Through its first 24-seasons of operation, the USAC/CRA and SCRA Sprint Car Series’ have presented Perris Auto Speedway with several renowned car owners. Perhaps the biggest of them all is Jack Jory. The legendary car owner, who teamed with National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Rip Williams to dominate the action at the Riverside County clay oval in the track’s early seasons, passed away last week at the age of 82.
Jory, along with his wife Sharon, owned the black #3 that became one of the most famous and feared traditional sprint cars with Williams in the cockpit in the mid-1990s. Nowhere was their success more evident than at Perris Auto Speedway. When the track opened in 1996, the Jory’s and Williams teamed to win eight main events. Their best season at the track came the following year when they dominated the action with 11 victories. Included on that tally sheet was the biggest ever win for the duo when they took home the winner’s trophy at the 2nd Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals. All told, in the eight seasons that SCRA sanctioned sprint car races at The PAS, they took home the main event winner’s trophy 40-times.
The USAC/CRA Series was born in 2004 and Perris Auto Speedway became its home track. That year the Jory’s and Williams scored three wins on the half-mile and they captured the inaugural USAC/CRA championship. In the next three years, they visited victory circle four more times at the track. All told, they triumphed 47 times at The PAS and created an unforgettable impression on local sprint car fans. Earlier this year, memories of the team’s Perris domination propelled Williams to victory in the “Perris Auto Speedway Fan’s Best Ever Sprint Car Driver” online poll.
In his Hall of Fame sprint car career that began in 1978, Williams won 104 main events. Sixty-five of those victories came in the Jory owned black #3.
“Jack Jory will be sadly missed by everyone in the sport,” a somber Perris Auto Speedway promoter Don Kazarian said. “Not only was he a great car owner, but he was a great man as well. Total class. Jack and Sharon’s cars were famous, and they were always top notch when they showed up at the track. When Rip Williams was driving for them, they were the team everyone strived to be like. They were winners and they were totally professional. Few teams will ever be able to emulate the success they achieved.”
“Jack not only cared about his own team, but he also cared about the good of sprint car racing in general,” Kazarian continued. “The on-track competition was important to him, but so was the success and survival of the sport. He was always interested and involved in trying to make the sport better and to help it grow.”
Indeed, Jory wanted to see the sport grow. He not only owned cars, but he was also a track sponsor and at times generously opened his own wallet and added money to the race purse. In recognition of their efforts, Kazarian named Jack and Sharon as Grand Marshals for the Oval Nationals over a decade ago.
When it was time for Williams sons, Cody, Austin, and Logan, to start racing 410 sprint cars, the Jory’s furnished the cars. Initially it was oldest son Cody joining Rip on the track. It turned into a three-car effort when Williams’ middle son, Austin, joined the team. When Rip stepped out of the cockpit, youngest son Logan began racing and three Jory Motorsports cars graced the tracks once again. In addition to that 2004 USAC/CRA title, the Jory’s were also car owner champions when Logan won the first ever PAS Young Guns title in 2013. As well as Rip and his sons racing the well-known black cars, the Jory’s put racing stars Mike English and Wally Pankratz in a second car from time to time.
PAS PR
