Jones keeps car and keeps winning

Matt Jones attempted to sell his blue-and-white No. 23 B-modified race car last winter.

The Waukon driver was never did unload his car and that turned out to be very bad news for his competition.

Jones has been impressive to start the racing season, winning four B-mod feature races at Decorah's Upper Iowa Speedway and the Fayette County Speedway in West Union.

Strange that the car was scooped up, considering Jones drove it to 44 feature dirt-track wins the last three years, which led to three straight United States Racing Association national points championships.

"Nobody wanted to buy it from me," said Jones, a nine-year racing veteran. "I was thinking about selling it and trying a stock car class car.

"It doesn't seem right no one wanted it."

Keeping the car turned out to be a blessing for Jones. He's been able to continue his success instead of testing the waters of a new racing division.

"It's hard to say how I'd be going otherwise," Jones said about remaining in the B-mod. "If I was racing another class I may not have won."

The competition's missed opportunity was a chance for Jones to maintain his dominance at the Upper Iowa Speedway. Jones has won the last three B-mod seasons points championships at the track after switching to the class from hobby stocks where he was the season points runner-up in 2006.

Jones, 25, has swept the first three features at Decorah, adding a feature win last Friday at Fayette County Speedway. The wins are piling up a little faster than Jones anticipated.

"I was expecting to win a couple," Jones said. "I figure the car was going to work pretty good."

Jones already owns a 19-point lead over second-place Eric Verthe, also of Waukon, Upper Iowa Speedway. Todd Ihde, one of the promoters of both tracks, said he has seen a smoother driver in his 30 years around local racing.

"It's almost effortless," Ihde said. "He's out there floating. ... He never pushes. He waits for his chances to pass somebody and passes them clean. He's in a league of his own right now."

That can be tough for other drivers to swallow. Right now, they seem to be competing for second place.

"He makes things exciting," Ihde said. "I'm sure it gets frustrating for the other drivers."

Racing can be a heated and ultra-competitive sport, but Jones may not be your average driver. He is more laid back than most who take the track and and doesn't display emotion when he has a bad night or gets into a mess while racing.

"I'm sure it upsets him, but he hides it well," Ihde said. "I've never seen him get upset with another driver. I've never heard anything negative come out of him."

His mentality changes slightly when he gets behind the wheel. He is just as determined to claim a checkered flag as the next person.

"I get a little more aggressive when I get racing," Jones said. "I am patient (though). I wait for the right opportunity."

The season has started with a lot of wins and even a new member to the family, which now includes 3-week-old, Colin. Jones also has a son named Jacob, who is 2 1/2 years old.

"(Colin) hasn't made it over to the races yet," Jones said with a laugh. "His brother makes it over to quite a few of them. He enjoys it."

Jones, whose dad, Nick, and brother, Mike, also raced hobby stocks, said that he is Jacob's favorite racer and that the youngster shares the family's love of racing already.

"He knows what is going on with it," Jones said. "He can pick me out when I'm on the track."

Jacob might have to get used to a different style of race care, unless Jones isn't able to find a buyer for his car at the conclusion this summer.

"After the season is over," Jones said, "I'll probably put it up for sale again."