Winternational Winners: Levi Jones & Craig Dollansky

Sprint car racing might be described as grassroots ground rocketing. The cars are more frame than body twisted around an engine that seems too big for the metal around it. Even the big tires seem to overwhelm the car. With this kind of proportion anomaly, the track reality goes one step further when the cars roar against each other at speeds that push track potential.

If you're not familiar with sprint car racing, welcome to a quick analysis by two winners who know it better than most. No better place to know more about unique speed than by those who live it.

"If I get the opportunity to race against my boss on Sunday, some day I'd like to try it."
Levi Jones

"You got to get after it."
Craig Dollansky

Non-winged sprint car

Levi Jones may be filling the footprints of his famous boss, Tony Stewart, while piloting the Tony Stewart Motorsports Kistler-powered Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops No. 20 Maxim sprint car. Jones won the O'Reilly Sprint Bandits Tour 'N Topless race at East Bay Raceway Park's 31st Annual Winter Nationals in Tampa, Fla. He snared $10,000 in winnings for his efforts in a 40 lap feature.

Winged sprint car

Craig Dollansky got the most out of his familiar red No. 7 sponsored GATR Truck Center, Karavan and Team Race Chick while utilizing a Charlie Fisher engine. Dollansky captured the big win during the annual Sprint Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. and will take $10,000 home to Minnesota.

Interviewer Dwight Drum

Levi Jones

Some people don't know much about sprint cars. Could you explain it?
"Sprint car racing is grassroots racing, a lot of family-oriented type racing. Now it's big time corporate sponsors in our deal, but it's still exciting grassroots racing. That's the biggest benefit. It's not an all day event, but it's neat racing."

You work for a famous guy in Tony Stewart Racing. What's that opportunity like for you?
"It's a great opportunity in everything. It makes us able to come to race in Florida in January and run for the USAC championship all year long with everything you need to race. Racing for Tony also gives you the experience dealing with sponsors and things like that to prepare you for the future with that sort of stuff."

Do you have aspirations to move on?
"When I started my family wasn't into racing that much. I just fell in love with sprint car racing as a kid and that's all I ever really wanted to do. I held no goal of being a NASCAR driver. No one ever pushed me. You got to make it to NASCAR. Right now is making it big for me. I'm racing sprint cars and midgets for a living and enjoying it. I can't even explain it. If I get the opportunity to race against my boss on Sunday, some day I'd like to try it."

You're 24 and how long have you been racing?
"I've been racing for a while, go-karts since I was six."

Can you talk about being young like some NASCAR rookies and having a lot of experience?
"I think that's one of Tony's biggest deals, the guys having experience when they move up there. As a veteran he wants to race against guys every week that know how to race and have experience. They all definitely have top notch equipment. He just wants to race against guys that have experience. He feels like running these cars like he did and winning races and championships are how you become the best racer you can."

Can you explain what it's like to be around Tony Stewart?
"Nobody sees that he donates to all sorts of things. He built a park in Columbus, (Indiana) just all sorts of stuff that you never see. He's not necessarily the type of person that wants people to see that. He does it. He's just a racer. He's almost like a 12-year-old kid that just loves to race. That's the bottom line to Tony Stewart."

Do champions have common traits and abilities and if so could you identify a few?
"Oh definitely. They hate to lose and just have a killer instinct. I think one common trait in a champion would be, I think AJ Foyt said it, 'The will to prepare to win has to be greater than will to win.' That's something that I try to think of. You have to do whatever it takes to get ready to win not just what it takes to win."

Can you compare this challenge to future challenges you might have?
"I think challenges are what keep everybody driving, whether it's racing or in business or whatever they are doing. You always want to attack new challenges when you accomplish one. I really don't know what the challenges will be so I hope I get the chance to see if I can tackle them."

Craig Dollansky

How would explain to a person who is not yet a fan of sprint car racing about sprint car racing?
"One thing about sprint car racing is you have the element of surprise all the time. There are no mirrors on these cars. You really don't know what's going on behind you. Before you know it you can have a slide put on you and you can put it on somebody and they didn't know it was coming at them. Really the big thing is that you have the element of surprise in these cars and it's just good exciting racing."

What do you have inside you that transfers to better results than most obtain?
"I don't know. Each driver is different, but I mean for me this is what I do for a living and I come here to win like a lot of others. We just try to work hard at our program and just go out there and do the best that we can do and work hard at it and see where we can end up. We're definitely here to try to win the race like we are every night. I just don't know how some of the other drivers are as far as what their approach is but I put a lot of pressure on myself and our team."

Do champions have common traits and abilities and if so could you identify a few?
"I would say you definitely have to work on running consistently every night and you got to get after it every night you race. You can't just show up one night and feel like you're half sick and not apply yourself. It doesn't matter if you're sick or what the conditions are or what's going on. You got to get after it. The guys that win championships and win races are more of that type of person."

Do you think drivers ever stop learning at any level of motorsports?
"I don't think you ever stop learning. Nope. I think there is always room for improvement. I think the guys at the top that try to improve their game and get better continue to excel. If you ever thin you have learned everything there is to learn you're going to start going backwards."

How do you compare this challenges you have now to the challenges when you started racing?
"Obviously I had to go through a bit of a learning curve and understand the different types of tracks, short track, medium tracks, big tracks, track conditions, dry, slick tracks. So obviously you try to learn to all those different types of track conditions as well as your race car. Over the years I've raced on every type of track and have won races on every type of conditions. You just got to really try to work on your game as far as dealing with different types of racetracks and then working with race car and go out there and try to win races."