Melville Jones (racing driver)

{{Infobox racing driver

| name = Melville Jones

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name = Melville Clark Jones

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1893|09|14}}

| birth_place = Wales, Maine, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1975|11|30|1893|09|14}}

| death_place = Lewiston, Maine, U.S.

| module1 =

{{Infobox Champ Car driver|embed=yes

| Total_Champ_Races = 1

| Years_In_Champ = 1

| First_Champ_Race = 1925 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)

| Champ_Wins = 0

| Champ_Podiums = 0

| Champ_Poles = 0

}}}}

Melville Clark Jones (often seen as M. C. Jones, September 14, 1893 – November 30, 1975) was an American racing driver.{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Allen |title=Melville Jones |url=https://www.oldracingcars.com/driver/Melville_Jones |access-date=2024-04-27 |website=OldRacingCars.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=James |title=BBC - Wales History: The mystery of MC Jones' need for speed |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/waleshistory/2012/05/wales_indy_500_mc_jones_milton_jones.html |access-date=2024-04-27 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en |archive-date=2020-11-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121092814/https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/waleshistory/2012/05/wales_indy_500_mc_jones_milton_jones.html |url-status=live }}

Motorsports career

Jones started in place of H. J. Skelly in the 1925 Indianapolis 500. Skelly, the owner and qualifier of Jones' car, had planned to compete in the race himself, but was diagnosed with a heart ailment before the start of the race.{{Cite news |date=May 30, 1925 |title=DePaolo Leading Racers |work=The Washington Times |location=Washington, DC |pages=1–2 |quote=...H. J. Skelly, ruled out of the race because of a defective heart...}}{{Cite news |date=May 30, 1925 |title=De Paolo in Deusenberg Wins Auto Race |work=The St. Louis Star |location=St. Louis, MO |pages=1 |quote=M. C. Jones replaced H. J. Skelly at the wheel of the Skelly special. Skelly was told by physicians not to undertake the race because of the condition of his heart.}}

Jones took the start of the race, but was relieved twice by Fred Harder, the two drivers working to improve an ill-behaving car. Jones was driving the car when on Lap 33, its transmission failed.{{Cite news |date=May 25, 1925 |title=De Paolo Sets Record Pace As He Leads The Field At 225 Miles |work=The Indianapolis Times |pages=1}}

Motorsports career results

= Indianapolis 500 results =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Year !Car !Start !Qual !Rank !Finish !Laps !Led !Retired
1925 \|7 \|21 \|88.478 \|22 \|21 \|33 \|0 \|Transmission
colspan=6\|Totals \|33 \|0 \|

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

Year

!Car

!Start

!Qual

!Rank

!Finish

!Laps

!Led

!Retired

1925

|21