PJ Jones battles way to SST Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Race #2 Victory

After starting sixth, PJ Jones would work his way through the field in a calculated, aggressive matter to take the lead.  Jones then was able to hold off Robby Gordon to win the second race of the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas season. It marks the second win in the last three races for the racing veteran, who has raced open-wheel, USAC Silver Crown and midget cars over the course of his career.

“We had a really fast truck and kept our mistakes to a minimum, but you do make mistakes in these trucks,” Jones said.  “Robby and Jerett got racing each other behind me which helped, and I had to hold Robby off when he made a couple of late dives on me on that last lap.

The win marks a solid comeback for Jones this weekend as he had a poor finish yesterday due to mistakes that he made in the wet conditions.

Gordon, who won the first race of the weekend as the trucks battled through the puddles, finished second followed by teenager Jerett Brooks. Justin Lofton and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top five. Scotty Steele finished sixth, followed by Gavin Harlien, Apdaly Lopez and Davey Hamilton. 

The Stadium Super Trucks ran the same course that the Verizon IndyCars competed on this past weekend, with the addition of some steel ramps along the straightaways. Series founder Gordon chose to compete alongside the IndyCars at some events to try and reach new fans. Goal accomplished.

“Best thing is that the crowd was really into it and people have been coming up to me all weekend saying how much they love the trucks and love watching them jump,” Jones commented post-race. “A lot of them said we were the reason they came here this weekend and can’t wait to see us race again.  The fans that didn’t know about us already are fans now, I’m sure.”

Saturday and Sunday’s races at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be broadcast on NBCSN April 17 at 1 a.m. EST and 10 p.m. PST. (April 16).

Round 3 of the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas will be April 13 at the Long Beach Grand Prix in Southern California.  Tickets to the race are available through the Long Beach Grand Prix web site at www.gplb.com.

For more information on the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road Presented by Traxxas, check out http://stadiumsupertrucks.com/.

About the Author

Ashley McCubbin

Joining OnPitRoad.com mid-2013 season, Ashley McCubbin is now the Managing Editor and contributes to each racing division as needed. Since studying journalism at the University of Guelph-Humber, Ashley has published articles on a couple of different websites, while serving as a public relations representative for different short track teams. Born in North York, Ontario, Ashley currently lives in Bradford, Ontario and spends her weekend at the local short tracks in the area. She has spent her entire life at the short track level, falling in love with the sport at the age of five. Beyond her love of short track racing, she also has grown an interest for both NASCAR and the IndyCar Racing Series. She also enjoys taking photos and working on websites, while playing a couple rounds of Candy Crush afterwards.

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