Ed Jones is enjoying his first year driving for Chip Ganassi Racing and Jones thinks it is going well with his new team at Chip Ganassi Racing. “It’s been a great experience working with a team like Chip Ganassi Racing,” Jones said. “It’s always tough getting used to a new team but we have shown what we have been capable of this season and hopefully we can carry that success into Iowa,” Jones continued.
This week the Verizon Indycar Series heads back to the ovals at Iowa Speedway and Jones says with the race running in the day time it could make for an interesting race come Sunday. “I think it will be an interesting race come Sunday with the lower downforce that the track has and with the track getting bumpier as the years have gone on. Also, tire wear will likely be a factor in the race with it being in the daytime. It should be an interesting race,” Jones stated.
This is a unique point in the Indycar Series as the next three tracks are three different types with an oval like Iowa, a street circuit in Toronto, and a road course like Mid Ohio. Jones said this is an interesting point in the season and it’s also one of the most exciting things about racing Indycar. “The best part about it is that you have to adapt to all of the different types of tracks and conditions. It’s very unique to the series to go to all of these different places which makes it very challenging on the driver. You have to master all of these tracks to win a championship and I think that is one of the coolest parts about Indycar,” Jones remarked.
The transition from one team to another is always tough on a driver and Ed Jones did that during the offseason going from Dale Coyne Racing to Chip Ganassi Racing. It was a big transition for him to make coming off his rookie season while also winning rookie of the year. “Ganassi is obviously a bigger organization and also has a NASCAR team, Sports Car team along with an Indycar team while Dale Coyne Racing was solely focused on Indycar. I think that’s the biggest difference between the teams,” Jones remarked.
One of the biggest things that happened this offseason was the new car and Jones says the new car is doing well with over half of the season in the books. “There have been some good things and some challenges with this new car. We expected that this season but I’m confident that Indycar is going to improve the car for safety and racing. So far, I like how this car is driving this season and it’s only going to get better,” Jones stated.
Indycar will not be the only series at Iowa this weekend. Along with Indy Lights, The ARCA Racing Series will also be competing at Iowa this weekend. “I think I will have to learn what to expect from the different types of rubber left by the cars. They are a big factor into so there will be a big change from the start to the end of the first stint. You just have to know how the track is going to evolve during the race,” Jones continued.
The Iowa Corn 300 from Iowa Speedway in this Sunday. Coverage Begins at 2:30 PM on NBCSN.