In the ARCA OK Tire Sportsman Series, there's no such thing as an easy night behind the wheel. Prince George's Logan Jewell has found that out through personal experience.
The 22-year-old Jewell drives on a circuit that is second only to NASCAR in terms of prestige. He's now in his fifth season at the ARCA level and, in his view, the competition has gotten tougher every year.
"We're all running so close -- we're talking the top 10 cars are one-tenth [of a second] apart," he said. "We are so close that you've really got to capitalize on somebody's mistake or hope you hit the setup better than they did and maybe they cook their tires off a little bit and you can get by them. That's what you've got to do."
When Jewell started on the series back in 2008, it was known as WESCAR. As a rookie, he challenged for the season points title before he dropped back and eventually finished fifth. His impressive debut, however, earned him the rookie-of-the-year award.
Jewell, who got his start in racing as a seven-year-old at the controls of a go-kart, is still developing his skills against the ARCA pack. He treats every race as an opportunity to increase his tactical knowledge.
"I keep improving," he said. "I still make mistakes here and there but I try to learn from them after each race. I make sure I videotape what I did wrong and I watch [the footage] about 100 times. I watch it over and over again and say, 'I should have done something different there.' And my crew does a really good job of letting me know when I make a mistake and how I can improve."
Jewell's crew chief is his dad, Mark, a former PGARA hobby stock driver. Also on the team are Doug Sketchley, Tony Atkinson and Paul Spence. Jewell's car, a 2012 Impala SS with a Chevy 604 crate engine, is owned by Gary MacCarthy.
Despite his youth, Jewell is now one of the ARCA veterans and is in the thick of the battle for the 2012 points lead. Driving the No. 92 car, his ultimate goal is to power to the season points championship for the first time in his ARCA career. Guys like two-time champion Mark Berriau (2009, 2011), Ian Graham and Ryley Seibert will do everything they can to prevent that from happening.
Berriau, from Penticton, is so savvy on the track that he would have had a shot at the 2010 championship as well. But, a possible three-peat didn't happen because he took that season off from racing.
"He's always fast and always on the ball," Jewell said. "He's really smart and always right there when you make a mistake -- he's always just waiting."
The Jewell team, meanwhile, is enjoying success partly because of all the hours put in during the off-season.
"We did our homework over the winter," Mark Jewell said. "Our car is well-prepared now and we're taking everything very seriously. We're not overlooking anything anymore. And [Logan] has always been a good driver.
"I'm extremely proud of my son," Mark Jewell added. "This is a tough sport to be in, to be competitive all the time."
This season, three ARCA races are now in the books, including the one that unfolded at PGARA Speedway Park this past weekend. The remaining stops are Quesnel (July 21), Agassiz (Aug. 11) and Vernon (Sept. 8).
ARCA/WESCAR Past Champions
ARCA
2011 -- Mark Berriau
2010 -- Matt Stephenson
2009 -- Mark Berriau
WESCAR
2008 -- Sheldon Mayert
2007 -- Peter Ernst
2006 -- Bob Williams
2005 -- Arnie Kunka
2004 -- Bob Williams
2003 -- Korbin Thomas
2002 -- Korbin Thomas
2001 -- Korbin Thomas
2000 -- Al Gandy
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