Story By: JUSTIN SNYDER A2DPR / HESS MOTORSPORTS – CARLISLE, PA – Tony Jackson and Hess Motorsports continues to impress within the Super Sportsman division in 2023 as they’ve picked up six victories over the past few months, highlighted by his first career Sportsman 100 victory at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, PA.
The win capped off an eventful few months for the Carlisle, Pa native that saw him score three wins in winged competition (two at BAPS and one at Path Valley Speedway) and three in wingless action (Path Valley, Bedford Speedway and Williams Grove Speedway).
“We’ve had a really good run these past few months and my confidence is at an all-time high,” said Jackson. “Every time we hit the track, I feel confident we’ll be in contention, and it just speaks to how good of a team Scott Hess gives me.”
Specific to the Sportsman 100 triumph, Jackson and his father became the first father and son duo to claim victory in the 49th running of the historic event.
“It’s pretty special to add my name to the list of guys who have won that race, and for me and my dad to make history is something I’ll never forget.” he said. “As long as I can remember this race has meant a lot to me and my family and it was just really cool.”
With Jackson set to move up to the 410 Sprint Car ranks in 2024, the win was even more special as he knew it would likely be his final go at taking the crown.
“We may run it again in the future, but for all intent I knew it was kind of our last shot at getting a Sportsman 100 win,” said Jackson. “I kind of went into the race with the mentality that it was do or die and I was all in on coming home a winner.”
With his racing career reaching new heights, he is simultaneously gearing up for a fresh adventure in the motorsports industry. Over the next few months, Jackson will be taking part in several test and tune sessions at BAPS, with the goal of debuting behind the wheel of a 410 Sprint Car at the track for the $20,000 to win Les Stewart Final Showdown on November 11th.
“It’s been a fun year, but honestly I’m just ready to start focusing on 2024 and the 410 Sprint Car,” said Jackson. “We’re going to give it our all and this is the next logical step in that process.”
“I’ve had a lot of success at BAPS over the years and I’m really looking forward to practicing and getting comfortable there,” he added. “The offseason is a short one, but it can also be a long one. I don’t want to sit all offseason waiting for 2024 to get here and not be my best to start the year off. So, we’re going to kind of shake things down and we’ll see where we stack up come November against some good competition.”