By Keon Edington / Jambar Contributor
Champion sprint-car driver and Youngstown State University student Vivian Jones juggles racing and studies, using her communication skills to help further her racing career.
Jones, a fourth-generation sprint racer who runs a type of car called 305 sprint car, is also a communication major with a minor in employee relations.
Jones has been racing for 14 years and has since won several races, including the 2024 Sprint Car Championship.
Jones said balancing racing and coursework is a difficult task and there’s not much time for herself with racing as a full-time job. Jones also works two jobs in addition to racing and college.
“There’s not any time for play. I take everything very seriously,” Jones said. “I come home from work and I’m in the garage working on the car.”
Because races are held during weekends, Jones said she tries to get her schoolwork done during the work week.
“I just try to get stuff done early. Once I’m in racing mode I’m completely focused on that,” Jones said.
Jones said this year was particularly hard because she took on a leadership role, as the crew chief when her team was not around.
In the world of motorsports, a driver’s career is not sustainable without sponsorship. Jones uses her communication skills to find sponsorships and continue to fund her career and the team.
“I went out and started searching for my own sponsors,” Jones said. “I went to my hometown and a lot of them said no.”
Jones explained that she had to pivot to other companies and change her approach to earning sponsorships.
“It took a lot to put myself out there, being in school and knowing how to dress professionally and knowing how to sell yourself,” Jones said. “Having confidence that you can be taken seriously and if they are not interested, move on.”
Jones said her public speaking classes helped her step out of her comfort zone and sell herself to sponsors in interviews.
Jones is set to graduate in May. Afterward she plans to pursue a career in human resources utilizing her communication skills.
Jones started racing at age 8 for the family-owned team, Jones Performance Racing, carrying on the family tradition as a fourth-generation racer.
“My great-grandfather started first, [my] grandfather started in the ’80s and my dad after that,” Jones said. “I started at 8-years-old and have been racing ever since.”
