Jason Sides Hometown: Bartlett, TNResides: Bartlett, TNBirthday: February 10, 1973Car: No. 7sChassis: MaximCar Owner: Jason SidesWeb site: www.sidesmotorsports.comCareer World of Outlaws Wins: 4
2009 Season Stats: Driver Pts. $Earned Wins Top 5 Top 10 Jason Sides 8543 $181,780 2 24 47
2009 Season Review: Long one of the hardest working and most hands on drivers in the pit area, that perseverance and dedication paid off this season for Jason Sides as he put together a career year on the World of Outlaws trail, winning twice and finishing fifth in points on the strength of a career-best 47 Top-10 finishes with 24 of those being Top-Fives. He set career highs in laps led, fast time honors and wins in the Crane Cams Dash to earn pole positions.
The season kicked off for the veteran driver with two consecutive runner-up finishes in the Florida DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida and following the second night of the season, Sides was tied for the series point lead, marking it the first time in his career he sat atop the standings.
“It was a really good season for us,” said Sides. “I would have liked to have gotten a few more wins and we had the opportunity to get a few more wins, but two is good. That is two more than we had last year. Our goal is to always better our year from the one before and we did that this year. It was a very good year for us.”
The 2009 season marked the sixth full season for Sides on the road with the World of Outlaws and he used that experience at many of the tracks he has been visiting now for a number of years and also got up to speed quick at the tracks he has only seen a time or two. He reached Victory Lane for the first time in 2009 at Ohsweken Speedway in Canada, marking his second victory at the 3/8-mile. After nearly picking up a couple of more wins, he returned to top of the podium at the famed Eldora Speedway in late September during the Four Crown weekend. It was his second career win at the half-mile, where he was victorious in the 2004 Kings Royal to earn his first career World of Outlaws A-Feature triumph.
“I think being around the race tracks more has been a big part,” shared the 2003 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year of his success in 2009. “The longer you are out here, the more you understand it and learn it. You are always learning something out here. Being out here for a long time has definitely helped.”
Sides, who has been one of the most hands-on drivers in the pit area for a number of years, often doing most of the work on the car himself, had two full-time crew members this season with Doug Rankin back on board again along with Shane Finch who has been with Sides for a number of years in the past. A couple of times throughout the season Sides also had longtime sprint car racer and fellow Tennessean Terry Gray help turn the wrenches as well.
“It takes a load of myself to let those guys work on the car,” noted the native of Bartlett, Tennessee. “I still handle the motors for the most part, but they can handle everything and I don’t have to worry about it. I can focus on driving even more then.”
Sides was fast right out of the box on most nights, setting quick time on 10 occasions in time trials, second only to series champion Donny Schatz. Sides also raced his way into the Crane Cams Dash 42 times to earn Top-10 starting spots in feature events. He won five dashes this past season to earn pole positions in feature events.
“You have to be confident with your car and your equipment and everything,” stated Sides of what it takes to be fast. “I tested some stuff last year and this year that has helped us, knowing where we need to start each night. Making the dash and knowing that you’ll be starting in the first five rows is a big plus as well. Anytime you can do that, you know that you have a good start spot and that always helps the confidence.”
Having been around the series for a number of years, Sides marvels at how tight the competition has become and notes that it takes an all around strong night to be in contention for victories, especially with all the locals stepping up their game at the tracks that the series visits from coast-to-coast.
“It really does get tougher each year and it seems like everyone is getting more equal that anyone can win on any given night,” he admitted. “It makes it tough for sure.”
With the 2010 season quickly approaching, Sides is back home in Tennessee gearing up for that. He also took some time to relax and spend with his family before getting back to work in the shop.
“I’m going to go home and be home for a while before we start working again, so I’ll get some time to regroup and relax,” he said.
By the Numbers Jason Sides 2009:2-A-Feature wins for Sides last season3- KSE Hard Charger Awards earned in 2009 for passing the most cars in the feature4- Career A-Feature wins for Sides with the World of Outlaws5- Wins in the Crane Cams Dash to earn pole positions last season7- SuperClean start awards for the best start in a racing event during a race night10- Times that Sides was fastest in time trials in 200910.872- Track record set by Sides at Skagit Speedway on September 4, 200924-Top-Five finishes for Sides last season, a career high47- Top-10 finishes last season for Sides, another career high149- Laps led for Sides in 20098543-Points earned by Sides to finish fifth in the standings181,780- Dollars earned by Sides last season
World of Outlaws history: 2003- 6th in points- Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year… 2004- 10th in points- 1 win…2005- 15th in points… 2007- 14th in points- 1 win…2008- 13th in points…2009- 5th in points- 2 wins
Previous Racing History: 1993- Began racing sprint cars… 1996- American Sprint Car Series (ASCS)- 7th in points-Named Most Improved Driver… 1997- ASCS- 3rd in points-Received Sportsmanship Award… 1998- ASCS- 5th in points… 1999- 7th in points… 2000- ASCS- 7th in points… 2001-World of Outlaws Gumout Series-Rookie of the Year, Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year, National Sprint Car Poll-410 Rookie of the Year… 2002- World of Outlaws Gumout Series- 3rd in points- 1 win, Won Ronald Laney Memorial Race for 360-sprint cars at East Bay Raceway in Florida. …2006- National Sprint Tour- 7th in points- 1 win
Interesting Facts: 2003 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year… 2004- Won Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway… Raced BMX bicycles beginning at age six. Moved to Motocross racing at age 13. Won state championships in Mississippi and Arkansas. Won national championships in New Jersey and Ohio… Brother Paul is a very successful sprint car driver in the Southern part of the country.