Although Pro Stock driver Rickie Jones didn’t qualify for the NHRA national event at Norwalk, Ohio in June, it didn’t ruin his season.
Jones, who pilots the Elite Motorsports Pontiac GXP, was still 10th in the point standings.
However, with the West Coast swing – consecutive races in Seattle, Sonoma, Calif., and Denver to follow – Jones’ team decided to change its focus and sit out those events.
“We took time off so they (the team) could work on the engines,” the 23-year-old Jones said. “If we were out West, those three races in a row would have made it really hard for them to improve our engines from now until Indy. We want to make gains before Indy and try and focus on running well the rest of the year.”