Buckshot Jones

Roy "Buckshot" Jones (born July 23, 1970 in Monticello, Georgia), is an auto racing driver who has competed in NASCAR and sprint cars. He most recently ran in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series.

Life and career

Jones' 1998 Winston Cup car

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 motocross, but his dad suggested stock cars 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.

In 2001 he returned to the Cup Series, driving the #44 Georgia-Pacific Dodge Intrepid for Petty Enterprises. Unfortunately, the results were only slightly better than his previous races and he was released midway through the 2002 season.

Buckshot has since sold his team and temporarily retired from racing. He last appeared in a NASCAR sanctioned race in 2004, when he ran two Busch Series events. He currently works in land development and real estate in Gwinnett County, GA. He returned to auto racing in the Snowball Derby in December 2006 but finished last after being caught in an early accident. In 2007, he returned to racing to drive the #00 Chevrolet for DMT Motorsports in the Southern Division of the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, but re-retired at the end of the season.

Career results

* Season in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

NASCAR Nationwide Series

External links

• Buckshot Jones Career Statistics