Photo Credit: James Black/IndyCar
Coming off a rookie season that included a podium finish in the 2017 Indianapolis 500, Ed Jones had his eyes set on the Borg Warner trophy and an ice cold glass of milk in this year’s race.
That not only wasn’t the case, but the United Arab Emirates driver exited this year’s Indy 500 early from a crash and finished 22nd in the event’s precursor on the infield road course.
Needing a boost in performance, the sophomore driver in his first season for Chip Ganassi Racing turned to Detroit for what he hoped would be a more uplifting performance, and the weekend at Belle Isle didn’t disappoint. Jones finished sixth in the first race on Saturday, and followed that up with a third-place finish on Sunday.
“It was a fantastic day for the NTT DATA team. The guys really did a good job with the car this weekend. We started off a bit slow, but the important thing is that we improved every session and earned our way here today,” Jones said after the race.
Jones’ first season with Chip Ganassi Racing has had its ups and downs.
The year started strong with an eighth-place finish in the season opening race on the Streets of St. Petersburg, but it soon went sour when he crashed late in the going at ISM Raceway while contending for a podium finish. The next time out at Long Beach, Jones finished the race in third, only his second career podium finish.
Since then, it’s been rocky to say the least.
Finishes of 20th, 22nd and 31st set Jones well back in the points standings, but two solid runs in Detroit could reinvigorate him before heading to Texas Motor Speedway this Saturday night.
“Today’s podium was another step in the right direction for the No. 10 NTT DATA team and I’m looking forward to getting back after it at Texas in a few short days,” he said.
