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(Bill W) May 27, 2009 – A typical race week encompassing winged 410’s, winged 360’s, non-wing 410’s and USAC Silver Crown cars made Warsaw, Missouri’s Jesse “The Rocket” Hockett a busy man. Six races saw three top five finishes, and Jesse has planned another busy week ahead. He’ll race Thursday with USCS at Little Rock and Friday in Monticello, Arkansas. He’ll head back to Lake Ozark Speedway and Double X Speedway on Saturday and Sunday closer to home. He then heads East next week with USAC. Things started for Jesse a week ago in the VKCC Motorsports/Tom Buch #13 at Grandview Speedway near Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania. With all the central PA shoes on hand, he registered the ninth quick time of the night and ran strong in his heat from fourth to second. Starting seventh in the 35-lap event, it was evident something was amiss on the car. “We lost our rear brakes right away,” he says. “It was a malfunction, and we ended up getting sideways, backing into the wall and tipping over. It was disappointing, especially with Tom Buch there, but we’ll be back next week.” The non-wing car was ready for the Terre Haute Action Track in Indiana and the Tony Hulman Classic on Thursday. The result for Jesse was a 4th quick time, a run from eighth to fourth in the feature, and a podium finish. “Terre Haute went well,” he says. “We’ve been good in the USAC car all year. An early draw for qualifying helped. In the feature, we were up to second, battling with Levi Jones for the lead. We had kind of left the rest of the pack behind. With seven laps to go, we had a restart and I went for the win instead of settling for second. That didn’t work, and it allowed Bryan Clauson to get by and we finished third.” The Carl Edwards/RE Technologies #991 Silver Crown car was next up. The Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis was on the card Friday night. “We were scrambling all night on the mile,” says Jesse. “We missed the setup in the feature. We were kind of running in the back, but managed to run from 23rd to 12th. I got into the fence and the tire went down. That cost us a possible top ten, and we ended up 16th after falling out.” The two-day Steve King Memorial in Jetmore, Kansas was up next. The Lucas Oil ASCS National series brought heavy hitters for the $10,000 to win finale. Jesse fell one spot out of a transfer in Saturday’s prelim. “Saturday was kind of a continuation of Texas (Devil’s Bowl) for us,” he says. “We drew bad and got in the back of a strong heat race. We haven’t drawn below 50 yet with ASCS. We just couldn’t get there. The B was the same way. We ended up one spot out of a transfer.” After running fifth in his Sunday heat, Jesse finished in the third and final transfer in the B. He started the 35-lap finale outside of row eleven. He proceeded to put on a show we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, driving past 17 cars on his way to a fifth place finish. “Obviously, Sunday we were running well,” he says. “It was a lot of fun, and we were able to pass a lot of cars along the way.” The Jesse Hockett Racing #77 was in the trailer, and on the way back from Jetmore, why not fit another race in? The NCRA series was at 81 Speedway near Wichita, and Jesse registered another podium finish. “We ran second to Danny Wood in the heat, and then had a good battle with Jack Dover and Jason Martin in the feature,” he says. “We were able to get by them and run down Jason Johnson and Danny Wood, but by then the rubber had been laid, and we followed them in third.” Jesse will hit tomorrow night’s USCS Speedweek show at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock with the #77. Then USCS heads to the Drew County Speedway in Monticello, Arkansas. The team will return to Lake Ozark Speedway near Eldon, Missouri on Saturday for local action, before ending the weekend at Double X Speedway in California, Missouri. Next week, USAC’s eastern swing hits Pennsylvania. Sprintcar and Midget Magazine! Jesse is the cover story for June’s edition of Sprintcar and Midget Magazine. Dave Argabright did a great job with the story! Go pick it up now! On the Web To learn more about Jesse “The Rocket” Hockett, including updated results and photos, visit http://jessehockett.homestead.com! T-Shirt Trivia! Last week’s answer (explanation from Lonnie Wheatley): Jesse has won races in seven states (Missouri, Kansas, Arizona, Louisiana, California, Florida, Indiana) and also in Western Australia. Last week’s winner: Chad Van Houweling of Pella, IA This week’s question: In how many race events did Jesse compete in 2008? Each week, we’ll be giving away a Jesse Hockett t-shirt to our trivia winner! We will draw a winner from the correct answers submitted on Friday following the release. Submit your trivia answer, along with your name, address and t-shirt size to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net! Put "Hockett Trivia" in the subject line. Rocket Rambles Jesse is off to a hot start with the USAC sprint car series and sits third in the national point standings. In eight starts, he has four top three finishes, with his only finish outside the top seven, on the pavement at Anderson Speedway. He is seeking his first win this year, with his top finish being a second at Las Vegas Motor Speedway behind Cole Whitt, and ahead of Johnny Herrera, Jon Stanbrough and Dave Darland. Partner Spotlight – Schoenfeld Headers With its new location in Van Buren, Arkansas and having been founded in 1974, Schoenfeld Headers is the largest circle track header manufacturer in the world. Schoenfeld Headers listens to you, their customer, understanding your needs and giving you a quality product at a fair price. Visit them online at www.SchoenfeldHeaders.com! Rocket Hockett “Rocket Hockett” is an up close look at the past, present and future of Jesse Hockett. To receive "Rockett Hockett", send an e-mail to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net with "Hockett" in the subject line. Jesse would like to thank the partners of the VKCC Motorsports/Tom Buch team, including Parker Store of Phoenix, AMS Waterfall Systems, Rod End Supply, LRB Manufacturing, Penske Shocks, Butlerbuilt Professional Seat Systems, Diversified Machine, Inc., Fischer Body Shop, Simpson, Hoosier, Conroy Bleeders, ARP Fasteners, Indy Race Parts, Massey’s Truck and Tank Repair, RMS Racing Engines, Pro Powder Coating, Korte Transportation, Rocket Graphics, Lucas Oil, Weld Racing, Spike Products, Maxwell, Red Onion Lounge, Engler, Barnes Dry Sump Oil Systems, FSR Racing Products, RH2, Canyon Apparel, JEI, Total Seal Piston Rings, JE Pistons and Wings Unlimited for all their help!.
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