Here's some more information on the backgrounds of Ted Jones and Butch McCall
Ted Jones Biography
When young 19 year old drag racer, Ted Jones, bought his local drag strip in Kettlersville, OH, 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, OH, and then proceeded to purchase Muncie Indiana Dragway and Shelby Dragway near Sidney, OH.
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, TN 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
- 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 from 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, and using his ESPN connections, founded the production company, Masters Entertainment Group, along with partner Butch McCall, the company proceeded to televise over 250 different drag racing, car related programs, marine shows, live events (boxing, basketball, etc.) programs per year including IHRA, NHRA, NMCA, NOPI, NIRA, AMA, AHDRA, Super Chevy Show, Street Rodder, In The Driver’s Seat, Chrysler Classic and many more.
Jones hosted the ESPN2 programs “Inside Drag Racing” for 12 years and the “Mothers Polish Car Show Series” for 10 years, retiring at the end of 2006.
Ted Jones holds an FAA Pilots License, USCG Captains 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 48 years and has two daughters, Lynda Faye, an attorney in Nashville, and Holly who resides in Bristol. Jones, who also hosts Pleasure Boater TV on two networks, likes to spend his spare time on his yacht when he is not entertaining his 4 granddaughters.
In 2007 Ted Jones was inducted into the Drag Racing Hall of Fame and named one of the ten most influential people in drag racing history.
Charles L. “Butch” McCall Biography
In 1984 working for Larry Carrier as the Media & Public Relations Director for the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) based in Bristol, TN Butch McCall started his motorsports career.
Butch worked for Ted Jones who served as Vice President of IHRA. Some of his duties included organizing and conducting Media/Press tours for the professional drivers competing in IHRA, writing press releases, the design and layout of national event programs, and overseeing the “Press Room” operations at each of the twelve (12) national events.
After one year, he was promoted to National Marketing Director and assumed all sales and marketing to promote the sanctioning body. This included finding and developing clients to purchase and sponsor IHRA’s Points Funds for eleven (11) categories, national events sponsorships, multiple shootout sponsorships for specific professional and sportsman eliminators. He was responsible for developing special programs such as “Official Vehicles”, “Official Auto Parts” and “Official Apparel” for the organization. One of the most important aspects of his job was the development of programming and sales with ESPN. Butch secured sponsors such as;
Motorcraft,
Ford,
Chevrolet,
Winston,
Lorilard-Salem,
Hardee’s,
Mr. Gasket,
Fel-Pro,
Hurst Shifters, and many more.
In 1987 Butch was promoted to Vice President and General Manager of the Bristol International Raceway (BIR). He handled all aspects of the racing operation; negotiating contracts with Anheuser-Busch, ESPN, and Valleydale, coordinating each race with NASCAR Officials, pre-race promotions, overseeing ticket sales and distribution, all on-site hospitality, and all other duties associated with BIR.
In 1988 BIR was sold to the IHRA, Jim Ruth and Ted Jones. When Ted sold his interest in IHRA in the spring of 1990 he contacted Butch concerning establishing a national “Television Production Company”.
Butch and Ted entered into a partnership and formed Masters Entertainment Group, Inc (MEG). MEG has provided programming for several national television networks over our 22 year history such as ESPN, ESPN2, SPIKE, SPEED, OUTDOOR CHANNEL, VERSUS, ION, CSS, SUNSPORTS and FOX SPORTS NETWORK. Our primary networks have been ESPN, ESPN2, and FOX SPORTS. Butch and Ted were instrumental in the concept and development of ESPN2 and have supplied as many as 339 programs per year to that network.
Masters Entertainment Group continues to be one of the nations leading motorsports production companies focusing on behind the scenes coverage of major drag racing, car shows and independent automotive events throughout the U.S.
~~~~~~~
Pretty interesting and colorful backgrounds...
Sign-up for Mike Phillips's Detailing Boot Camp September 29th & 30th 
Linear Mode
