(Bill W) May 5, 2008 – It’s been a long spring for Skip Jackson and the J&S Auto Sports #2 team. With three practice nights and two race nights called off due to weather at Knoxville Raceway, he couldn’t have been more ready to hit the track last Saturday night! At the end of the night, the car was performing well and he had a respectable run against the best drivers in sprint car racing, the World of Outlaws.
In the WoO format, the top 16 qualifiers are inverted in the first two rows of the heat races, with the top two finishers qualifying for the dash. Skip sat on the bubble for awhile, but a lap by Joey Saldana at the end of time trials bumped him out and he ended up 17th quick, a development that probably changed the course of his night. "It would have been great (to make the heat invert)," says Skip. "But we should have been a little bit better."
Skip started inside row three in the Slideways/Turfwerks/NRPS #2 for the heat and quickly got by WoO point leader Craig Dollansky in turn one. "Craig sort of got shuffled back there at the start and we were able to get by," says Skip. "Unfortunately, he got it going and got by me the next lap." With the top five transferring to the A main, Skip would miss the cut by two and head for the B.
Skip had the Housby Trucks/Shaver Engines/Acheson Auto Body #2 out front in the B main most of the way, giving way late to Terry McCarl. The runner-up finish put Skip inside of row nine for a 25-lap main event that took three starts to get going. "The first start was really good, the second so-so, and the third we got shuffled back, so the one that finally went green is the one we really didn’t need," says Skip.
Skip fell as far back as 22nd, but started moving his way forward, gaining momentum as the non-stop affair went on. "At first we weren’t that strong, but I got into a bit of a rhythm and a groove as the race went on," he says. "The track was very good too, considering it was the first night out and all the hassles Knoxville has had." In the end, an 18th place finish was his reward for a hard night’s work.
The Aussie turned Knoxville resident slept well on Saturday night. "We had a good workout," he says. "We got to run the 12-lap B, and then the 25-lap A main went non-stop. Overall the car was working well…no worries. If anything is a tick off, it really shows up when those guys (WoO) are in town. We’ll just try to get it better for this weekend, because it’s going to be tough every week."
Skip will get a chance to keep his winning streak going at 34 Raceway near West Burlington, Iowa this Friday night when the Interstate Racing Association (IRA) visits. Last September, Skip won an open 410 race at the 3/8 mile banked oval. The IRA will also visit Knoxville Raceway on Saturday.”
