Buckshot Jones | |||||||
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Born |
Monticello, Georgia, U.S. |
July 23, 1970 ||||||
Awards | 1998 NASCAR Busch Series Most Popular Driver | ||||||
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
56 races run over 7 years | |||||||
Best finish | 41st (2001) | ||||||
First race | 1997 NAPA 500 (Atlanta) | ||||||
Last race | 2003 EA Sports 500 (Talladega) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
147 races run over 8 years | |||||||
Best finish | 7th (1997) | ||||||
First race | 1995 Sears Auto Center 250 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
Last race | 2004 Meijer 300 (Kentucky) | ||||||
First win | 1996 Sears Auto Center 250 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
Last win | 1998 Gumout Long Life Formula 200 (Loudon) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of November 24, 2012. |
Roy "Buckshot" Jones (born July 23, 1970) is an American racing driver who has competed in NASCAR and sprint cars. He most recently ran in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series.
Jones earned the nickname "Buckshot" from his grandfather after he ran into a table and showed no signs of pain or agony. His racing career began as a hobby during his studies at the University of Georgia, where he earned a business degree. Jones originally wanted to race , but his dad suggested since they were safer.
After his sixth race Jones went out to dinner with his father, where he told him that he wanted to be a NASCAR champion. He and his father then developed a six-year plan that would allow Jones to move up the ladder and begin to fulfill his dream.
In 1995, Jones moved to the NASCAR Busch Series with his own team called Buckshot Racing. After a disappointing rookie campaign where his best finish was a ninth at South Boston Speedway, Jones hired Ricky Pearson, son of the legendary David Pearson, as his crew chief. Jones won two races over the next three years, winning the Most Popular Driver award in 1998. In 1999, after marrying his longtime girlfriend Jina, he made the jump to Winston Cup driving the #00 Pontiac, with Ricky's brother Larry Pearson taking over his Busch ride. Crown Fiber Communications was the major sponsor of the car. Jones failed to qualify several times in his rookie year, including the first two races of the season. On the occasions in which he did make the field, a DNF was the typical result. After nine starts, he decided to end his bid for Rookie of the Year and returned to the Busch Series. During his Busch campaign of 2000, he had one pole, three top-tens, and finished 21st in points.