are not reflected in our finishes. Our team tested for two days at Homestead in October and we have all intentions on displaying the true capabilities of this team."

Text Provided By Chris Haid

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