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The USAC national sprint car drivers are chasing defending champ Levi Jones and his points title. Jones, meanwhile, is in pursuit of a different group of drivers.

Jones wants to follow the groove left by former USAC drivers and current NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Dave Blaney, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart and J.J. Yeley.

Jones also looks to follow in former teammate Josh Wise's tire tracks. Wise, the 2006 USAC sprint champ, is now a developmental driver for Michael Waltrip Racing and competes in the ARCA Re/Max Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Busch Series.

Winning his second USAC title last season and hooking up with Tony Stewart Racing won't hurt his chances.

"That's one thing driving for Tony Stewart," Jones said. "That's a good guy to go to for advice about everything in the racing world, especially advice on what to do to get into NASCAR.

"We'll try to get hooked up with a good (NASCAR) team like I am here. Having a good team and good people around you is one of the most important things. I look forward to getting an opportunity to do something else."

For now, though, Jones is out to defend his title. He finished fourth in USAC's season-opening race at Gas City I-69 Speedway on Friday, April 18. Rain wiped out the Saturday show for USAC, which heads over to Winchester Speedway today, April 20, for the 30-lap Rich Vogler Classic. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. with racing at 2 p.m.

"When you are the defending champion I guess you have a little bit of a bulls-eye on your back," said Jones, who also won a USAC sprint title in 2005. "We'll have to make sure we're ready to go and I'm ready to go and see how things turn out this year."

For Jones, 2007 was certainly a season to remember. And it helped him forget all about a miserable 2006. Two seasons ago — Jones' first with Tony Stewart Racing — he won the season-opening USAC/CRA race at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Ariz. He didn't win again.

In 2007, driving for TSR and Chevrolet — which brought its American Revolution to open-wheel racing for the first time — Jones celebrated an uprising of his own. He won four races, racked up 21 Top 10 finishes and 11 Top 5 finishes.

"Getting used to everything at Tony Stewart Racing," Jones said of the difference between '06 and '07. "Hopefully we can double what we did last year. With Tony, he hired us because he knows we can win races. If we get everything right we can make it happen and not have any problems."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2400, ext. 6991 or gbilling@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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