Ted Jones
When young 19-year-old drag racer Ted Jones bought his local drag strip in Kettlerville, Ohio, he had no idea his life as a play-by-play sportscaster would change and thereafter revolve around the sport of drag racing until he retired. After giving up his chosen profession of play-by-play sports announcer, Jones, who had immediate success with the 1/8 mile Kettlersville Drag Strip, built a quarter mile track in Van Wert, Ohio, and then proceeded to purchase Muncie Indiana Dragway and Shelby Dragway near Sidney, Ohio. After completing two IHRA National events at the Muncie track, Larry Carrier was impressed with Jones’ knowledge of the sport and his management abilities. He persuaded Jones to sell his drag strips and move to Bristol, Tennessee as IHRA Vice President and National Event Race Director. While at IHRA, Jones initiated many procedures that are still popular today, such as weighing the driver with the car, the pro ladders where 1 runs 16, alternating lanes during qualifying, the use of blower restraint devices, and the Mountain Motor Pro Stocks, and conceived the Pro Modified class. Jones also introduced drag racing to ESPN in 1982 and was retained by ESPN as a consulting producer and later a contracted ESPN announcer.
After 17 years with IHRA, Jones left when new IHRA owner Billy Meyer moved the sanctioning body to Texas. One year later he purchased the sanctioning body back drom Meyer and moved it back to Tennessee. After partner Jim Ruth died, Jones sold his shares of IHRA to a group headed by Pro Stock racers Carlton Phillips and Jim Yates.
Jones wanted to stay involved with drag racing, so using his ESPN connections, he founded the production company Masters Entertainment Group along with partner Butch McCall. The company proceeded to televise more 250 different drag racing and car-related programs per year including IHRA, NHRA, NMCA, NMRA, NOPI, NIRA, AMA, AHDRA, Super Chevy Show, Chrysler Classic and more. Jones hosted ESPN2 programs “Inside Drag Racing” for 12 years and the “Mother’s Car Show Series” for 10 years, retiring at the end of 2006.
Ted Jones holds an FAA Pilot’s License, USCG Captain’s license and FCC Radio Telephone License, and now works part-time advising Butch McCall with the administration of the television production company. He has been married to wife Linda for 44 years and has two daughters, Lynda Faye, an attorney in Nashville, and Holly, who resides in Bristol. Jones, who also hosts a boating show on two TV networks, likes to spend his spare time on his yacht when he is not entertaining his three granddaughters.