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Jones Brings Home Third Place at PASS Race at Southern National

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn – Southern National Motorsports Park has been a special place for Blake Jones and the Teddy Jones Racing team.  Last November, Jones brought home a second place finish in the 200 lap Thanksgiving Classic for the Late Model Stock Cars.  After a 35^th start position, Jones drove his way to the front and was in contention for a win.

Fast forward to this past weekend and the PASS South Super Late Model Series made it’s return to the high banked race track in Kenly, North Carolina.  Jones and crew would unload his Super Late Model for the first time since 2011.

“We’ve had the straight rail sitting in the shop the past few years.  It’s a really good piece, we led over 100 laps the last time it was run at Newport a few years ago.”  Said Jones.

Blake would unload the car on Saturday morning.  Right off the truck, the car was in the ballpark and the team knew they would have something to compete with come race time.  The qualifying effort wasn’t what was hoped for, but being locked into the top twenty was a big deal as the team wouldn’t have to run the Last Chance Qualifying race.

Race time rolled around and Jones would slowly work his way to the front.  By lap 75, Jones was knocking on the door of the top five after starting 18^th.  With the help of a few lucky breaks, Jones would break into the top five and give race leaders, Kyle Grissom , Preston Peltier and Jay Fogleman a run for their money.  Blake would get around Grissom with less than 15 laps to go for third.

Blake would bring home a solid third place finish in his first Super Late Model start of the season.

“I’m excited, to come home with a third place finish with a crate motor says a lot about how the car handled in the corners.” Said Jones after the race.

“We’ll be back this season to compete with these guys and hopefully get us a win in the straight rail car.”

Blake returns to the track this Friday night at the Kingsport Speedway for a 60 lap Late Model Stock race.

Blake Jones Will Start 27th in Saturday's 'DRIVE4COPD 125' at Bristol

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — Two times a year NASCAR racing comes to Bristol Motor Speedway which means one thing, excitement on the legendary .533-mile high-banked concrete oval in Northeast Tennessee.

Not only will the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series be in action at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” this weekend, for the second straight year the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will begin its season with a visit to BMS on Saturday, March 16. With 45 cars present for K&N Pro Series East qualifying for the DRIVE4COPD 125 on Thursday, that meant nine competitors would not make the 36-car starting lineup.

Blake Jones of Sevierville, driving the Airport Auto Auction of Alcoa/W.C. Mills Logging/Blake Jones Racing Center Indoor Go-Karts in Pigeon Forge/Baker’s Wrecker Service/Fast Cash Pawn/NAPA Auto Parts of Sevierville/Teddy Jones Racing/No. 80 Chevrolet Impala SS, toured the high banks at 16.325 seconds (117.538 mph) to secure the 27th starting position.

“We didn’t really qualify all that well, but we’ll have a good car Saturday in the race,” said the 16-year-old Jones back in the pits following qualifying after a debriefing session with his crew. “There’s a really strong field of cars assembled for this season-opening K&N Pro Series East event, with several cars being sent back home after not making the starting field during time trials. During the day in practice for us, basically we placed more emphasis working on race runs instead of just focusing on putting a setup under the car just for qualifying. I really believe that will benefit us on Saturday.

“I know we’ve got our car to where it’s driving pretty good. But starting back in the field in 27th, I’ll have to use my head and drive smart because with the race being 125 laps in length, that will be plenty of distance to work our way forward. I’d also say there will be several cautions and fast as this place is, it’s so easy to get caught up in deals not of your own making. Just to have the opportunity to be able race here at Bristol Motor Speedway where all the true legends in the sport have competed since back when the track opened in 1961, it’s just an awesome experience. It’s just a short drive up the interstate from my home in Sevierville, and it’s great that family and friends will be able to come see me race on Saturday.”

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East DRIVE4COPD 125 is slated to take the green flag on Saturday, March 16 at 4:45 p.m., which should be around 30 minutes following conclusion of the Nationwide Series event. The DRIVE4COPD 125 will be taped for showing at a later date on SPEED Channel.

Jones will also be racing Friday, March 15 in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at Kingsport Speedway, where he finished third in last weekend’s 2013 season-opener.

To learn more about Blake Jones, visit his website at www.BlakeJonesRacing.com … or contact Teddy Jones at (865) 388-2795 for possible sponsor and marketing partnerships with the race team. You can follow Jones on social media via Twitter @80BlakeJones and on Facebook at Blake Jones Racing.

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Press Release Prepared By:

Walden Motorsports Communications
Johnson City, TN

Jones Welcomes New Primary Sponsor Airport Auto Auction Onboard for 2013

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — The start to the 2013 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing season at Kingsport Speedway is on Saturday, March 9, and Blake Jones of Sevierville can’t wait for the green flag to wave. After all, Jones will be chauffeuring the car that Nate Monteith has wheeled to the past two track and also state NASCAR titles.

Blake Jones Racing is excited to welcome onboard as primary sponsor for the season Airport Auto Auction in Alcoa, one of the top auto auctions in the state of Tennessee. The Airport Auto Auction logo will appear on the hood of the No. 80 Chevrolet Camaro throughout the season, while the “Premier Dealer of the Month” program will see a different auto dealer’s identity placed on the quarter panels of the race car each month.

