CANADA: Early crash at Montreal gives Leroy Jones second last-place finish of career

Leroy Jones picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Tim Hortons Canadian Series career in the Season 2 NAPA Autopro 100 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when his #6 West World Motorsports Chevrolet was involved in a single-car crash after 9 of the 13 laps.

The finish, which came in his 9th career start. In the SCRL Tim Hortons Canadian Series, it's the 1st for car #6 and the 13th from a crash. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 14th for the #6 and the 210th from a crash.

Entering Season 2 of the Canadian Series, Jones had competed in only a few SCRL series but had already proven himself to be one of the fastest up and coming superstars, having picked up two career wins along the way to winning his first career SCRL Championship by winning the SCRL Sun Energy Whelen Euro Elite 2 Championship by two points over David Dryburgh. Entering Season 2 of the SCRL Tim Hortons Canadian Series, Jones has three wins in total and would be making his first ever start at CTMP, having not been around for the Pre-Season or Season 1 events. In his series debut, Jones finished 6th at CTMP, 16th at ICAR, 29th at CTMP Oval, 7th at Delaware, a runner up to Chakat Whitelion at Motoplex and an 11th in the last round at Edmonton.

The entry list for the Montreal race was bumped up to 33 cars as Oreius Centaur would be making his final career start in the series, driving the #51 car owned by Murray Haukaas and sponsored by Prairie Dodge Dealers / Sikkens having picked up one career win, winning at Exhibition Place in Season 1.

Sammy Sabre Jr. stalls at the start.

On race day, Jones would roll off starting 31st while starting last was the #7 National Exhaust Dodge of Trey Wright but just as the field was rolling off, for the second time in three races, the #10 Affichage.ca Dodge of Sammy Sabre Jr. would stall on the start and would be towed back to the pits as the field took the green flag. By the time the field had made it to Turn 10, Sabre's team had figured out the problem, a flat tire, just like what had happened at Edmonton, as Sabre Jr. was able to pull out in front of the leaders, being scored as the last driver on the lead lap. A scoring error however had placed Sabre into the race lead and was scored as the leader when the lone caution of the day would quickly end the battle for last.

While running in 31st, Jones entered the last chicane, known as the Wall of Champions, too hot and drove over it trying to hit the brakes but slid too much and hit the wall just inches after the tire barrier ended, crumbling the right side of his car as it came to a stop in Turn 14, bringing out the lone caution of the day, and while Jones would be uninjured, his car was destroyed and his day done after competing only two laps.

Rounding out the Bottom Five were drivers who finish the race on the same lap as the race leaders: 32nd was the #10 of Sammy Sabre Jr., 31st was the #15 Bill Mathews Motors Ford of Bafode Sacko, 30th was Saskatoon last-place finisher the #21 A&W / Bower & Wilkins Dodge of Mitchell Collins and 29th was the #02 Leland / BDI / PartSource Ford of Jay Jefferson.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #6 has finished last in a Canadian Series race as well at Montreal.
*The only other time Jones has trailed an SCRL sanctioned race was on January 21, in the SCRL Sun Energy Whelen Euro Elite 2 Round 12 at Nurburgring where he completed all 10 laps under power; despite finishing last, Jones would win the championship by 2 points, at the time the closest points battle in SCRL history.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
33) #6-Leroy Jones / 2 laps / crash
32) #10-Sammy Sabre Jr. / 8 laps / running
31) #15-Bafode Sacko / 8 laps / running
30) #21-Mitchell Collins / 8 laps / running
29) #02-Jay Jefferson / 8 laps / running