Davey Jones’ “passion” is Sprint car racing. He has been behind the wheel of a Sprint for 42 years and hopes to compete one more season after this year.

“My ex-wife Diane, who is a great lady, once said to me, don’t stay so long that they have to ask you to leave!,” he said.

Looking ahead, Jones said, “I will miss all my friends. Jack Sodeman Sr. and Ed Lynch Sr. have helped me tremendously over the years. They have been great to me! I raced with them, their sons and now Lynch’s, grandson Sye.” His idol was the late Buddy Cochran.

Jones’ dad, Bud Jones, and Whitey Hollowood (Heidelberg Pit Steward) used to go to the races together. In 1975, Bud Jones decided to buy an old Trevis Sprint that was driven by the late Micky Banas.

Davey had never raced an oval track division before the Sprint class. They tried two races that year, but then competed full time during 1976, the Bicentennial year. Thus his dad decided to make the car number 76. They are a low budget team that got the maximum out of the minimum.

“I have learned that racing is not for lazy people. It takes hard work, team work and people focused on wanting the same thing,” said Jones.

He has been in racing for the love of it. Bob Walters builds his motors.

Jones added, “When it becomes too hard like work and not fun, then it is time to quit.”

Over the years, Jones has won three features, one at Lernerville and two at Hickory Speedway. He scored a main event in Buzzy Usinger’s 360-powered Sprint and one in his 410 racer. He has checkered 31 heat races. He garners a Hickory track points championship that had Johnny Beaber finishing behind him.

Jones’ most memorable race was winning a World of Outlaws Sprint B-Main race, starting 12th with three restarts that had veteran WoO drivers Danny Lasoski and Randy Hannigan in it.

Jones has three children. Cody, 30, owns a skateboard company and has worked with him at his Warrendale body shop since he was 12 years old. Annie brings her two children to the races, and Adam works with Travis Pastrano in the Nitrous Circus Motorcycle stunt show, recently featured in Pittsburgh.

Though his boys raced motorcycles, neither of them wanted to race stock cars.

Last year, Jones bought a first new frame in 17 years. At the track, the young drivers are helping him with the new technology.

“Brent Matus has answered a lot of question for me,” said Jones. “I have a lot of phone calls to Billy Dietrich in Harrisburg who helps me to set up the car to stay competitive.”

One wish that Jones would have for today’s race car drivers would be for them to experience being around the late promoters Don Martin and Jack Gunn.

“I hope that they get to experience someone the way I experienced Don Martin,” he said. “They were promoters that really cared about you and the sport. Jimmy Roenigk was the closest. Jimmy and his brother Ouch (Roenigk) cared about you and you knew they had your back. I miss those guys. They were the best!”

Looking back over his life there is one thing Jones would change: “I would pay attention more to the people around me than I ever did!”

Larson a winner

Before a packed house at Lernerville, NASCAR driver Kyle Larson won the Lernerville WoO Don Martin Memorial Sprint race. When he is done at NASCAR, his goal is to run full time with WoO Sprints. He loves racing Sprint cars on dirt!

Hill makes return

After 15 years, Chad Hill recently returned to Lernerville driving a brand new winged Sprint for owner Mark Willman, a former sponsor who now lives in Florida. Unfortunately, the car had fuel issues and Hill’s night ended after the heat race.

Wampum’s Tommy Marshall was back racing his own Modified after 13 years. He debuted his 2013 Bicknell Chassis saying that he had got the “itch” again.

Hall of Famer

Leechburg native Brian Swartzlander will be inducted into the Northeast DIRT Modified Hall of Fame todayin Weedsport, NY.

Swartzlander, Lernerville’s All-Time Modified wins leader with 94, was inducted into the track’s Hall of Fame in March. He has 15 track titles and 171 victories at various tracks in the Tri-State area.

Carol Gamble is a racing columnist for the Butler Eagle