Driver injury forces Rette Jones Racing to withdraw from Talladega

In the interest of safety, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) has decided to withdraw their No. 30 Jones Group International / J-AAR Excavating Ford from Saturday afternoon’s fred’s 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Team co-owner and part-time driver Terry Jones was attempting to make his sixth career start this weekend, but a leg injury while working on a jobsite in Canada last week will force the Amherstburg, Ontario native to be sidelined for what he hoped was his first NCWTS start of 2016.

“The motor is in, the truck is ready, the guys are ready, but after talking to Terry this morning, we just decided to postpone the launch of our new truck while he heals,” said RJR co-owner Mark Rette. “It’s a bummer. Terry loves restrictor plate racing just as much as any driver, but while his injury isn’t severe – we had to take this precaution to make sure we didn’t potentially make matters worse.

“I appreciate the hard work of the shop guys and for Kevin (Hamlin) agreeing to spot for us this weekend.”

Despite sitting out Saturday’s 94-lap race, the team will now engage on competing in the 2017 season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Friday night, Feb. 24, 2017.

“I hate that I’m not able to compete at Talladega this weekend, but better to be safe than sorry,” said Jones, a successful entrepreneur from Canada. “The guys on this Rette Jones Racing team have built an absolutely beautiful truck for the race – but we’ll just cover it up and get it ready to race a few more months down the road.

“I’ll be fine. I just didn’t want to take the chance on potentially aggravating the leg in a possible crash this weekend. Now, Daytona can’t get here soon enough.”

RJR PR