Verizon IndyCar Series driver Ed Jones has stated that he hopes to successfully bounce back after a disappointing end to last weekend’s 2018 Indianapolis 500. The Dubai-born British driver of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet had his race come to an abrupt end when he lost control on the exit of turn two on lap fifty-eight.
A mistake on the second day of qualifying for the race saw Jones drop from thirteenth on day one to an eventual grid spot of twenty-ninth. However, after practising the whole week leading up to qualifying, Jones was confident that he had a good race car that he could bring back up to the front of the order.
Ed’s hopes were further bolstered by two final practice sessions after qualifying. With single-car pace now completely off of the table, Jones and his crew worked over the final two sessions to get their car ready for running with other cars during the five-hundred-mile race.
“We had a very positive end to practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Jones after the final “Carb Day” practice which took place on the Friday before the race, “We worked a lot on getting more front grip, and I was very happy with the direction and changes we made – the No.10 NTT Data entry felt really good. There was a lot of traffic out there as well, and I was pretty pleased with how the car handled in those situations, which is important for the race.”
However, Jones’ hopes of being able to carve through the field to a strong finish in the race were dashed just after the fifty lap mark. Many drivers, all with varying experience levels, were struggling to keep their cars pointing in the right direction. Drivers like Helio Castroneves, Sebastien Bourdais and more all lost control and spun into the wall during the race. Sadly, Jones was also on that list.
On lap fifty-eight, whilst running in the slipstream of several cars ahead of him, Jones lost the rear-end of his Chevrolet mid-way through turn two. The impact with the outside wall was hard, but luckily the car went into the barriers backwards; the preferred way to hit the wall to avoid injury.
Jones was able to step out of his car relatively unscathed, but after complaining of head and neck pain, he was sent to the hospital as a precaution. Thankfully he was released later in the day with no dramas.
After being released, Jones vowed that he would bounce back at the next event, the 2018 Chevrolet Duel in Detroit, which takes place this weekend.
“It was a frustrating end to our race in the NTT Data car,” a disappointed Jones said. “We struggled a bit in the first stint, but then made progress and we were looking better after the pit-stop.
“Unfortunately, there were two cars in front of me going two-wide, and the characteristics of the car were understeer – then I got massive oversteer and wasn’t able to catch it. That was obviously hugely disappointing, but my crew was outstanding and we’ll be back and stronger in Detroit.”
The seventh and eighth rounds of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series, race one and two of the Duel in Detroit, will take place on Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3.
