Ed Jones, a road racing talent, who has experience was the 2013 Formula 3 champion, and has had experience in IndyCar, IMSA, and the FIA World Endurance Challenge, has joined Sam Hunt Racing for select NASCAR Xfinity Series road races in 2024.
Jones, who was born in Dubai and is of British Nationality, will pilot a Toyota GR Supra for the race team in the road racing events at Circuit of the Americas, Portland International Raceway, and Sonoma Raceway. The 29-year-old racer, who made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut last season, is excited to be nearing his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut.
“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,” said Jones in a team 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.”
Hunt sees a lot of maturity and smart race craft when he looks at Jones, and feels he is a driver motivated to build a successful career in stock cars.
“I’m looking forward to implementing Ed into our program at SHR, beginning at COTA,” said Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing. “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.”
The release from Sam Hunt Racing notes that Jones will pilot the No. 24 entry at COTA as a teammate to Sage Karam. That event will mark the first race of the 2024 season that SHR will field two entries. The team will announce the remainder of the details surrounding Jones’ entry at Portland and Sonoma at a later date.
Unfortunately, Jones saw his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut, at Circuit of the Americas with Young’s Motorsports last year, end before it truly began. Jones and the No. 20 team retired before completing a full lap due to suspension issues on their Chevrolet Silverado.
Jones, who has three career podium finishes in the NTT IndyCar Series, and was the 2016 Indy Lights champion, will look to have a solid first outing at Circuit of the Americas, and will look to build results through his three-race NASCAR Xfinity Series stint in 2024.
