Buckshot & Racing
Buckshot Jones first slipped behind the wheel of a stock car in 1990, racing late models in the Southeast. It didn't take long for Buckshot to realize that racing was his passion, and his goal was to reach the pinnacle of the sport the NASCAR Winston Cup series.
While the competitive side of Buckshot drew him to stock car racing, the practical side also reared its head. He understood that major league racing is a business and to get ahead in one of the most competitive forms of auto racing, Buckshot earned a degree in business management, keeping an average GPA of above 3.0 at the University of Georgia.
To reach his goal - NASCAR' s Winston Cup Series - Buckshot not only had to prove to himself that he could win, but also to his fellow competitors. The bullrings of Georgia would prove to be the training grounds, Buckshot's first racing in the All-American Division at the Lanier Raceway just outside of Gainesville, Ga. It took him little time to become a winner, scoring his first victory in the All-American Division in 1992; he wound up eighth in points that same year. Little by little the respect Buckshot needed for his career advancement came, and he was fast becoming one of the most successful drivers to come out of the state of Georgia.
By 1993 it was again time for Buckshot to move ahead towards his goal of becoming a Winston Cup driver, this time racing late models in the Slim Jim All Pro Series. He finished 19th in points during his first season.
Like so many NASCAR winners in the past, Buckshot sharpened his skills racing on tracks throughout the Southeast, and in 1994, scored his first late model victory at the Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, Ga. Showing that he could win in a full body stock car, Jones wanted nothing else but to show everyone that he belonged in the major leagues of NASCAR.
After joining the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series in 1995, he wasted no time in proving just that. Buckshot's first Busch Grand National race victory came in only his 18th start on the circuit. At Milwaukee in 1996, he stormed to victory. Buckshot would go on and collect another top 10 and a pole in his first full year on the Grand National Series trail. For the next two racing seasons Buckshot would see another win at the New Hampshire International Speedway, one pole, 11 top-fives, and 23 top-10s. In two full years racing on the Busch Grand National Series, Buckshot won over $800,000 and also earned the Busch Series Most Popular Driver Award for the 1998 racing season.
After showcasing his talents in the Grand National series it was time for Jones to make his next move up. This time it was a huge step to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. His debut came at the end of the 1997 racing season at his home track, the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Driving for a team that was family funded, Buckshot drove in his first Winston Cup race. A day that ended in heartbreak would only end up being the start of a life long dream.
Continuing to run off family funds, Buckshot would showcase his talent in only his second Winston Cup start, collecting an impressive eighth-place finish at the Dover Downs International Speedway, the beginning of proof that he belonged at the top with NASCAR elites. Buckshot would compete in four other races in 1998 and would earn over $115,000 in prize money in only five starts.
