It takes a veteran driver to make the best of a bad situation, and in the case of Bobby Jones, that's just what he did after winning Saturday night's 35-lap Modified feature at Mahoning Valley Speedway.

Jones was at his wits end in trying to get his car to work right. A week ago on Opening Night, he led a few laps after starting pole, but the car soon faded. Leading up to that time he and the team continued to struggle during preseason practice getting the handle, as well as adapting to the new American Racer tires.Jones' frustration was so bad that he was ready to throw in the towel and not even race this week. His determination, however, drove him to make one more try and the result was a much- needed confidence boost in the form of victory.Admittedly he wasn't the fastest car on track as defending champion Eric Beers was coming on like gangbusters, but his experience, and more importantly his never-give-up-attitude, enabled him to overcome those woes."After what I felt was an embarrassing showing I had last week, I went home and just parked the car, it was just that bad," said Jones after notching his 35th career win."I really had no intention of racing today, and as a matter of fact, we didn't leave the shop until five o'clock. Earlier in the week, I got sick and had to go to the hospital and even missed work. But it bothered me that we were so bad on Opening Night, and I had to know if we fixed it and here we are (Victory Lane)."A noticeably improved Joey Jarowicz led the field to the green and would lead the opening circuit. Jones, who started third, jumped right into second spot and after a lap one restart, slipped into the lead.The race then went into a nonstop rhythm, and Jones was showing how his last-ditch efforts with adjustments were paying off as he had a respectable lead.Beers, though, was not done and quickly chipping away as the laps clicked on. With four laps to go, he had caught Jones and was making valid attempts from every angle to get by. Despite his efforts, Jones shielded his ground and held on for a close decision.It was also a tough week for Jones' car owner Ivan Morgan. His mom Audrey, passed away on Thursday."This one is for her and for them. Hopefully it will make them heal a little bit during this time," offered Jones.Mike Sweeney's stock continues to rise as the reigning Late Model champion not only won for a second straight week, but dating back to the final two races of 2016, he set a class record for consecutive wins at four in a row.In Street Stock action, Zach Graver went from last to first in a week's time as the 2015 champion parlayed his front row starting spot into victory.Graver took the lead on lap two and was cruising along until a mid-race caution wiped out his huge lead. When the race resumed, Josh Mooney made a serious stab at him but within five green flag laps Graver was back to building on his lead and would go on to take his first win of 2017.Johnny Bennett notched his first career win, taking the score in the Pro 4s. Bennett, who was within a scant few inches of doing the same on Opening Night, took the lead away from Jason Finken just past the halfway mark and then held off Jake Kibler en route to the memory-making night.In the Hobby Stocks, it was Austin Beers laying claim to a stirring victory after he and runner-up Michael Wambold battled for the glory. Beers, who went from eighth to first in five laps, did a fine job of holding off Wambold and earned his second career win.Brett Bieber was uncontested in winning the All-Star Slingshot feature.MAHONING VY. SPEEDWAY RESULTSModified Feature (35 Laps)1. Bobby Jones, 2. Eric Beers, 3. Kyle Strohl, 4. Lou Strohl, 5. Austin Kochenash, 6. Don Wagner, 7. Rick Kirkendall, 8. Brian DeFebo, 9. Kris Graver, 10. Joey Jarowicz, 11. Ron Haring Jr., 12. Drew Reinhold, 13. Nick Baer, 14. Tommy Rought DNS: Jack ElyLate Model Feature (25 Laps)1. Mike Sweeney, 2. Jeremy Miller, 3. Lorin Arthofer II, 4. Frankie Althouse, 5. Broc Brown, 6. Kenny Hein, 7. Jacob Kerstetter, 8. George Ramos, 9. Jacob Nemeth, 10. Robbie Kutz, 11. Paul Skodacek, 12. Dylan Osborn, 13. Chris AndersonStreet Stock Feature (30 Laps)1. Zach Graver, 2. Josh Mooney, 3. BJ Wambold, 4. Joe Mooney, 5. Corey Edelman, 6. Alan Schlenker, 7. Eric Kocher, 8. Jillian Long, 9. Jared Ahner, 10. Rick Reichenbach, 11. Mark Deysher, 12. Stacey Brown, 13. Todd Ahner, 14. Jon Moser, 15. Jamie Smith, 16. Shayne Geist, 17. Josh Scherer, 18. Dan Freundt, 19. Joe Stangle, 20 Jeremy Scheckler DNQ: Josh Huber, Steve HoffmanPro 4 Feature (20 Laps)1. Johnny Bennett, 2. Jake Kibler, 3. Ken Reeder, 4. Kevin Stein, 5. Briggs Danner, 6. Jason Finken, 7. Kailyn Beers, 8. Tucker Muffley, 9. Jeremy Guerra, 10. Tyler StangleHobby Stock Feature (17 Laps)1. Austin Beers, 2. Michael Wambold, 3. Cody Geist, 4. Devin Schmidt, 5. Paul Effrig, 6. Frank Hughes, 7. Brayden Spencer, 8. Trisha Connolly, 9. Rich Mutarelli, 10. Travis Solomon, 11. Al Arthofer, 12. Kevin Behler, 13. Justin Merkel, 14. Jeff Biegley, 15. Jesse Strohl, 16. Taylor Schmidt, 17. Shawn Kistler, 18. Tiffany Wambold, 19. Avery Arthofer, 20. Colton Perry, 21. Nicholas Kerstetter, 22. George Wambold DNQ: Lyndsay Buss, Kristy Arthofer, Nate Henry, Alton Snyder Jr., Ryan Berger, Mike SnyderAll-Star Slingshot Feature (15 Laps)1. Brett Bieber, 2. Joe Toth, 3. Dakota Kohler