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Sprint Car
Sunday, 27 July 2008

49TH "JAMES/O'CONNOR MEMORIAL" AT SALEM SUNDAY

49TH "JAMES/O'CONNOR MEMORIAL" AT SALEM SUNDAY; "TWILIGHT" TIMETABLE CALLS FOR RACING AT 5 PM

Levi Jones of Avon, Ind. leads the USAC National Sprint Car Series into Sunday evening's 49th Indiana Stone Works "Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial" at the Salem (Ind.) Speedway, an event which has been adjusted timewise to accommodate participants traveling from the USAC Midget program in Belleville, Kansas the previous night.

Sunday's Salem activities include USAC Sprint Car practice at 4 pm and the first USAC Sprint heat race is expected to start at about 5:15. The feature is a 50-lapper.

Sunday's race marks the 49th time the traditional race has been held at Salem, last year's feature rained out before the halfway point. Bryan Clauson won the 2006 running of the event which debuted in 1953 and honors the memory of two of auto racing's most celebrated Sprint Car drivers.

Jones has never won then race but his Tony Stewart Racing teammate Tracy Hines has, in 2001. Other former race winners expected to compete include Eric Gordon (2000) and Dave Darland (1999).

Jones' current series point lead is 47 over Jerry Coons Jr., who has helped raise his Hoffman Auto Racing team's all-time USAC career leading feature victory total to 72 this year. Hines is third in the latest series points.