Former IndyCar driver Ed Jones will soon sit behind the wheel of a stock car after signing with Sam Hunt Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for a three-race schedule this season.
New kid on the block ?@Edjonesracing will join us this season at @NASCARatCOTA, @Race_Portland and @RaceSonoma!
Ed has a successful career in open-wheel and sports car racing, and he's ready to tackle some lefts and rights in the stock car world.#TeamToyota | #NXS pic.twitter.com/pm51w56XYg
— Sam Hunt Racing (@Team_SHR26) March 6, 2024
Jones has a vast background in motorsports, primarily the road racing variety.
He spent plenty of time racing open wheel and was the 2013 Formula 3 champion. He has also gathered plenty of experience in IndyCar, IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Challenge.
Jones, who was born in Dubai and is of British nationality will drive a Sam Hunt Racing Toyota GP Supra for three road course races this season, according to tobychristie.com.
His first start will come at Circuit of the Americas, before he races at Portland International Raceway and Sonoma Raceway later this season.
He will be teammate to Sage Karam, another racer with IndyCar experience.
"I'm looking forward to implementing Ed into our program at SHR, beginning at COTA," Sam Hunt said via a team statement shared with NBC Sports. "He's a super smart, mature guy who is hungry to build a career in NASCAR over the next couple of years, and to build it the right way. He's professional and has raced at very high levels in IndyCar and Sports cars. We're excited to tackle the learning curve of competing in stock cars with him, and we know he will only get stronger and stronger with experience."
It's a great opportunity for Jones, and he seemed optimistic in what lies ahead.
"I'm really excited to be joining Sam Hunt Racing and Toyota Racing Development for my Xfinity Series debut and to compete in multiple races this season," Jones said via a Sam Hunt Racing press release. "After spending time with Sam's crew and the Toyota team, I have a lot of confidence in the program. I feel confident that we will be able to achieve some strong results."
The addition of Jones adds even more IndyCar and open-wheel racing flavor to an already vast line-up across NASCAR's top three series.
