“Going all out” gives Ed Jones his first top-five finish in NASCAR

Jones, who signed a three-race deal in the Xfinity Series with Sam Hunt Racing this season, benefited from two chaotic restarts late in the race on Saturday to finish fifth at Portland International Raceway.

Jones was competitive in his first start with SHR earlier this season at the Circuit of the Americas, but was involved in an accident late in the race and finished 35th, driving SHR’s No. 24 Toyota on the 12-turn, 2-mile circuit where Jones has competed three times previously in the IndyCar Series.

On Saturday, two restarts late in the race – one of which had six cars on the grid – proved beneficial for Jones, allowing him to get back close to the leaders.

Ed Jones, Sam Hunt Racing, Toyota Racing Development Toyota Supra

Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images

“We got off the truck pretty well. Obviously, practice is so short, but we got a good feeling,” said Jones, 29. “Our car wasn’t the best for qualifying – one lap – but we were confident that we had a good car for the long haul, and that proved to be the case in the race.”

“We started in the midfield and worked our way forward with each stage until we got into the top 10 on the last stage. The last two restarts were just about going all out. I’m still learning how aggressive I can be.”

Jones, the 2013 Euro F3 Open champion, regularly drives on street circuits and moves to stock car racing after a career in IndyCar, IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championship.

He is the 2016 Indy Lights (now Indy NXT) champion and has achieved three IndyCar podium finishes, including third in his debut at the Indianapolis 500. He also has a third-place finish in the LMP2 class at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Jones made his NASCAR debut last season, driving the Truck race at COTA with Young’s Motorsports. He finished 36th after being knocked out of the race on the first lap with a suspension problem.

Saturday’s result in Portland is all the more important because Jones is making his first consecutive NASCAR appearance and will drive the No. 26 Toyota for SHR at next weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway (Calif.).

“It was a great experience. It’s great to have the experience of a full race and even better to be in the top five,” he said. “I would like to thank the team and Toyota for helping me prepare for the weekend.”

“I’m looking forward to Sonoma in a few days.”