Team News - Brandon Jones Signs 2013 Multi-Series Agreement With Turner Motorsports

MOORESVILLE, Jan. 2, 2013: Fifteen year old Brandon Jones, a Sophomore at Mooresville (NC) High School, will drive in four different series for Turner Motorsports (TMS) in 2013. While driving for Eddie Sharp Racing in 2012, Jones competed in the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) and in the United Auto Racing Association (UARA) Series. He finished fifth in the UARA final standings in his first season, which included a win at Concord Speedway, while racking up an impressive five top-five and eleven top-10 finishes in 22 races. Jones was scored fifth in his first K&N Pro Series East race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway before a last-lap, final turn wreck. 2012's solid performance followed the Atlanta, Ga. native's 2011 track championships in the pro truck division at Lanier (Ga.) Speedway and Gresham (Ga.) Motorsports Park. In 2013, Jones will race the full UARA season, seven NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) races, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) events and selected NASCAR Late Model Stock races under the Turner Motorsports banner.

"I am extremely excited to be joining Turner Motorsports and look forward to driving in UARA and select K&N and Camping World Truck races in 2013 for the Turner organization," said Jones. "I'm confident that with the outstanding team at TMS and with the help of Mike Greci and Cale Gale, we will be very competitive. This opportunity for me would not be possible without the development and coaching I received in 2012 from all the guys at Eddie Sharp Racing and Lee McCall."

At Turner Motorsports, Jones will work under the tutelage of Mike Greci, a stock car racing veteran, famed NASCAR crew chief and NASCAR driver development expert. Following back-to-back K&N Pro Series titles in 1997 and 1998 as owner/crew chief for Mike Stefanik, Greci went on to again score consecutive K&N East titles with Martin Truex, Jr. in 2009 and 2010. Greci has served as crew chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series for Paul Menard and Martin Truex, Jr. Most recently, Greci has mentored and been crew chief for Brett Moffit, Ryan Truex, Travis Pastrana and Sergio Pena in NKNPSE and NNS. Greci will now serve as Turner Motorsports' Competition Director for the NKNPSE teams.

"I echo Mr. Turner's sentiments of working with the younger talent in the sport; I truly enjoy seeing the younger generation work so hard at their dreams, and to be a part of that is special to me. We have a great core of people working for Turner Motorsports and I feel like we will see the success that has become synonymous with Turner Motorsports," mentioned Greci.

In addition to Greci, NCWTS winner Cale Gale will continue his longtime mentoring relationship with Jones. Gale recently rejoined Turner Motorsports as crew chief and will continue to groom Jones for his climb up the racing ranks.

"Coming to Turner Motorsports was a great opportunity for me and I look forward to working more closely with Brandon [Jones] in the NKNPSE series. I've worked with him the last couple of years on honing his skills and I've seen him come a long way in short time period. I think he has the talent necessary to be successful in his racing career," said Gale.

Jones joins Turner Motorsports, which captured its first NASCAR championship in 2012 when James Buescher took the NCWTS title on the strength of four wins. In only its third season of full-time NCWTS competition, Turner Motorsports totaled seven Truck Series wins, in addition to three victories in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The organization announced that Jeb Burton and Miguel Paludo would be competing full-time in the NCWTS in 2013, with additional driver lineup and program details forthcoming.

Steve Turner adds, "I'm really excited that we are extending the Turner Motorsports banner into the other racing ranks, including the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the United Auto Racing Association series." I've always prided myself on working with up-and-coming stars and this group of Jones and Gale is no different. We have put together a great staff under Greci's attention that has tons of experience. I'm just really proud that we can attract these types of people that have the same dedication to racing and success as I do."