Michaela Perry-Jones

Michaela Evelyn Perry-Jones (born December 23, 1995), nicknamed MPJ, is an American auto racing driver from Jasper, Indiana.

She currently competes in the FARC Lowe Dollar Series for Durbin Sport Racing on a full-time basis, as well as in the TM Master Cup, where she contests the Independent's Trophy for Full Throttle Motorsports.

Career
Perry-Jones began racing cars at a relatively late age for professional racing drivers, starting her first late model race at the age of 19. Over the course of three years, she scored several race victories at short tracks across Indiana and Illinois.

FARC
Her success caught the attention of TM Master Cup racer Ike Durbin, who signed her to drive for Durbin Sport Racing in the FARC Lowe Dollar Series for the 2018 season. Perry-Jones quickly found success, taking only four races to score a surprise victory at the Nelson Ledges Road Course in Ohio. Her speed, however, was hindered by her inconsistency; her limited schedule of eleven starts included four top-ten finishes, but also five DNFs. She concluded the season ranked 13th.

2019 would be a breakout year for Perry-Jones. After being re-signed to DSR and promoted to a full-season drive, she would score a second consecutive victory at Nelson Ledges, and she has also won races at General Grant Speedway, her home track of Salem Speedway in Southern Indiana, and Talladega Superspeedway. Continued inconsistency, however, has resulted in multiple accidents in other races. Nevertheless, she remains in contention for the championship with one race remaining.

TM Master Cup
In addition for her FARC campaign, Perry-Jones would be signed by Full Throttle Motorsports to contest the Independent's Trophy in the TM Master Cup, driving the team's #86 Volpi for 2019. In addition to the special events, she is scheduled to drive in the rounds of Chicago, British Columbia, Santa Clara, and Mexico.

Personal
Perry-Jones often displays a modest and somewhat shy personality. She has admitted that she does not particularly care for media interviews, although she credits guidance from Ike Durbin in helping her to become more comfortable with speaking to the press.

She has identified qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 as a career goal of hers, despite lacking any background in open-wheel racing. As a child she attended the race in person many times with her family.

Her family raises chickens in the backyard of her childhood home, an activity that she would do, herself, she has stated, if she weren't regularly traveling for races. Her personal favorite is a hen named Phoebe.

She holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering technology from Indiana State University.