Wednesday

Brandon Jones Joins Eddie Sharp Racing For 2012 Season

Filed under Other Series, Press Releases, Truck Series

“Jones Joins the ESR Family as a Development Driver While Climbing Through the Late Model Ranks”

DENVER, N.C. (January 25, 2012) – Brandon Jones, a 14-year-old from Atlanta, Ga., will join Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) as a development driver in the late model ranks. After securing track championships in the pro truck division at Lanier (Ga.) Speedway and Gresham (Ga.) Motorsports Park in 2011, the up-and-coming driver will pilot the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet in an extensive schedule of races in the United Auto Racing Association (UARA) Series, Pro All Stars Series (PASS), and Champion Racing Association (CRA) Series.

“I am very excited to be joining Eddie Sharp Racing as a development driver in 2012,” commented Jones. “I wouldn’t be getting this opportunity if it wasn’t for the success I had in 2011 from the coaching and car management of Bubba Gale, Cale Gale and everyone else at Gale Force.”

The 2012 season will also present Jones with an opportunity to learn and seek guidance from another very successful short-track racer. Butch Miller, the three-time American Speed Association (ASA) Series Champion, has been hired to oversee the program as the competition director and team manager of ESR’s late model program. While Miller has found victory lane in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the Coopersville, Mich., native is best known for his success on the short track circuit. He currently tops the list of the most career poles in the ASA Series, and ranks third on the list of career ASA career wins.

“Brandon is a talented young driver, and I’m very honored and excited to be able to play a part in developing his career,” commented Miller. “We have a full schedule planned this season with him racing between 32 and 34 races across the three series. It should be a lot of fun.”

Over the years, ESR has proven to be a top-team for developing young talent with drivers like Justin Lofton, Michael McDowell, Scott Speed and Craig Goess all finding success in ESR equipment in the form of championships, rookie of the year honors, and race wins.

“Having the opportunity to work with Brandon at such a young age, and at the beginning of his career, is not only exciting, but it’s also what we do,” commented Eddie Sharp, team owner. “It keeps us well-grounded and close to the principles that built Eddie Sharp Racing into a successful team, while at the same time we move in to the upper ranks of NASCAR. Watching everything come together as an owner this season is both exciting and rewarding—I’m looking forward to realizing our potential and experiencing success with each of our racing programs.”

Jones will make his debut with Eddie Sharp Racing at SpeedFest 2012, January 27-29, at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Ga., where he will race the No. 33s Rheem Chevrolet in the Rheem 150.

About Eddie Sharp Racing

Eddie Sharp Racing (TeamESR.com) is a championship winning race team housed in a 40,000 square-foot facility in Denver, N.C. After just four short years of competition within the ARCA Racing Series, the team impressively accumulated upwards of 20 race wins. 2009 was a pivotal year for ESR, as they dominated the series with six race wins, 15 top-fives and 19 top-10s en route to the series championship with driver Justin Lofton. In 2010, ESR made the transition to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In 2011, Sharp and Lofton were reunited within truck competition. In 2012, ESR will expand to three teams, with Lofton set to return to the No. 6 Chevrolet Silverado, Cale Gale set to join the team behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado, and a third driver to be named later.

- Eddie Sharp Racing Press Release