“We want to welcome the good folks at Airport Auto Auction in Alcoa onboard our race car as primary sponsor this season,” said 16-year-old Jones, a Sevier County High School student. “They’re excited to be a part of our racing efforts in 2013 as we’ll be competing to win races and ultimately capture both the Kingsport Speedway and Tennessee State NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championships. They’ve got a really cool deal put together where they’ll have their logo across the hood of the race car, and then they’re going to feature the ‘Premier Dealer of the Month’ and have a different auto dealer’s business along the quarter panels for a month at a time.

“I’m really thankful to have them backing me, and I just hope for great success so we can make it a win-win deal for all parties involved. As a racer you want to race, and it’s been a long time since the end of last racing season. It’s now time to get down to business. It all begins this Saturday, and I’m ready to strap-in and put the helmet on and go racing.”

The decision to put Jones into a proven championship-winning ride began with Monteith serving as racing mentor to the teenager over the past couple of seasons. Monteith has 67 career Late Model feature wins, plus four track championships to his credit, two each at Kingsport Speedway and Lonesome Pine Raceway.

You’ve also got a very highly respected individual in the motorsports world in Wade Day, who will be calling the shots as crew chief for Jones. Day is who first guided a then 13-year-old Jones when he stepped up from racing INEX-sanctioned Legend cars to driving a full-bodied stock car. Jones captured the 2010 Lonesome Pine (Coeburn, Va.) Raceway championship, thus becoming the youngest driver to ever win a Late Model track title at LPR.

“I guess it goes without saying, I’m going to be driving a car that’s definitely a proven race- and also championship-winning ride,” said Jones while thinking about the caliber of equipment he will be driving in 2013. “Over the last couple of seasons I’ve learned a lot about racing from watching Nate (Monteith) and how he gets around Kingsport Speedway. Not just Nate, but also my crew chief Wade Day, he’s won a lot of races in the past at Kingsport and also has a track championship to his credit. So having both of them in my corner with all of their experience in both driving and working on race cars, I really feel this is going to be the best season to date in my racing career. Besides Nate and Wade heading up the operation, we’ve just got an overall great group of people who will be working on the car – both at the shop during the week and on race night.

“I’m very thankful for the opportunity to be with such a great racing team. Because I know when we arrive at the track I’m going to have a great car to race that night, and the rest is just up to me. I’ve got to get up on the wheel and drive the car the way I know I’m capable, and by doing that we’ll be in contention to accomplish our goals of winning races and also contending for the track championship.”

Besides the season-opener at Kingsport Speedway on Saturday, March 9, Jones is also looking forward to racing at Bristol Motor Speedway as part of the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series weekend. It will be a doubleheader racing weekend for Jones as he will race at Kingsport on Friday, March 15 and then will compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East 125-lap event on Saturday, March 16 at BMS, which will follow running of the Nationwide Series race at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile.

The No. 80 Chevrolet Camaro Jones will drive at Kingsport Speedway in 2013 will carry sponsorship from Airport Auto Auction in Alcoa, W.C. Mills Logging, Blake Jones Racing Center Indoor Go-Karts in Pigeon Forge, Baker’s Wrecker Service, Fast Cash Pawn, NAPA Auto Parts of Sevierville, Performancenter Racing Warehouse, Upchurch Racing Engines, Griffin Radiators, Circle Racing Wheels, Pro Fabrication Racing Exhaust Systems, Hayworth Racing Brakes, Amsoil, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, AR Bodies Aluminum Racing Products, ProParts Engineering Performance, The Joie of Seating, Primetime Designs Race Decals, and WD Performance.

To learn more about Blake Jones, visit his website at www.BlakeJonesRacing.com … or contact Teddy Jones at (865) 388-2795 for possible sponsor and marketing partnerships with the race team. You can follow Blake Jones on social media via Twitter @80BlakeJones and on Facebook at Blake Jones Racing.

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Press Release Prepared By:

Walden Motorsports Communications
Johnson City, TN

Jones Eyes Kingsport Speedway NASCAR Championship Run in 2013

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — Blake Jones turned 16 years of age last week and made the trip down to the Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicles to get his driver’s license. The Sevier County High School student is now officially licensed and ready to drive – on the highway. But that’s just a formality, because he’s been behind the wheel racing full-bodied stock cars since he first became a teenager.

Winning races is nothing new for Jones, as he captured Tennessee State and World Karting Association titles racing go-karts, along with INEX-sanctioned Bandolero Bandit and Legend championships, before making the move up to wheeling a Late Model.

Jones made his Late Model debut one to be remembered, as he not only recorded Rookie-of-the-Year honors at Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, Va., but also captured the track championship on strength of five feature wins and 16 top-five finishes. He also competed part-time in the Charger division, where he parked in victory lane on three occasions. When all was said and done, the 13-year-old Jones wrote his name in the LPR record book as the youngest driver to ever win a Late Model track title.

