The Florida Winter Nationals was the first stop for the team in 2015. The team made a long awaited return to East Bay Raceway in Tampa where Jim was a top 10 car in the Sprint car division for many years. The return was great to see old friends but not good for racing. The team never got going and had a rough three nights. Jim had made the move in 2015 to become the General Manager of the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque, NM. Work and the new position took Jim away from racing in the spring until the team made it to Jackson Motor Speedway in May. With little seat time and USCS Speedweeks in play Jim again struggled. The team then asked the advice of Jack Elam with J&J Auto Racing and received some new birdcages for the car. These were the same that Donny Schatz was running and winning with the World of Outlaws. With this change to the car the team ran in the top 10 during a run through Georgia. The team then made two strong runs in Mississippi with again running near the top 10. The J&J chassis working great. We experienced a late year issue with the motor overheating and spoiled some good year ending finishes. The team in the Fall was very pleased with a strong top 10 finish at the legendary Riverside Speedway in Memphis. The year was complete with a first time trip to the Short Track Nationals in Little Rock, AR. With the rain and the one night of racing the team was able to get in, it turned out to be a flip fest. Rough track conditions resulted in a tough night, but Jim managed a 5th place finish in the B Main. The team will be visiting the PRI show this week and seek support for 2016. In 2016 it will be a celebration as it is Jim's 20th year racing Sprint Cars. A press release will be out in January sharing with the fans the teams plan to run some 410 and 360 National events throughout the country. Stay Tuned.
- James Perricone on Dec 09, 2015
- Article Date: 12/9/2015