Wyatt Jones

Wyatt Jones at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2023

**Wyatt Jones** (born 13 October 1992) is an American professional racing driver, best known for his time in the NAMRA Cup Series, where he is a three time champion. He is currently competing in the AT&T Champ Car World Series as a full-time driver, in addition to a partial schedule in the NAMRA Cup Series, competing in both for Ludwick Motorsports.

Jones is considered one of the best modern-era stock car drivers, having accumulated three Cup Series championships, 44 Cup Series race wins, in addition to a Grand National series title. Of those 44 Cup Series wins, he has won all of the Crown Jewel races at least twice, earning three Daytona 500 victories, three Brickyard 400 victories, two Southern 500 victories, and two World 600 victories. In 2024, he'll become the first driver in history to attempt to race both the Indianapolis 500, and the World 600 on the same day. The Indianapolis 500 in 2023 was moved back to the third Sunday in May for the first time in 50 years, while the World 600 runs that same evening.

## Early years

Jones was born in Atlanta, Georgia on October 13, 1992. At the age of six, Jones was accompanying his father to the track and competing in kart racing. Jones began his driving career in 2000, shortly after his 8th birthday; from 2001 through 2003, Jones won over 65 races in legends car racing, winning two track championships at the Atlanta Motor Speedway legends short-track, before moving to late models; Jones scored ten victories in late model competition at Dixie Speedway during the 2004 season. This father and son team competed at southern tracks from Southern Florida to Kentucky.

At the age of 16, Jones began competing in the NAMRA Coca-Cola Truck Series, driving the No. 99 Ford for Thompson-Daniels Racing as a replacement for Nathan Kiani, who was released midway in the 2008 season. He made his debut at Indianapolis Raceway Park, posting a 9th-place finish in his first race in the series. In his second race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he was leading until his truck ran out of fuel with 12 laps to go.

In 2009, Jones graduated a year early with honors from West Forsyth High School in Forsyth, Georgia to focus on his driving career. That same year, he would make his first full-time season in the NAMRA Coca-Cola Truck Series, finishing 3rd in the championship in the No. 3 Ford for ACS Motorsports.

## Stock Car career

### 2010-2011 season

Jones made his debut in the stock car industry in 2010 when, at the young age of 18, he won the (Xfinity Series) Championship in his first and only season. In 2011, he unexpectedly entered the Cup series to drive for CHM Racing, an underdog team trying to establish itself in the sport. Despite Wyatt Jones' lack of success, the underfunded team managed an unprecedented 13 top 10 finishes, including top 5s at Charlotte, Atlanta, and Darlington. Amidst being the only full-time rookie in the series that year, Jones' exceptional effort earned him the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award.

### 2012 season

Dominick Ludwick of Ludwick Motorsports noticed his outstanding 2011 performance. With the debut of the new Car of Tomorrow, Dominick's team experienced success they had not known in a long time, earning several top-10 points results. Henderson was scheduled to operate the LMS 25 Ford Fusion for the indefinite future with the aid of the recently established sports drink, BodyArmor. 2012 would be the 20-year-breakthrough old's campaign. becoming the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500 in just his first outing with the team. Jones went on to win in both the Brickyard 400 and the spring Talladega race that year. After placing third in the standings, Jones would begin his age-21 season as one of the most recognized drivers in the series.

### 2013 season

In 2013, the sixth generation of top-level stock cars were introduced, forcing everyone to adjust to a completely different racing profile. Jones would struggle in the first year with the new package, as would most of the LMS team. Jones would end up missing the Chase, finishing the year with only eight top 10s, no pole positions, and no race wins on the year. Despite the slump in performance as the team adjusted, LMS would go on to extend Jones beyond the 2013 season after BodyArmor signed a sponsorship deal to support Jones.

### 2014 season

The 2014 season would demonstrate a return to form for Jones, as he got more comfortable with the new car. He would win at the races in Atlanta, Bristol, Darlington, and Daytona night. Jones qualified for the new playoff format and advanced all the way to the Championship 4. Although he would start from the front row for the championship, a mechanical issue would force him to stop after just six laps.

### 2015 season

Jones would be more determined than ever to winning a title going into 2015. A championship would be the only thing standing between him and entering elite company after he won all of the Cup series' most prestigious competitions. Throughout the 2015 season, Jones damaged a lot of equipment, tried to drive too fast, and acted aggressively when it wasn't required. Going into the final two races of the normal season, he was still winless and 20th in the points standings; he would need a victory to advance to the postseason. Jones would consult with the legendary baseball player Tom Glavine for guidance on how to handle high-stress circumstances during the final offweek of the regular season. The guidance was beneficial because he finished second at Darlington and won the final race of the regular season in Richmond. Jones would point his way all the way to the round of 8, where he would sweep the entire round (Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix). All eyes would be on Jones once again where he would be on the pole for the championship in Miami. However, this time, LMS gave him a car that wouldn't fail, and Jones would dominate the race to win his first championship.

