Jesse Little broke through for his first career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event victory last weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, but life as a race car driver means it’s onto the next race as the series heads to Ohio for the running of Saturday’s JEGS 150 at Columbus Motor Speedway.
Maintaining a position amongst the top-5 in Friday night’s Granite State 100 on New Hampshire’s one-mile oval, Little seized an opportunity after the leaders made contact in turn three of the final lap.
“We had a great car all weekend and I knew things could get interesting in the front as the laps wound down,” Little explained. “As the white flag came out and they (leader Nick Drake and second-place Brandon Jones) made contact I just stayed in the throttle and went by them. It’s a big win for our race team, but we have to turn around and get ready for Columbus this weekend. We know we’ll have momentum with us when we unload that’s for sure.”
As a member of NASCAR’s Next program, Little shares his winning ways with Eric Jones, who picked up the Camping World Truck Series victory at Iowa Speedway last Saturday night.
“For Eric and I to win on the same weekend is very special. Both of us work hard to be at the top of our game and in a weekend where it pays off is special for not only ourselves but everyone in the NASCAR Next program. This shows that the 2014 class is strong and we’re all capable of winning races anytime we’re on the track,” Little said.
With a few days to celebrate the team’s first major NASCAR victory, Little is eager to head to Ohio and aim for two in a row, he added.
“It was my mom’s birthday so the New Hampshire victory will always be special to our family from here on out, but we have a job to do and now it’s time to get focused on Columbus, see if we can get our NASCAR Technical Institute Chevrolet back to victory lane which will continue our push towards the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship.”
Columbus Motor Speedway features a tight .333-mile oval where brakes and a good set-up are key. Little’s team has had a solid program when it comes to the short tracks on the series, he noted.
“(Crew Chief) Kris Bowen and my guys give me a car each week that is fun to drive no mater the track type or size. He puts a handling package together for me that allows the car to roll through the corners and get back to the throttle as fast as possible. Columbus is a wide track with room to pass so having a good brake package from Performance Friction is a big help as well. We’re going to be solid in Ohio this weekend I believe.”
Jesse Little PR
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