Jimmy Owens
The four-time and defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion is not having the sort of season he would have hoped for up to this point in 2021. Jimmy Owens currently sits 11th in the series standings with no feature wins on that national touring series. In the 14 Lucas Oil races contested so far in 2021, the Newport, TN driver has yet to score a win and has tallied two top-5 and six top-10 results.
The No. 20 machine’s lone victory to this point came in a preliminary event for the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series-sanctioned Rock Gault Memorial at the Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, SC.
Owens is coming off of a season in which he not only won the LOLMDS championship but also scored 11 wins and registered a very impressive 29 top-5 and 35 top-10 results on that tour. ‘The Newport Nightmare’ also collected eight checkered flags in 2020 while racing apart from Lucas Oil competition. It was one of the best seasons ever for a driver who has had a career filled with great seasons.
A key factor in the lack of success for Owens up to this point has come at the beginning of each racing night. The Ramirez Motorsports team has struggled in qualifying and heat races which has led to poor starting positions. While the No. 20 Rocket Chassis has been able to make up places in the feature races, taking the green flag buried deep on the starting grid makes for an uphill climb, even for one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Always willing to accept responsibility for his team’s results, Owens points out that his cars have been good this year but he has had difficulty during the early portions of some events. Less than favorable luck has also played a role in the eight finish outside the top-10 on the Lucas Oil Series as well as the five similar results off of that tour.
“They’re good the whole time,” Owens said of his cars during an interview with InsideDirtRacing.com. “I just keep screwing it up before the features. But other than that, we’re good, just things aren’t going our way right now.”
Prior to this past weekend’s events at Ponderosa Speedway and Florence Speedway, the No. 20 crew spent some time at 411 Motor Speedway looking to find a cure for their qualifying and heat race woes. The popular driver says that making faster short runs was the focus of that test session.
“Right now, we’re working on short runs and stuff,” Owens explained. “We were just trying to get around through there and make a couple of good laps to improve on a few things. I feel like we’ve got the long run stuff down pretty good. We were just feeling the car out, trying a little bit of this and a little bit of that. We’re trying to keep up with everybody.”
Jimmy Owens found trouble during qualifying for the Spring Nationals race at Tazewell
Qualifying is crucial in modern-day Dirt Late Model racing. With the competition so closely matched, making up spots during heat races can be a difficult chore. With the setup used by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series as well as other tours, ending a time-trial session within the top-4 of the group assures a front row starting position for a heat race. Doing so, in turn, provides the best opportunity for a good placement on the feature starting grid.
The ‘O Show’ has qualified outside the top-4 in his group a total of 14 times this year with nine of those efforts coming on his primary tour.
Owens has started 15 of the 28 total features he has entered so far in 2021 outside the top-10, which includes eight such efforts on the LOLMDS. However, the former champion has shown strength in those features by gaining positions as he has finished within the top-10 a total of eight times after starting 11th or worse.
The proven veteran has been happy with his cars on the longer runs when mechanical issues haven’t been a factor. Finding an answer for early evening troubles, he believes, will set his team up for more success as the long season plays out. With the people he has assembled along with some tracks and races that have been favorable for him in the past coming up, Owens has confidence that things will turn around as the time for big money shows approaches.
Owens has shown the ability to make passes in features
“I hope so,” Owens said when asked if he will be competitive in the longer and more lucrative events remaining on the schedule. “We’ve got a new crew and new guys, new faces. We’re all clicking and getting along really, really well. I really like the team we’ve got with us right now. I’m just looking forward to the whole season. I’ve got confidence in the car and the team. We’ve got a good bunch of sponsors behind us and our Ramirez Motorsports team. We’re just glad to be here.”
There is still something that motivates the 49-year-old to keep winning even with all of the championships, crown jewels, and other feature wins.
“I’m just trying to put these young punks in their place,” Owens said with a laugh.
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