ED JONES: GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND QUALIFYING

Ed Jones Qualifying Summary:

  • Ed Jones qualified the No. 18 SealMaster – Dale Coyne w/ Vasser Sullivan Honda eighth for the Grand Prix of Portland on the 1.964-mile, 12-turn Portland International Raceway permanent road course in Portland, OR
     
  • Jones went out in Group 2 in Round 1 of qualifying and posted a fast lap of 58.9330 putting him fifth on the speed charts of the 14 drivers in his group.
     
  • In Round 2 he ran a quick time of 59.0247 placing him eighth.

Ed Jones Qualifying Quote:
“It was a strong qualifying run for the SealMaster Honda. The first practice was up and down. We were quick from the get go then had a few issues, so we weren’t sure where we were pace wise. In qualifying, the car felt good. The first round we were strong. In the second round we just missed advancing by a small margin. Overall, a solid place to start and I’m excited for the race tomorrow.”

Ed Jones Fast Facts:
This is Jones’ second best qualifying position during the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season behind a fourth place spot at Detroit Race 1.

It is the fifth time Jones will start in the top-12 in 10 road/street races this season.

Today’s eighth place qualifying spot ties Jones’ best at Portland International Raceway in three attempts. He previously qualified eighth in 2018. In two previous races his best finish is 14th in 2019.

The 2021 Grand Prix of Portland will be Jones’ 61st career NTT INDYCAR SERIES start and third at PIR.

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

In 60 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.

Race Broadcast:
The Grand Prix of Portland is Round 14 of the 16-race 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The race will be broadcast live, September 12, on NBC Network at 3:00 p.m. ET.