Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan PR

Ed Jones: IMS Road Course 2

Posted on by Patrick Stephan

Ed Jones Race Summary:

  • Ed Jones drove a solid race in the No. 18 SealMaster – Dale Coyne w/ Vasser Sullivan Honda to finish 14th out of 28 cars in the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, IN.
     
  • Jones started 18th on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn IMS permanent road course.
     
  • He had a phenomenal start, picking up six positions in the first seven laps.
     
  • Jones ran in the low teens most of the first stint, slipping into the top-10 for a few laps and getting as high as sixth as various pit strategies played out.
     
  • He was in the low teens again the entire second stint, however dropped back following his second pit stop.
     
  • Jones ran in the low 20’s for the entire third stint. Then had an outstanding final stint picking up nine positions to finish 14th.

Ed Jones Race Quote:
“We had some great passing, some great racing today. The start of the race was very good. When we have decent pace we can challenge people, make some good passes and make it entertaining. On the restart of the last stint I was trying to be aggressive and sensible at the same time. I made some good passes and other people made some mistakes, so I took advantage of that.  I think we may have gone the wrong way with the tire strategy and unfortunately, the pace wasn’t always there to move forward. I think we finished above where we should have based on ultimate speed.” 

Ed Jones Fast Facts:
The 2021 Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix was Jones’ 59th career NTT INDYCAR SERIES start and fifth on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

In five starts on the IMS road course Jones has a best finish of sixth in 2019. He finished 14th in both the IMS road course races this year, the GMR Grand Prix in May and today’s Big Machine Spiked Cooler Grand Prix.

Jones is contesting his fourth NTT INDYCAR season and first with Dale Coyne w/ Vasser Sullivan.

In 59 career INDYCAR SERIES starts, Jones has earned 16 top-10 finishes including three podium performances, third at Indy in 2017, and third at Long Beach and Detroit Race 2 in 2018. Jones’ best qualifying position is fourth, Detroit Race 1 this year, the Indianapolis 500 in 2019 and the Detroit Race 2 in 2018.

Jones was the 2017 INDYCAR Rookie of the Year and was the top-rookie finisher in the 2017 Indianapolis 500, placing third.

Jones, 26, was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (of British citizenship) and currently resides in Miami, Florida.

Next Race:
Round 13 of the 16-race 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will be the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, August 21 on the World Wide Technology Raceway 1.25-mile oval in Madison, IL (greater St. Louis Metro area). The race will be broadcast live on NBCSN at 8:00 p.m. ET.