Former Indy Car and IMSA driver, Edward Jones, is set to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with Sam Hunt Racing. The 29-year-old will drive the No. 24 car for the team in select races this season, competing in a total of three races for SHR at COTA, Portland International Raceway, and Sonoma Raceway.

This would prove to be a big leap for Edward Jones, as he goes from open-wheel to Stock car racing in 2024. Jones is the 2016 Indy Lights Champion and also has three podium finishes in IndyCar Series. The only real experience Jones has with NASCAR racing is his single start in the Truck Series last year with Young’s Motorsports.

Ed Jones looking forward to competing in the Xfinity Series

Jone’s first start of the season will be at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on Sunday, March 23. He will be behind the wheels of the No. 23 Toyota GR Supra alongside his teammate Sage Karam. Interestingly, his first race will be at the same venue as last year, when he first entered NASCAR racing in the Truck Series. After his adventures in open-wheel racing, a shift to stock car racing is indeed an exciting prospect for the British driver.

Elated on his move to the Xfinity Series, the driver via SHR said, “I’m really excited to be joining Sam Hunt Racing and Toyota Racing Development for my Xfinity Series debut and to compete in multiple races this season. After spending time with Sam’s crew and the Toyota team, I have a lot of confidence in the program. I feel confident that we will be able to achieve some strong results.”

“I’m looking forward to implementing Ed into our program at SHR, beginning at COTA,” said Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing. “He’s a super smart, mature guy who is hungry to build a career in NASCAR over the next couple of years and to build it the right way. He’s professional and has raced at very high levels in IndyCar and Sports cars. We’re excited to tackle the learning curve of competing in stock cars with him, and we know he will only get stronger and stronger with experience.”

Crossover from NASCAR to Indy or vice versa is quite an age-old tradition. However, NASCAR drivers seem to have taken well to open-wheel driving after their adventures in stock car racing.

NASCAR drivers who were successful in their IndyCar adventures

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There has been a long list of drivers switching from NASCAR to compete in the IndyCar. However, we will be picking out a handful of them who have had a significant impact on the motorsport world. Starting off, we have Tony Stewart. Apart from his Cup Series championship success, the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, had two wins in 1997 and 1998, when the series was called the Indy Racing League.

Juan Pablo Montoya, the Colombian driver, has won it all. Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR Cup Series, and IMSA Weather Tech Sports Championship. In 93 IndyCar starts, Montoya bagged 15 wins, including the Indy 500. Moving on, we have Robby Gordon, who made 115 starts in the IndyCar. Both of his IndyCar wins came in 1995 when he won at Phoenix and Belle Isle. Last but not least on this short list is Mario Andretti, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1969. Prior to his success in open-wheel racing, the driver also crowned himself as the Daytona 500 champion in 1967.

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