4/7/2010
Sprint Source
Rocket Hockett - Nothing Saves a Trip Like A Win!
(Bill W) April 7, 2010 – Staring at the prospects of a wasted trip to Ohio, “The Rocket” Jesse Hockett found redemption by winning the “No Way Out 40” at Twin Cities Raceway Park in North Vernon, Indiana on Saturday night. The race was not scheduled, but was necessary after a USAC Eldora cancellation forced the VKCC Motorsports #75 team back on the road.
Track conditions were to blame for the cancellation at Eldora. “That’s a place that I want to win real bad,” says Jesse of the famous high-banked oval. “We went out there because we had the week off from ASCS. We always run well there. Once we got there, we knew it wasn’t happening. The track wasn’t even close to being prepared right.”
Jesse describes the track. “It was soft and dusty and chunking out. We didn’t think it was a good idea to race, but we had towed all the way out there. If they had run, we would have too. The right decision was made to cancel it, and the rain helped cancel on Saturday.”
The “No Way Out 40” at North Vernon’s banked 3/8 mile oval could not have been named any better considering Jesse’s choices on Saturday. “We headed to North Vernon,” he says. “It was our second time there. Fortunately, it paid pretty good money to win. We ended up stopping there and making the trip count.”
Things started well with group qualifying. “We got off to a good start in qualifying,” says Jesse. “They did it as a group and we were the fastest. That put us on the pole of the heat, and we were able to win it.”
Winning the fifth heat put the Warsaw, Missouri driver inside row three for the main event. “We were set up for the end of the race,” says Jesse. “Early, we were just kind of holding on. We got passed by a few guys and were running ninth for a while. We battled back from there, got aggressive, and got by some guys.”
His surge continued, and he battled for position. “We got to racing really hard for third with Casey Shuman,” says Jesse. “We raced for five or six laps, and in the meantime, we were catching (Dave) Darland and (Jon) Stanbrough. They were racing hard as well. They may not have known there was rubber in the middle of the track, and Shuman and I ran them down pretty quick.”
A late restart sealed the fate for the lead pair who made contact and took themselves out. “I was able to get by Shuman right before a yellow came out late in the race,” says Jesse. “On the restart, was when Darland and Stanbrough got together. That put us up front, and we were able to win it. That was a big swing, because we were looking at losing around $4,000 on a wasted trip to Eldora.”
Jesse is thankful for the provider of his power under the hood. “We picked up our Gary Stanton Mopar engine on the way out, and that thing was thumping all night long,” he says. “I can’t say enough about the power that we get out of that engine. I’m just excited about running it the rest of the year.”
This week, the wings will go back on as Jesse will tackle Lone Star Speedway near Kilgore, Texas on Friday night, and the I-30 Speedway near Little Rock, Arkansas on Saturday with the Lucas Oil ASCS Natonal Series.
On the Web
To learn more about Jesse “The Rocket” Hockett, including updated results and photos, visit http://JesseHockett.com!
Rocket Rambles
Jesse has an impressive record at I-30 Speedway, not unlike a lot of other bullrings. He is looking for his first win there, but has accrued eleven top tens in just 18 feature attempts. He finished fourth there in 2006 behind Tim Crawley, Cody Gardner and Darren Stewart. Mike Ward was fifth. His last trip was an eighth place run at last November’s Short Track Nationals.
Partner Spotlight – Gary Stanton Mopar Engines
Jesse says – “I picked Gary up as a sponsor in the middle of last year. We won Oskaloosa and some other big races with him, and I can’t say enough about him and the craftsmanship he puts into his engines.”
Gary Stanton partnered with Mopar Performance Parts, and following a year of development in 1995, won the USAC Silver Crown Owner/Driver championship in 1996 with Jimmy Sills. Since that time, Gary won the first World of Outlaws title (1999) with Karl and Mark Kinser, and he continues to build motors. Since first building motors in 1964, Gary has worked with many drivers including Junior Parkinson, Rick Ferkel, Ron Shuman (winning the ’79 Nationals), Rickey Hood, Doug Wolfgang, Steve Kinser (taking him to Indy), Brad Doty and countless others! Gary was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2001.
Rocket Hockett
“Rocket Hockett” is an up close look at the past, present and future of Jesse Hockett. To receive "Rockett Hockett", send an e-mail to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net with "Hockett" in the subject line.
Jesse would like to thank the partners of the VKCC Motorsports #75 and the JHR #77 teams including Parker Store of Phoenix, Rod End Supply, M&W Aluminum Products, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Don Ott Racing Engines, Gary Stanton Mopar, Vortex Wings, Penske Shocks, Butlerbuilt Professional Seat Systems, Diversified Machine, Inc., Fischer Body Shop, Simpson, SWE, Maxwell Shock Dynos, Hoosier, Conroy Bleeders, ARP Fasteners, Indy Race Parts, Massey’s Truck and Tank Repair, RMS Racing Engines, Pro Powder Coating, Korte Transportation, Rocket Graphics, Lucas Oil, Engler, Weld Racing, Spike Products, Maxwell, Red Onion Lounge, Engler, Barnes Dry Sump Oil Systems, FSR Racing Products, Canyon Apparel, JEI, Total Seal Piston Rings and JE Pistons for all their help!.
(Paul Arch Photo)
Submitted By: Bill Wright
