(Bill W) July 7, 2009 – Jesse “The Rocket” Hockett put together another solid week of racing, and capped it with his sixth win of the season at Double X Speedway near California, Missouri on Sunday. He’ll head to parts unknown this week, as the Lucas Oil ASCS National tour hits South Dakota before towing to the Pacific Northwest.
The weekend of racing started with USCS action on Thursday at Camden Motorsports Park near Camden, Tennessee. After finishing third in his heat, Jesse started eighth and ran up to finish fourth in the main event. “We hadn’t been to Camden before, so we did o.k.,” he says. “We chose wrong on the left rear tire for the feature. I passed some cars early, but we ended up getting passed by some other guys later on. There were some pretty good cars there and we were a fourth place car, but with the right tire, I think we would have been as good as anyone.”
A big weekend of racing for the ASCS National tour was on tap at the Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Tennessee. Driving the VKCC Motorsports/Tom Buch #13, Jesse started the July 4 weekend with a bang, running from seventh to second in his heat at the tight ¼ mile oval know as “The Ditch”. “The heat was the key for us,” he says. “To drive from the back up to second in the heat got us in the redraw by being the high point car. Unfortunately, we drew seven out of eight. The track was heavy on the bottom and top.”
The draw didn’t bother Jesse too much, and he drove up to a podium finish of third behind Tim Crawley, who swept the weekend’s events, and Travis Rilat. He put Tony Bruce Jr. behind him along the way. “We were able to pick our way forward there,” he says. “The track was to our liking, and we were able to get up to third. That gave us some momentum heading into Saturday night.”
With the top four locked into Saturday’s 50-lap finale, Jesse luck with the draw never came. “The track was quite a bit different (Saturday),” he says. “There were six pills, and we drew five out of six. We got up to third at one time, but we were running the high side, and that went away. I went back to the bottom and ran in fourth there pretty much the whole race. Gary Wright was able to get by us, right at the end.”
He explains his run to fifth. “Early on, the track was real greasy on the bottom,” he says. “It started to come in really well down there, and marbles were getting thrown up across the track. After that, it was pretty much locked down on the bottom, because it was so good down there. Around lap 30, it was slicking off, but the marbles were up top, so you had to stay low.”
Jesse jumped in the JHR #77 for a win in his heat and the feature on Sunday night at Double X Speedway in California, Missouri. “Obviously, we like running close to home at California, and it’s always good to win in front of our family and friends,” he said of his 15th win.
It will be awhile before Jesse will see home again. The ASCS National tour continues at the I-90 Speedway in Hartford, South Dakota on Saturday, and then heads to the Pacific Northwest. Jesse will beat the official tour, as he plans to catch on with Northwest Speedweek next week in Oregon before the National tour hits Washington.
On the Web
To learn more about Jesse “The Rocket” Hockett, including updated results and photos, visit http://jessehockett.homestead.com!
T-Shirt Trivia!
Last week’s answer: Jesse shared the driving duties with his father his first year of racing.
Last week’s winner: None
This week’s question: Who is the mystery crewman on the right-hand side of the Victory Lane photo below?
Each week, we’ll be giving away a Jesse Hockett t-shirt to our trivia winner! We will draw a winner from the correct answers submitted on Friday following the release. Submit your trivia answer, along with your name, address and t-shirt size to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net! Put "Hockett Trivia" in the subject line.
Rocket Rambles
Jesse will try to add to his win total as far as different states are concerned as he heads towards the Northwest with ASCS. He has won in eight states total: Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Pennsylvania.
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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/Tom Buch team, including Parker Store of Phoenix, AMS Waterfall Systems, Rod End Supply, LRB Manufacturing, Penske Shocks, Butlerbuilt Professional Seat Systems, Diversified Machine, Inc., Fischer Body Shop, Simpson, 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, Weld Racing, Spike Products, Maxwell, Red Onion Lounge, Engler, Barnes Dry Sump Oil Systems, FSR Racing Products, RH2, Canyon Apparel, JEI, Total Seal Piston Rings, JE Pistons and Wings Unlimited for all their help!.
Photo -
Jesse in Double X Speedway Victory Lane with Mystery crewman on the right (Paul Gray/LuvRacin.com Photo)
- Bill Wright on Jul 08, 2009
- Article Date: 7/8/2009