So it goes without saying, Jones brings impressive credentials along for his new ride with Monteith Racing in 2013, where he will be chauffeuring the two-time defending Kingsport Speedway NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship-winning ride at “The Concrete Jungle.”

With a total of four championships at both Kingsport Speedway and Lonesome Pine Raceway (two at each track), along with 67 career Late Model feature wins, veteran racer Nate Monteith has decided to step away from the driver’s seat and assume the role of car-owner for the 2013 racing season.

“When you look at what we accomplished the past two seasons at Kingsport Speedway, winning 10 races each year and capturing track titles and also the Tennessee State NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championships, our record speaks for itself as to what kind of operation Monteith Racing is,” said the 31-year-old Monteith. “I’m a racer, that’s the bottom line. I began racing go-karts when I was a kid before moving up to running a Late Model as a teenager. I know I’m going to have mixed feelings at the first race of the season when I look out at the field of cars lined up and I’m in the pits with a radio headset on instead of sitting behind the wheel.

“But following the birth of my son last year, I’m now also a family man and I’m seeing things in a different view. I’m looking ahead to the future of my family, and therefore I began a new auto and truck sales business (Lightning Auto Sales, located on Hwy. 11-E in Piney Flats) last fall. I need to concentrate on getting the business venture really established to the point I envision it to hopefully become. I just felt the time was right for me to step away from the driving aspect and find a talented driver to put in the seat of the Monteith Racing Chevrolet.”

And the hand-picked talented driver for Monteith Racing in 2013 is Jones, who Monteith served as racing mentor over the past couple of seasons. Also stepping to the plate to call the shots for young Jones will be crew chief Wade Day, a very highly respected individual in the motorsports industry. Day’s accomplishments behind the wheel of a race car include an International Sport Compact Auto Racing Series championship along with two NASCAR Weekly Racing Series regional titles. Day also guided the move for Jones from Legend car racing into Late Model competition, so there’s good chemistry already established between Day and Jones.

With a strong finish to end the 2012 season which saw him run a partial schedule at Kingsport Speedway while also making starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, Rev-Oil Pro Cup Series and United Auto Racing Association-Southern Touring Asphalt Racing Series, Jones cannot wait for the first green flag of the 2013 racing season to wave. He’s looking to win races and also capture his first-ever NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock championship at Kingsport Speedway.

Jones wrapped up 2012 with a couple of top-five finishes at prestigious events in North Carolina. He recorded a fourth-place finish last November in the season-finale event for the UARA-STARS at Rockingham Speedway competing in The Classic 3 Championship presented by Richard Childress Racing Museum, then followed that up with a strong runner-up showing at Southern National Motorsports Park, located in Lucama, in the Thanksgiving All-Star Classic. The second-place run for Jones came after he was a last-minute substitute driver called upon by Fat Head Racing and Hedgecock Racing Enterprises to fill the duties for their sick driver. Jones had never laid eyes on the SNMP venue, but he charged his way to the front after starting the event shotgun (35th) on the field.

“I guess it goes without saying, I’m going to be driving a car that’s definitely a proven race- and also championship-winning ride,” said a smiling Jones while thinking about what lies ahead this season driving for Monteith Racing. “Over the last couple of seasons I’ve learned a lot about racing from watching Nate (Monteith) and how he gets around Kingsport Speedway. Not just Nate, but also my crew chief Wade Day, he’s won a lot of races in the past at Kingsport and also has a track championship to his credit. So having both of them in my corner with all of their experience, I really feel 2013 is going to be the best season to date in my racing career. Besides Nate and Wade heading up the operation, my car chief will be Duke Bare, while my longtime spotter, Jeremy Hughes, will handle duties talking to me over the radio. All the crew guys on the team will be back that were on the pit crew for Monteith Racing last year.

“I’ve just got to get up on the wheel and drive the car each week the way I know I’m capable, and by doing that we’ll be in contention to accomplish our goals of winning races and also contending for the track championship. I’m really looking forward to getting the season started. Driving for my family owned Teddy Jones Racing team over the last two years I had some good battles on the track with Nate, and I really learned just what it takes to become a champion from watching him and how he gets around Kingsport Speedway. Now it’s all up to me to show what I can do in the Monteith Racing equipment, because I know every week when we come to the track that I’ll be in the hunt to take the checkered flag. And that’s what it’s all about – running up front and winning races.”

The season-opener at Kingsport Speedway is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, March 9, and week-in and week-out expect to see stellar car counts representing the Volunteer State, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia competing at the .375-mile banked concrete oval.

Jones will get his 2013 season started in the month of February down in the Sunshine State by competing in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model portion of the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Feb. 18-19.

To learn more about Blake Jones, visit his website atwww.BlakeJonesRacing.com … or contact Teddy Jones at (865) 388-2795 for possible sponsor and marketing partnerships with the race team. You can follow Blake Jones on social media via Twitter @80BlakeJones and on Facebook at Blake Jones Racing.

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Press Release Prepared By:

Walden Motorsports Communications
Johnson City, TN
(423) 483-8209