Prison sentence for former ALMS racer Jon Field

Former American Le Mans Series team owner/driver Jon Field was sentenced to five months and seven days in prison after pleading guilty to "a charge of conspiracy to commit crimes against the United States," according to Ohio's Marion Star newspaper.

Field, whose Ohio-based Intersport Racing outfit served as a leading privateer program, was convicted along with his brother Joel Field on charges related to tax evasion. Joel Field's sentencing has been postponed until Nov. 6.

2008 was arguably the highlight of Field's time in the ALMS. He drove his Lola-AER twin-turbo V8 P1 car on the ragged edge at numerous events, including the event at Miller Motorsports Park where he swept past the factory Audi R10s and built a significant lead until his tires surrendered from prolonged abuse.

In addition to securing the 2005 P2 championship, Intersport scored a notable P1 class win at Detroit in 2008 when the race-winning Audi was later disqualified for being underweight.

Field's sports cars often carried sponsorship from his various restaurant interests during a career that spanned 1996-2011, including Banana Joe's, which was prominently featured for many years.

The Marion Star reports the root of the charges and conviction for the Field brothers is based on false tax filings from their involvement with the "development, operation and ownership of Cadillac Ranch and other restaurants."

Along with his prison sentence, Jon Field was ordered to pay $174,458 in restitution. He will be confined to a halfway house, and then his own home for a total of five months upon release.​