RALEIGH, N.C. – Logan Jones was prepared to settle for third in Saturday’s CARS Racing Tour Pro Late Model feature at Wake County Speedway in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Instead of picking up a career best finish, Jones found himself celebrating his first career victory after Caden Kvapil and Gio Ruggiero tangled while battling for the win on the final lap.
Having raced with the CARS Tour since 2017, Jones’ best performance across the PLM and Late Model Stock divisions prior to his upset win on Saturday was a fifth, which he obtained at Hickory Motor Speedway in the PLM Tour last year.
A late caution for Rusty Skewes’ crash gave Jones an opportunity to position himself for the win.
Even though he had been waiting for a caution, Jones was unsure his car would be strong enough to chase down Kvapil, who had dominated the entire evening. After Ruggiero inadvertently turned Kvapil in turn 3 coming to the checkered flag, Jones found himself in disbelief over the circumstances that led to his victory.
“We were saving there a little bit and I thought there was one more (competition) caution,” Jones said. “I spun the tires on the last restart, but I saw (Ruggiero) get really aggressive, and I had seen that play before. I knew we were in a good spot, and as it turns out, we were.”
Jones was hoping to just finish inside the top 5 when he and his small team arrived in Raleigh.
“This means everything,” Jones said. “My dad and I are a two-person team. We sweated all day because we didn’t think we had a good car in practice. He busts his tail at the shop and works about five or six hours (on the car). He is the reason I’m here and this one is for him.”
Kyle Campbell finished in second, with Katie Hettinger in third, Austin MacDonald in fourth, and Ruggiero in fifth.
Neither division of the CARS Tour will hit the track again until July 29 when both the LMSC and PLM Tour make their second trip to North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway. For more information, visit CARSRacingTour.com.
CARS Racing Tour
Wake County Speedway – Raleigh, NC
Race Results – July 8, 2023
1. Logan Jones
2. Kyle Campbell
3. Katie Hettinger
4. Austin MacDonald
5. Gio Ruggiero
6. George Phillips
7. Caden Kvapil
8. Joshua Horniman
9. Rusty Skewes
10. Ashton Higgins
