5/21/2021
Crate Racin' USA Dirt Late Model Series
All-Tech Raceway Hosts Harvey Jones Memorial
ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. — The next destination for the Newsome Raceway Parts-sponsored Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series will be Ellisville, Fla., as All-Tech Raceway prepares to host the Harvey Jones Memorial May 28-29, 2021, on its slick-surfaced, half-mile layout.
The event will pay $10,000 to win, but is not included on the E-Z-GO $100,000+ Challenge schedule. It will award points toward the regular touring series championship only, and marks the fourth event of the season for the Adairsville, Ga-based traveling series.
Jason Welshan of Maryville, Tenn., is the series points leader entering the weekend, and holds a two-point edge (264-262) over Jake Knowles of Rome, Ga., with three races thus far in the record books. Others in the top five in the points standings include Tanner Collins (242), T.J. Brittain (220) and Jimmy Thomas (206).
Completing the top 10 in the chase for the $10,000 series championship are Jake Rainey (200), Colton Leyendecker (192), Austin Horton (190), Mike Combs (174) and Cody Overton (158).
Weekend Schedule
There will be an open practice session slated Thurs., May 27, and racing activities will kick off Fri., May 28, with Boyd-Bilt Fabrication time trials and KRC Power Steering heat races. E-Modifieds will also race during the program.
The three-day event will conclude Sat., May 29, with B-mains and the $10,000-to-win main, plus events for Skeeter cars and a full program for Pure Stocks.
Each day, grandstands and pits will open at 2 p.m. Hot laps begin each day at 7 p.m., and racing starts at 8 p.m.
More race day information can be accessed at www.alltechraceway.com, or www.crateracinusa.com as the event approaches.
Life and Career of Harvey Jones
Jones was born Sept. 8, 1923 in Waukeenah, Fla., and raced across seven decades during his career in the sport. He competed successfully in the 50s and 60s, and built his own car and motor after accompanying a cousin to a local race track in 1949. Jones passed away Feb. 2, 2009, and at the time of his death had long ago become a legendary figure in stock car racing circles in the South Georgia and North Florida regions.
He enjoyed a career that carried him to 500-plus victories and multiple track championships at facilities across the Southeast, and while he slowed his pace in the sport in his latter seasons, he raced well into his 70s despite undergoing major heart surgery.
He claimed his first feature victory at a half-mile fairgrounds track in Dothan, Ala., and raced at close to 60 different ovals in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee. He moved to Tallahassee, Fla., in 1942, and the town eventually became synonymous with Jones’ name whenever he was introduced to crowds at various racing events.
Originally a motorcyle racer who switched to four-wheeled vehicles, Jones’ popularity was unmatched during the latter years of his career. He participated in a television commercial for Ford Motor Company during the early 70s, and during the same era was filmed in a movie at now-defunct Thunderbowl Speedway in Valdosta, Ga. He also won the 1964 NASCAR Georgia-Florida Sportsman championship.
Jones is a member of the Jacksonville Racing Hall of Fame, and was also inducted into the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame on Oct. 26, 2007. He was one of few drivers from outside the state’s boundaries to join the hallowed group. He raced in Sportsman, Modifieds and Late Models during his illustrious career as the sport evolved and transitioned from division to division, and was perhaps most famous for his flaming blue No. 6 machines.
During the 1995 season at 72 years old, he won nine features and the Late Model Sportsman track championship at Gulf Coast Speedway in Wewahitchka, Fla., a track which opened in the early 90s and operated under several different names until it was shuttered for good in 2005 when its acreage was sold for a housing development. Two years after claiming that title, Jones won the Late Model Sportsman track championship in 1997 at Cordele (Ga.) Motor Speedway, which has now been converted to a paved facility.
A tragic incident during the summer of 1962 occurred when his younger brother Hulon was killed in a racing accident at Valdosta (Ga.) Speedway. Two weeks later, Jones claimed a victory in the Hulon Jones Memorial at the same facility, an event which was held to honor his brother.
About Crate Racin’ USA
The economical Chevrolet Performance 602 and 604 Circle Track Engine is utilized by competitors in the various divisions presented by Crate Racin’ USA. It’s in stock and available for free, next-day delivery from Newsome Raceway Parts in Hartsville, S.C.
Each engine is built and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications. To place an order, call 1-877-497-3624.
For more information and rules, visit the organization’s website at www.crateracinusa.com, or follow our extensive social media programs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Newsome Raceway Parts, a division of Raceway Chevrolet in Hartsville, S.C., is the title sponsor of Crate Racin’ USA. E-Z-GO Golf Carts is the title sponsor of the newly-established E-Z-GO $100,000+ Challenge.
Chevrolet Performance is an official sponsor of the organization, along with Advanced Laser & Machine, Cruise with the Champions, Hoosier Racing Tire, KRC Power Steering, Knowles Race Parts and Bodies, My Race Pass, VP Racing Fuels and Lubricants and Willy’s Carburetors.
Official chassis sponsors include Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis and CVR Race Cars.
Article Credit: Brian McLeod
