P.J. Jones | |||||||
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Born |
Torrance, California |
April 23, 1969 ||||||
Achievements | 1993 24 Hours of Daytona winner | ||||||
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
33 races run over 13 years | |||||||
2011 position | 80th | ||||||
Best finish | 42nd (1993) | ||||||
First race | 1993 Save Mart Supermarkets 300K (Sears Point) | ||||||
Last race | 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
32 races run over 6 years | |||||||
Best finish | 38th (2000) | ||||||
First race | 2000 NAPA Auto Parts 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
Last race | 2008 Zippo 200 at the Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career | |||||||
18 races run over 4 years | |||||||
Best finish | 17th (1995) | ||||||
First race | 1995 Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic (Phoenix) | ||||||
Last race | 2008 Sam's Town 400 (Texas) | ||||||
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IndyCar Series career | |||||||
2 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 33rd (2006) | ||||||
First race | 2004 Indianapolis 500 (Indy) | ||||||
Last race | 2006 Indianapolis 500 (Indy) | ||||||
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Champ Car career | |||||||
58 races run over 4 years | |||||||
Best finish | 17th (1999) | ||||||
First race | 1996 Miller Genuine Draft 200 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
Last race | 1999 Marlboro 500 (California) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of June 20, 2013. |
Parnell Velko "P.J." Jones (born April 23, 1969) is an American racing driver. He has contested in multiple disciplines, including NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA GT Championship, the American Le Mans Series, USAC, the Chili Bowl, and the Stadium Super Trucks.
Jones was runner-up at the GTP class of the IMSA GT Championship in 1993 and fourth in 1992. He also finished 4th at the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, and second at the 1999 CART race at Nazareth. His father is Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones and his brother Page Jones is a former racing driver.
Jones' preliminary efforts in racing were, in a fashion not atypical for young drivers, focused on go-karting. Upon graduation from his introductory-level competitions, Jones began to enter the oval races at Ascot Park, much as his father did decades prior. Accumulating experience and accolades, Jones would progress vertically to United States Auto Club-sanctioned events. From numerous choices within the USAC governing body's expansive portfolio of open-wheel divisions, Jones opted to participate in the West Coast Midget category. 1986's racing season saw Jones earn the rookie of the year title in that class as the then-young driver began a quest to surpass his father in auto racing accomplishments; he had, by virtue of being a high school junior, already overtaken Parnelli in academic achievement.
As Jones continued to craft a reputation as the future of motorsport in USAC, he began to dabble in IMSA GT, foreshadowing the dawn of his career's peak, which would take place, at least in part, in the GTP classification within the series. At this stage, Jones was participating in the GTO and GTU classes with Clayton-Cunningham Racing and their stable of Mazda RX-7 vehicles. A partial season in both GTO and GTU left Jones just fourteenth and twenty-seventh in the respective standings. Low rankings, however, would not overshadow Jones' ability in the rotary-engined racing car; instead, 1988 was highlighted by a podium finish in one of the GTU races.