Profile On: Jonathan Cornell!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Jonathan Cornell, #28 360 Sprint
by Joanne Cram
There seems to be a lot of young talent coming from the south of Knoxville! This season isn’t any different, with Jonathan Cornell of Sedalia, Missouri making the drive north to compete weekly at the famed half mile. This 21 year old has goals of clinching the Rookie of the Year title in the 360 division and hopes to get onto the winner’s podium as many times as he can this season.
Jonathan is no stranger to racing. When he was just 7 years old, he began racing motocross. He finished is inaugural racing season 5th in points. After that first season, Jonathan’s cousin from Texas was up visiting and she wrecked his racing bike! Jonathan’s parents decided that maybe he needed to race something with 4 wheels, and this was a good time to do so! So, Cornell then moved up to go karts, racing between the ages of 8 to 13 where he had great successes. Over their karting years, Jonathan and his family raced all over the United States- from Phoenix to Charlotte and all over the Midwest. In his five seasons in go karts, Jonathan won 4 IKF Grandnational Championships, 2 K.A.R.T National Championships, and was a 3 time Holiday Classic Winner in Phoenix, Arizona, 2 time Junior Nationals Winner in Fayette, Iowa. Other accomplishments include Winter Indoor Dirt Series Champion, National Indoor Dirt Champion at Memphis, Tennessee, as well as numerous other feature and track championship wins.
When Jonathan was 14 years old, he moved up to a mini sprint, again racing all over the States. His home track was Sweet Springs, Missouri where he ran the NMMA Series (National Modified Midget Series). Over the three seasons in the mini sprints/ micro midgets, Cornell racked up more awards and honors. He was the NMMA National Champion in Draffenville, Kentucky, the NMMA Centrals Champion, in Sweet Springs, Missouri, got 2nd at the O’Reilly Tulsa Shootout, won the MMSA Memorial Championship, the Region 11 Championship winner, Missouri State Champion at Sweet Springs, and got 2nd in the NMMA Non-Wing National Points.
In 2005, Cornell moved up to a 305 sprint when he was 17 years old. This happened by accident while he was out getting sponsors lined up for his mini sprint program. He was told to talk to an injured 305 driver, Chuck Fortune, who may need some help with his 305 program. Jonathan was given the opportunity to hot lap his car, and then went on to race that night winning his first ever race! This proved to be a successful partnership, and Fortune and his partner Hunter Durley, and Jonathan raced 305s together for the next two seasons. They won 10 features that first season, racing around the Lamonce, Missouri area- LA Raceway mainly- winning the points championship. The next season, Cornell raced a little farther from home, traveling all over the Midwest, including up to Knoxville for their 305 shows. The team ran 35 times that season, and had 33 top 5 finishes, and won 18 feature wins. He was the points champion at LA Raceway, and had notable feature wins at several Midwest tracks.
By the time Cornell was 19, he was itching to move onto the next level of sprint car racing. At the tail end of the 2007 season, he had the opportunity to race a 360 sprint. He came up to run the 360 Nationals for the first time and set an 8 lap track record.
The following season of 2008 found Jonathan full time in a 360 sprint racing full time with the Winged Outlaw Warriors, where he was named Rookie of the Year. Jonathan also hopped in the 305 and drove for Steve Smith when the 360 schedule allowed. Cornell won 12 features, was the Points Champion for Double X Speedway in California, Missouri, got 2nd in points with the WOW, 3rd in Points at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri, and was voted the Hy-Vee 360 Sprint Car Favorite Driver of the Year.
With his driving history paving the way for more success, Cornell is moving forward with his racing career. Planning on racing the full season at Knoxville Raceway, Jonathan has also raced ASCS races that don’t interfere with the Knoxville schedule. He has a feature win with the ASCS Midwest at I-80 Speedway and a win at Lake of the Ozarks Speedway. Two weeks ago, Jonathan also got his first ever Knoxville Feature win.
With the remainder of the 2009 season, Jonathan hopes to find himself racing as many WOW and ASCS races as he can to build even more experience in the 360. Some day, he’d like to move up to a 410, and would love to drive professionally with a national series of some kind. He hasn’t ruled out pavement racing some day either.
Jonathan’s racing has always been a family project. The car is a family-owned car, with lots of support from his dad and mom- John and Kathy Cornell, and sister, Lindsay. Jonathan’s crew are also a huge support- and they include Terry Doogs, Aaron Moon, and of course, Jonathan’s dad, John. Without the great support of his sponsors, racing at this level would be hard to achieve. Sponsors of the #28 car include Kiowa Line Builders, Ostrich Racing Engines, Yeager’s Cycle, Excel Bank, Simpson, Pro Shocks, Ringers Gloves, Maxim, Rod End Supply, Peak Performance, Smith Signs, Sure Coat Powdercoating, and Kid Konnection Day Care.
When Jonathan isn’t racing, or working on race cars, his dad and he own a their business, Sure Coat Powdercoating. When he had a little more free time, Jonathan used to play a lot of soccer. Be sure to track Jonathan’s progress by checking out his website: www.jonathancornell.net, and look for t shirts available soon!
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