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Jones back in USAC saddle with Silver Crown ride at DuQuoin Mile Sunday

            One of USAC's most proficient drivers, Levi Jones, will return to the cockpit Sunday night in the "Ted Horn 100" USAC Silver Crown race at the beautiful DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds.
            The one-mile oval sits just an hour southeast of Jones' present residence of Swansea, Ill. and about the same distance southwest of his hometown of Olney, Ill. and his appearance will end his USAC hiatus, which began just over a year ago. Last year he recorded his third career Silver Crown victory in the prestigious Hoosier Hundred" in Indianapolis, Ind. and he has 28 career Sprint wins and four in the Midgets.
            Jones will pilot the famed #56 entry for long-time car owner Galen Fox, the 1994 DuQuoin winner with Chuck Gurney driving. Fox also entered the recent Springfield race with driver Jon Stanbrough.
            The 2010 and 2011 USAC Silver Crown Champion and five-time USAC National Sprint Car Champion looks forward to Sunday's race: "It's a race I'd like to win, for sure," says Levi. "Not having competed full-time in a year or so, I feel like the miles (DuQuoin and Springfield) are ones where you can race and have some fun and I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to drive for Galen. "He's definitely got a car that can win the race. DuQuoin has special meaning for me, so close to my home. We used to go to the races every year and I've been going there for more than 20 years now."
            Jones' last USAC appearance came in last year's "Eastern Storm" Sprint races in Pennsylvania and New Jersey where he recorded three "top-10s."
            He'll face a formidable field of USAC Champions and Illinois veterans. They include USAC driving champions Bobby East, Tracy Hines, Dave Darland, Chris Windom, Russ Gamester, Kody Swanson, Robbie Ray, Jerry Coons Jr. and Caleb Armstrong, plus Illinois vets (Windom included) Patrick Lawson, A.J. Fike, Zach Daum, Steven Russell, Randy Bateman, Shane Cockrum and Chris Urish.
            Urish shocked the series regulars with his "Ted Horn 100" victory a year ago, while Fike also has a couple of recent victories in the "Tony Bettenhausen 100" at the Illinois State Fairgrounds which returns to Springfield next week (September 7).
            Practice at DuQuoin begins at 5 pm, followed by qualifications and the 100-mile "Ted Horn 100."

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