10 Minutes + 2 Laps with Justin Jones

In “10 Minutes + 2 Laps with…”, we take the same amount of time required to complete a Mission AFT SuperTwins Main Event (give or take a red flag) and use it to catch up with, and hopefully learn a little about, some of the more prominent figures on the Progressive American Flat Track scene. This week, we caught up with KICKER AFT Singles contender Justin Jones.

AmericanFlatTrack.com: The last few seasons, you’ve juggled your schedule, bouncing back and forth between racing in Canada and the States. Is it fair to say that 2026 will be your most focused effort in Progressive American Flat Track in a long time?

 

Justin Jones: 110%. Yeah, it's been a long road to get to where I'm at now. I come from a family that doesn't have much. So I've kind of always had to juggle schedules, fit things in where I could, and what not. And this year I've been given the tools to really do what I need to do.

 

AFT: How did that come about? You’ve enjoyed a lot of success in Canada, but what changed to allow you to shift gears and do a full season here?

 

JJ: I've built a pretty good relationship with Bob and Robbie Davis from the Fairway Chevy GMC Ford. My dad actually bought a truck from them last year for us to travel to the races in. We stayed in touch and became good friends.

 

And this year, honestly coming into the CTR Winter Throwdown in January, I didn't have much for plans. I was just going to do whatever races I could afford to hit.

 

After I went to Throwdown (note: where Jones won the Open Expert Final), Robbie reached out to me and was wondering what I would need to make a full season effort this year. And we worked a deal out. The next thing you know, I'm focused on my racing, not so much what race I'm going to be able to hit.

 

AFT: The deal also hooked you up with Jay Maloney and JMC Motorsports. Did you have any prior experience working with Jay?

 

JJ: Jay is awesome. I had never worked with him up to this point. I did grow up racing him a little bit at Square Deal. We never really talked, but we knew who each other were. So Bob and Robbie kind of brought me and Jay together.

 

Jay's been very helpful, very knowledgeable. He's definitely played a role in my success so far this year.

And me and my dad, we build our own race engines. We’re doing all the prep work and stuff kind of tethering the bike to what I want.

 

I feel like something I've struggled with in the past is people telling me what they think I need and not listening to what I feel I need. And this year I’ve been provided with what I feel I need. Mentally, it feels good because I know I'm on the best equipment I could possibly have. And I’ve just got to go out and ride it.

AFT: Last year, you spent a fair amount of time struggling to come to grips on the KTM in Mission AFT SuperTwins. I imagine after that, you’re happy to be back on a 450 full time.

 

JJ: Yeah… Eric Hoyt with 1st Impressions gave me a great opportunity to come race the Twin. Unfortunately, me and the bike just did not gel. I still feel I could go out and perform on a Twin just as good as I do on a Single. But it’s just going to have to be the right bike.

 

Last year on that bike, I did zero testing. I just showed up and raced it. And I feel like that kind of played a lot into my struggles. I just never could get comfortable on it.

 

Meanwhile, I did a lot of outlaw racing on the 450 I had last season. So I was able to do that testing to get the bike to where I wanted it. In reality, the bike I'm racing this year, I basically have a year of development in it.

 

AFT: That’s shown in your results. You’ve come out of the gates with three strong finishes, including a runner-up at Senoia. After that, you made a remark where you said sometimes you feel like the “black sheep.” Can you explain what you meant by that comment? 

 

JJ: There's a lot of people that write me off because of my size, right? Like, it’s no secret I’m the bigger rider in the class. And a lot of people think that I don't put the work in.

 

There are some people that take some of the younger generation in and train them to be the next prodigies. They look down on me because they're in Florida training all winter, and here’s a guy who works at 9-to-5 during the week up in the New York snow and then comes out and beats those riders.

 

They don't like that. And they think it's wrong. But I feel I have the talent and the ability to do that.

AFT: Your track record proves that. You’ve won in the class, you have multiple podiums to speed, and you show plenty of speed. I don’t think there’s any doubting your natural talent, it’s just a matter of being able to do it consistently. You mentioned in the team’s announcement press release that you did put in a lot of work on your fitness this offseason. Can you tell me what that involved, and how it’s paid off?

 

JJ: I've definitely spent a lot more time in the gym this offseason than in past years. And a lot of it originated from an idol of mine growing up: Ron Hall.

 

He is an ex-pro flat tracker and a really good motocrosser. And he was always super fit. We’d go to the same gym, and we kind of started talking. He kind of pushed me to put more effort into it and having him there definitely made it easier. I’ve got to thank him for that. He probably doesn't realize just how much he did for me, but it was a lot.

 

AFT: What’s the goal for this season? 

 

JJ: It's still early in the year, but I want to win races. Getting a second was awesome, but deep down, I was really not satisfied. In my eyes, first was right there. It was just a matter of starting on the second row versus the first row in the Main Event. I would have had as good of a shot as anyone if I was on the front row.

 

So I think the goal is putting myself in a better position for the Mains and going for wins. And if there’s an opportunity to go for a championship, I'm definitely going for it.

 

AFT: Beyond that, do you see this season as a potential springboard to allow you to take your racing career to another level?

 

JJ: Absolutely. And I hope so. I feel like I have a lot left in the tank. And as it shows every year, I'm still getting better and faster year after year. I don't see myself slowing down anytime soon.

 

And, if the right opportunity with the right bike were to come along, I would like to jump back up to the SuperTwins class and give it another go. But I'm going to be a little more picky moving forward when it comes to its end.

 

AFT: Okay, I’ve got two bonus questions. The first one is, can you name an interest or hobby of yours that is completely removed from racing, engines, or wheels? 

 

JJ: Hunting. I like deer hunting. That's probably the main one. And I definitely want to get out west and do some elk hunting. That's on my bucket list.

 

AFT: Last question. What would be your death row-style last meal? 

 

Steak and potatoes.

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