Catchfence

Lebanon, Missouri’s Tony Jackson Jr. will get one step closer to his life-long goal of racing against his hero, Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he makes his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 250 this Saturday at the Martinsville Speedway.

Jackson will be behind the wheel of the SS Green Light Racing No. 07 Chevy Silverado when the green flag falls on March 27th. Jason Miller will call the shots for Jackson at the tricky half-mile track in southern Virginia.

Miller has experience mentoring young drivers, winning at Mansfield Speedway in 2008 with rookie Donnie Lia, “Tony is very smooth and consistent. He gives great feedback behind the wheel, which makes my job easier. We have learned a lot about each other in just a short time, and that will pay-off as the season goes on.”

“Consistency is key at a track like Martinsville,” Miller added. “The speed will come as the race goes on. Some of these guys will try to put a bumper to you and move you out of the way. We need to help Tony stay out of trouble and get to the end of the race where he can show us what he has learned.”

Tony recently tested with the Mooresville-based team at the half-mile Martinsville clone at Rockingham, NC. “The test was really good for us to learn about each other,” explained Jackson. “I feel like we made some big improvements in the truck and I am pretty happy with how it turned out.”

“I want to be able to run a consistent race to prove myself to the other competitors in the series,” he continued. “I feel like we have a good chance for a top-fifteen finish if we can stay out of trouble. It will be a challenge against the caliber of competition in the truck series especially at a place as tight as Martinsville.”

Like Miller, SS Green Light Racing General Manager Bobby Dotter has tutored many young drivers over the years, “We have all been very impressed with Tony since we met him earlier this year, he has spent a lot of time at the shop learning and gaining an understanding of the trucks. We all think he has the talent to succeed, I’ll do my best to be sure we make the most of his opportunity.”

Following his debut at Martinsville, plans are for Jackson to race near his home at Kansas Speedway followed by Texas, Gateway, Chicago, Las Vegas and the high banks of Talladega pending approvals.

There will be two practice sessions at Martinsville Speedway on Friday, March 26th with qualifying for the Kroger 250 at 4:30pm. The race will be shown live on SPEED TV at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 27th and will also be broadcast live on MRN Radio.

For more information on SS Green Light Racing visit www.SSRacingonline.com or e-mail pr@ssracingonline.com.

- SS Green Light Racing, Press Release