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Buckshot back at Snowball!


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Buckshot is back; Jones Returns to Racing at Snowball Derby®

 

Roy Jones is returning to the arena where he last did battle twelve years ago. No it’s not the boxing ring, but rather Five Flags Speedway, where NASCAR Busch and Cup driver Roy “Buckshot” Jones will return to action after a 4-year hiatus from the sport. The former Golden Gloves boxer competed in the ’93 and ’94 Snowball Derbies before moving on to the Busch Series where he garnered three poles and two victories. Jones was twice named the Most Popular Driver in the series before entering Winston Cup competition in 2000. He dropped out of competition in 2002 because of family business commitments.

 

The call to return to the short-track battles came at the urging of friend and former crewman, Kasey Dunn. When Jones learned that Jerry “Scoot” Rice, to whom he had sold his racing equipment several years earlier, had a second car available for the Derby, his interest perked. The knockout punch came when he found out his old crew-chief, Keith Hinkien and engine-builder Pat Chauncey were also involved. Jeremy Rice will be behind the wheel of the team’s other entry.

 

“These were the guys I used to race with and I would never pass up such an opportunity,” relates Jones. There was one condition. He had to get some seat time at the Pensacola speedway. “Being out of a car for so long, I couldn’t just plan on unloading and making the race. You get rusty over time. It’s a race I really enjoyed running earlier, but it’s an extremely tough field to crack.”

 

The Georgia-based team will be coming to town to practice tomorrow (Wednesday) and an old friend will be on hand to lend advice. Defending Snowball Derby® Champion, “Eddie Mercer told me to come on down for some testing and he’d help me out,” says Jones. If a competitor is going to have someone in their corner at the famous speedplant, Mercer would certainly be a good choice.

 

Jones, Rice, and Mercer will all be shaking down their equipment on Wednesday in a private practice session and race fans are welcome to stop by the track and watch.

 

The 39th Annual Snowball Derby® activities are scheduled from Wednesday, November 29 through Sunday, December 3. For more information go to www.snowballderby.com or for tickets call (850)944-8400.

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