By Mike O’Leary
NSSN Correspondent

BROWNSTOWN, Ind. — Levi Jones rebounded from a heat-race incident and held off a determined charge by Brady Short to score his first USAC National Sprint Car Series victory of the season. 
In USAC’s first visit to Brownstown Speedway, Jones used lapped cars to keep Short on his heels over the final circuits. Dustin Morgan led five laps and earned third, followed by Robert Ballou and Tracy Hines.
Driving Tony Stewart’s Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops Maxim, Jones, the two-time series champion, took the point lead. “People say winning isn’t everything, but that confuses me,” Jones said. “It’s always big. It’s a lot easier to stay out front than it is to have to catch up.”
The opening laps featured a side-by-side battle between front-row starters Jerry Coons, Jr. and Robert Ballou. Coons led two laps, and Ballou nosed ahead for a lap, then Coons again, before Ballou took command on the fifth circuit. Dustin Morgan moved into second and was challenging when a caution flag waved on lap eight. 
Under the yellow, Ballou’s right rear tire sealed over as it cooled. He reported that it was like driving on ice and although he tried to maintain his pace, Morgan worked past on lap 16, quickly followed by Jones. “I’m just glad to get it on the trailer tonight,” Ballou said later.
With most everyone following Morgan around the inside, Short was running the second lane and quickly moving forward from 16th starting position. As Short passed Ballou for third on the 21st lap, Jones moved up a lane and passed Morgan for the lead. 
Short took second on lap 25 and caught Jones with three laps to go.  He got one shot at the lead on lap 28. But Jones held him back and moved into the second lane when they caught a pair of lapped cars, preventing Short from challenging again.
“He (Morgan) was in a bad spot,” Jones explained. “He got to going too slow on the bottom, which I did too, and allowed Brady to catch me.”
If they hadn’t encountered the slower cars, Short said he could have beaten Jones. “He started up front and I was pretty far back, so I think I had the best car out there,” Short said. “It’s always easier when you have the car hooked up on a slick track.”
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 14.305; 2. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 14.338; 3. Daron Clayton, R & B 10, 14.402; 4. Bret Mellenberndt, Mellenberndt 97, 14.488; 5. Dustin Morgan, M & M 93, 14.567; 6. Robert Ballou, MPHG 81, 14.579; 7. Jerry Coons, Jr., Dynamics 69, 14.579; 8. Damion Gardner, Leffler 71, 14.596; 9. Kyle Cummins, Cummins 3c, 14.701; 10. Tracy Hines, Stewart 21, 14.707; 11. Brett Burdette, Burdette 17b, 14.716; 12. Kenny Biro, Biro 22, 14.720; 13. Jon Stanbrough, Fox 53, 14.767; 14. Hud Cone, Cone 14, 14.820; 15. A.J. Anderson, Walker/Guiducci 11, 14.843; 16. Josh Spencer, Batcheldor 66, 14.865; 17. Shane Cottle, Contos 4, 14.866; 18. Jeff Bland, Stewart 21s, 14.875; 19. Blake Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick 10f, 14.944; 20. Darren Hagen, Kunz 67, 14.984; 21. Sammy Imel, Imel 35, 15.004; 22. Thomas Meseraull, R & B 10t, 15.013; 23. Ryan Pace, 44p, Pace-15.043; 24. Randy Hannagan, 1x, THR-15.055; 25. Hunter Schuerenberg, Triple Crown 1h, 15.090; 26. Brady Short, Short 36, 15.115; 27. Kevin Studley, Studley 57, 15.169; 28. Cole Whitt, Kunz 67k, 15.247; 29. Kyle Robbins, Robbins 17r, 15.256; 30. Dave Darland, Pace 44, 15.312; 31. Bill Rose, Rose 6, 15.344; 32. Rex Norris III, Norris 63, 15.352; 33. Kevin Briscoe, Briscoe 5, 15.388; 34. Dakoda Armstrong, C & A 7a, 15.391; 35. Kevin Thomas, Jr.,           Thomas 9k, 15.426; 36. Mat Neely, Ellis 73, 15.438; 37. Jesse Hockett, VKCC 75, 15.446; 38. Chris Windom, Windom 17, 15.583; 39.                  Tommy Bush, Briscoe 5x, 15.598; 40. Brad Sweet, Kahne 9, 15.646;           41. Chad Boat, Boat 30, 15.648.
Non-Qualifiers Race (8 laps): Neely, Sweet, Hockett, Windom, Boat, Briscoe, Armstrong, Thomas, Bush.
First Heat (10 laps): Stanbrough, Schuerenberg, Morgan, Cummins, Bacon, Imel, Neely, Robbins, Cottle.
Second Heat (10 laps): Ballou, Short, Sweet, Hines, Darland, Meseraull, Cone, Bland, Jones.
Third Heat (10 laps): Coons, Rose, Clayton, Hockett, Anderson, Burdette, Fitzpatrick, Pace, Studley.
Fourth Heat (10 laps): Whitt, Gardner, Spencer, Norris, Hagen, Biro, Mellenberndt, Hannagan, Windom.
Semi (12 laps): Cone, Jones, Bacon, Anderson, Windom, Fitzpatrick, Darland, Imel, Cottle, Burdette, Pace, Hannagan, Robbins, Neely, Studley, Meseraull, Biro, Hagen, Bland, Mellenberndt.
Feature (30 laps): Jones, Short, Morgan, Ballou, Hines, Stanbrough, Coons, Bacon, Whitt, Cummins, Hagen, Gardner, Cone, Anderson, Clayton, Rose, Windom, Darland, Sweet, Hockett, Fitzpatrick, Schuerenberg, Norris, Spencer.