Rob Jones

Robert Francis Jones (born on August 26, 1984 in Lynchburg, Tennessee) is an American race car driver who gained notoriety after causing a major accident in the first pre-qualifying race for the 2009 Round of Decatur that left then-teammate Kristian Jeffries with massive injuries, forcing Jeffries to miss racing entirely in 2010.

2009 Round of Decatur pre-qualifying crash
MT Motorsports announced an attempt to qualify for the 2009 TM Master Cup season finale at Decatur Raceway. Jeffries was announced as a driver first, followed by Jones a week later. Neither car would be sponsored for the weekend.

Upon hearing Jones would be his teammate, Jeffries expressed concern to team owner, Fred Caldwell, about hiring Jones. Jones had a poor reputation throughout the Southeast, causing numerous crashes in late model races, and getting into fights with other drivers when he was wrecked, even if it was unintentional. In fact, Jones' behavior got him banned for life from South Boston Speedway and Myrtle Beach Speedway. He was unpopular with fans, having once set up an autograph signing at a grocery store in his hometown of Lynchburg, only to be shunned by all the shoppers. He only hurt his reputation further by angrily standing up from his chair, yelling out "FUCK Y'ALL!" to the shoppers, firing his public relations director (his own brother, Timmy) on the spot, and storming out of the store.

Both Jones and Jeffries started from the back in the first pre-qualifying race in Decatur. On Lap 10, Jeffries was passed for 14th by Kevin Colley, dropping down to 15th, the final transfer spot to get into the qualifying race. After being passed by Colley, Jones was soon catching up to Jeffries. Jones moved to the right going into Turn 8 as Jeffries went through the corner on the inside. Jones held his line as Jeffries quickly moved to the right for Turn 9. Jeffries' car clipped Jones' car, sending the red #41 hard into the guardrail, and Jeffries slid back up in front of Jones, who hit the driver's side of the 41, sending the car into a horrific series of tumbles. Jeffries' car flipped nearly 30 times, before coming across the track, causing Jerry Richson to hit the car while airborne, ending Richson's race. Jeffries' car came to a stop on all four wheels in the gravel trap in Turn 10. Richson, who was unhurt, immediately rushed over to Jeffries' car, calling for help when he saw the driver unconscious. Jeffries broke both of his arms, both of his legs, his back, and his ribs in the crash. He did not race at all in 2010.

Jones stopped his car just past Turn 12, and walked back to the pits. When he got there, he was greeted by a furious Caldwell, who fired Jones from the team on the spot. Track security and police officers had to keep Jeffries' pit crew from trying to attack Jones. Jones and Caldwell then argued in plain sight of TV cameras and the fans, with Jones yelling that Jeffries moved into his line. Caldwell responded that Jones should've waited until Turn 10 to make his move, saying he would've gotten around Jeffries for 15th, anyway, as Jones had the faster car. Jones angrily walked away to boos from the crowd. He responded by holding up both of his middle fingers at them.

Aftermath
Jones was blacklisted after the crash; no teams wanted him, as the accident had become his career's lowlight. Jones formed Jones Racing, which he funds from his own pocket. Jones signed up to enter the 2011 Nigerian Grand Prix with only three crew members. When asked why he signed up for the controversial race, Jones said, "I wanna stick it to my critics." Fred Caldwell responded, "When he tries to kill someone else over there, he's gonna find their court system isn't as kind as America's." Kristian Jeffries responded, "Good luck trying not to piss off Doom-O."

The race was soon cancelled. Jones is currently racing at various tracks across the United States.