### 2016 season

After winning his first Cup Series championship in 2015, all eyes would be on Jones to repeat his performances in 2016. Instead, Jones suffered what pundits called a "championship hangover". Jones would go winless in 2017, for the second time in his Cup career, but would still make the playoffs based on points. After struggling to find consistency in the round of 16, he'd be eliminated, ending his championship ambitions with seven races remaining.

### 2017 season

After a disappointing 2016 campaign by his own standards, Jones entered 2017 intending to right the ship. An early win at Atlanta secured his spot in the 2017 Cup Series playoffs, but would have a quiet rest of the season. A crash at Talladega in the first round of the playoffs would see him eliminated from the first round once more, missing out on the round of 12 by six points.

### 2018 season

The 2018 season marked Jones' eighth year in the Cup Series. In the first eight years, Jones had won a total of 14 races, and pressure was beginning to build, with Grand National Series talent beginning to swell into the Cup Series. Jones would begin silencing his critics, winning the 60th running of the Daytona 500 after making a bold pass out of turn 4 to lead his only lap of the race at the finish. In a year where repeat winners were difficult to come by, Jones would go on a historic run, winning all four superspeedway races at Daytona, and Talladega. He would also win playoff races at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval, and Kansas Speedway, to advance into the round of 8. However, he would be eliminated in the round of 8, losing out on the Championship 4 by a single point after suffering a mechanical failure at Texas during the round.

### 2019 season

Having missed out on a championship fight in one of his most dominant seasons of his career, Jones, and Ludwick Motorsports turned up the pressure for the 2019 season. In 2019, Jones would lay on an impressive year, winning nine races in the year. After missing out on a third Daytona 500 win, Jones would take the remaining crown jewel races, winning at Indianapolis, Charlotte Motor Speedway for the World 600, and the Southern 500 at Darlington, in addition to six other wins. By winning the season finale at Homestead-Miami, he'd secure his second Cup Series championship, laying out a foundation of success entering the 2020 season.

### 2020 season

Coming into 2020, racing media warned about the championship hangover Jones had experienced after winning his first title in 2015. For 2020, that wouldn't be the case. Despite being collected in "the big one" at Daytona, Jones would have his best season to date. He'd compile eleven wins on the season, including the last three races in a row, to win his third Cup Series championship. In 2020, he'd also establish himself as a more experienced road course racer, winning at Sonoma for the first time, as well as at Watkins Glen.

### 2021 season

Following up back to back Cup Series titles, Jones would miss out on a fourth career Cup Series championship at Phoenix, finishing runner up in the standings. Jones would score another World 600 win, his third career win of the series' longest race, along the way, with 2021 seeing Jones end with 41 career wins in eleven seasons.

### 2022 season

Entering 2022, the seventh generation of Cup Series vehicles debuted, and with it the style of racing changing completely. Unlike with the debut of the sixth generation cars, Jones picked up quickly, winning his third Daytona 500 in his twelfth start, in addition to winning the following races in Fontana, and at Las Vegas. However, the onset of the 2022 swine flu pandemic saw the season cut short as pandemic curbing efforts, such as mandated closures and quarantines, forced many events and seasons across the board to be completely cancelled. At the time of the season being called off, Jones was the points leader. However, NAMRA, the sanctioning body of the entirety of stock car racing in the United States, would not crown Jones as champion, as the series had not made it to the playoff stages.

### 2024 season

It was announced in early January, 2023, that Jones would be pivoting his full time efforts into open wheel racing, diving into the 2023 AT&T Champ Car World Series with Ludwick Motorsports, and BodyArmor supporting the effort. Despite this, Jones would also be contesting a partial schedule in the 2024 Cup Series season, notably at the plate races of Daytona, Talladega, among others. Jones would also attempt to complete "the double", an effort where a driver will attempt to race in both the Indianapolis 500, and the World 600 on the same day. Prior to 2023, the effort was not possible. From 1973 until 2022, the Indianapolis 500 ran on the second Sunday in May, and while the World 600 had been established on the third Sunday evening in May back in 1960, travel methods of the time were not quick enough to allow drivers and personnel to travel from Indianapolis, to Charlotte in a quick enough manner. For 2023, the Indianapolis 500 would be moved back to the third Sunday in May, making the attempt viable.

