By Josh Farmer
INDIANAPOLIS – Ed Jones has quietly shown pace throughout this Month of May.
The driver of the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda qualified 11th last Sunday but had the ninth quickest four-lap average 230.578 mph. He also logged the second fastest lap of the month on Sunday at 38.6253 seconds. The lap was just .0179 of a second off teammate Sebastien Bourdais’ time set on Fast Friday.
With only having just a few weeks to master the 2.5 mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an IndyCar, the Verizon IndyCar Series rookie feels content with how the month has gone.
“Been working on the car and trying to understand everything that goes on just to know how to improve and go about it that way,” he said. “I feel like that we have been good in every circumstance, race trim as well. Being good in all of these scenarios makes it very important because race day it changes so much and you have to be available to adapt.”
Jones, who won the 2016 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires championship, has softly eased his way into some good finishes so far this season. Sixth place at Long Beach stands as his best finish.
Dale Coyne Racing teammate Sebastien Bourdais also has started strong by winning the season-opener at St. Pete. He was on pace for a championship run until he was injured in a crash last week during qualifying.
“They have really progressed compared to the last few seasons,” he said. “I think it is just a combination of the new drivers, the engineering team and the investment team that Dale has put in. It’s all those things working together.”
The 22-year-old has adapted well to racing on ovals since he came to America in 2015. In six oval starts, he has finished second three times. He came up .0024 of a second short to Dean Stoneman in last year’s Freedom 100, which stands as the closest finish in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history.
Coming from a road racing background in his native Europe, Jones noted that his even-keeled driving style has served him well as he literally goes in circles.
“That really helps in just rolling speed and feeling the car better,” he said. “That also helps on the ovals so I can feel what I need from the car. It helps the tires last a little bit longer as well. The main thing is I have great advice all the way along and that helps move forward.”
Jones also attributes much of his success to having a great teammate in four-time Indy car champion Sebastien Bourdais.
“It’s been a massive help,” he said. “Every race this season, everywhere we’ve gone it’s been such a huge help and I owe a lot of my success to the advice that he has given me.”
Bourdais’ attempt at an Indianapolis 500 pole ended last Saturday when he crashed hard in Turn 2. The Frenchman suffered multiple pelvic fractures and a fractured femur. Despite the magnitude of his teammate’s accident, Jones has managed to let it roll off his shoulders.
“It’s just a part of racing,” he said. “I went out the next morning and my second lap was my quickest run all month. You can’t let it phase you.”
While he is a 50/1 long shot to win the 500, Jones feels optimistic about his chances on Sunday. Last year’s Indy 500 rookie winner Alexander Rossi started from the same position.
“It would be a dream come true,” he said. “It would help me out in the long run. We’ve seen how it furthered Rossi’s career. We’ll be doing everything we can on Sunday to make that happen.”