## Champ Car career

### 2023 season

On January 4th, 2023, it was announced that Jones would join the Indycar World Championship as a full-time driver after twelve full time seasons in the NAMRA Cup Series. Being supported by Ludwick Motorsports, and sponsor BodyArmor, Jones' inspiration for making the move was based out of wanting to prove stock car drivers could compete on an international stage. Champ Car drivers had moved to compete in stock car competitions, but Cup Series drivers had not jumped over to open wheel since the 1960s, due to the dangerous nature of Champ Car competitions. Wanting to compete for a sanctioned world championship for the first time, Jones was anxious to expand his repertoire and racing capabilities while in his prime.

## Personal life

Jones is a passionate Atlanta Braves fan and has been known to have their scores relayed to him during races. "During the race season, [if] I'm under caution, I'm getting stats and numbers told to me over the radio during the race," Jones said. "I've got to know. I can't concentrate on what I'm doing if I don't know what the Braves are doing. My fans tell me if I lose, it ruins their day. But if the Braves lose, it ruins my day." Jones once dreamed of playing baseball for the Braves, but states that he "wasn't built" for it. "I was 5–3 (5'3", 160 cm) when I got my driver's license at the age of 16," he said, "so I wasn't going to make much of a baseball player."

Jones is best friends with fellow NASCAR Cup Series driver Victor Oldham III. The two first met when they raced legend cars in their youth.

Jones is a Christian. In an interview with Esquire in 2020, Jones clarified that his criticism of Mike Hall after an incident at that year's All-Star Race was not meant as an attack on Hall's Christian faith as some had perceived. "A lot of people took that as attacking his faith and it definitely wasn't that. I have nothing against that. I'm a Christian myself. When you go disrespectful, then that shows the character that you are. That's what I was getting at." Jones's wrecked front bumper from the incident was put up for auction and raised $30,023 for the Christian non-profit organization Motor Racing Outreach.

Jones is a supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and as of March 2020 has granted over 250 wishes.

### In Media

Jones has made several TV talk show appearances during his career on shows such as Late Show with David Letterman, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and Good Morning America. He was also on the first season of CRC's NAMRA 360. It took an in-depth look at NAMRA drivers outside the track and the preparation it takes to be a NAMRA driver. Jones has also been on MTV Cribs.

His No. 25 car appeared in the 2013 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon as the vehicle form of Roadbuster, one of a trio of NASCAR stock cars equipped with armor and heavy machine guns called the "Wreckers" He voiced himself in Disney/Pixar's movie Cars as a No. 25 car (painted in resemblance to Jones's actual car) named "WJ".

His voice was used for the character Chase Davis in an episode of the Disney Channel's Handy Manny. Chase helps Manny compete in the Wood Valley 500 auto race in "Handy Manny's Big Race". He played himself in "The Hangover: Part 3".

Wyatt Jones has expressed interest in broadcasting after his career is over. He is already a frequent collaborator with NAMRA on CRC as a color commentator for NAMRA Grand National Races. Jones has been featured on the cover of NAMRA-themed video games twice; he appeared on the cover of AE Sports' NAMRA 15, and also was voted to be on the cover of NAMRA The Game: Inside Line in 2020. Jones is also a streamer for iRacing.com on Twitch.tv

### Political Stances

Jones is a longtime opponent of the modern display of the Confederate flag at NAMRA events. He wrote in his 2016 autobiography Driver #25 about his experience being asked about the flag in a Q&A at Richmond International Raceway (now Richmond Raceway) the previous year. "I think it means something different to me than it does to y'all..." he responded. He has distanced himself from race fans who display the flag, explaining, "It never really was me." In 2017, Jones told Ken Bowman of FS Sports: "We live in a country where you can speak freely and do as you may. I don't know (if) what that flag stands for is the same for me as it is the guy who might have it flying out there. I am not going to agree with everything everybody does all my life. So I don't have any control over it." Following mass shooting in a church in 2018, Jones told reporters: "I think it's offensive to an entire race. It does nothing for anybody to be there flying, so I don't see any reason. It belongs in the history books and that's about it."

In May 2017, Jones singled out Republican Representative Ron Kennedy of Georgia while speaking against an amendment to a defense bill that would prohibit the military from funding sponsorships in professional sports.

In April 2018, Jones became a partner of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. He addressed delegates to the 2019 Democratic National Convention at Charlotte Motor Speedway on behalf of the coalition. In 2020, Jones recorded an advertisement for America's Power, encouraging voter turnout for the U.S. elections that year.