Jones points out a particular photo from the podium that hints at the joy and comeuppance his team owner expressed. “Funnily enough, I have a friend that had one of those photos and asked Alex Wurz to sign it at the U.S. Grand Prix. Alex Wurz told him a story about that photo, that Mr. Joest was saying ‘F**k you’ to Porsche with his gesture! In hindsight, you kind of put it together that here Mr. Joest let Porsche know exactly what he thought of their request to let them win. It's a great story.”

After the factory Porsches tracked down the Joest TWR-Porsche, the team owner asked Jones to climb into the car and recapture the lead. Jones reveled in the challenge, delivering the victory. (Photo courtesy of Davy Jones)

Reinhold Joest was a successful sportscar entrant long before his current program with the dominant Audi ALMS and Le Mans programs, and Jones got a glimpse of what’s made the man nearly unbeatable.

“I have such great respect for the man and his operation. Driving for Mr. Joest in the 24 Hours at Le Mans is like driving for Roger Penske at the Indy 500. There's no question Mr. Joest was there, he was making decisions, but he was in the background. He let everybody do their job, he didn't micromanage, he didn't question them, he just hired somebody to do a job then they did their job to the best of their ability.

“And the key that was pulling all that together was Ralf Juttner. He Joest’s main guy back then like he is now. He's the one that answered Mr. Joest’s questions and kept Mr. Joest’s interests. Mr. Joest would go to Ralf and then Ralf would come to us. So it was a nice balance, a nice structure, and they just did it right.”

Jones was a member of many great driving teams, and rates his 1996 teammates as amongst the best he’s partnered with. “For an endurance race, whether it's a 24 Hour Daytona, 12 hours at Sebring, you need three drivers that don't have egos, that are always looking after the best interest of taking care of the car and working together. And when I won the 24 Hour Daytona with Andy Wallace and Jan Lammers, those are two car drivers that – you just couldn't ask for better guys.

“And it was the same thing with Manuel Reuter and Alex Wurz. Just two great drivers that want what’s best for the team at the end of the race, not so much what's going on during each session, each stint or who’s fastest amongst the three of us. I don’t know if our three names stood out to people before the race and said ‘Winner,’ but we were a tight unit. Sometimes drivers click, and we sure did.”

Jones says he came away after his win at Le Mans with more of a sense of a job well done than anything else. Like many athletes that win major titles, it was only in the years after the 1996 victory that he grew to appreciate its importance. The significance of being the last American to win the race overall is also something he takes great pride in.

“You know, I never really thought about the importance of being called a Le Mans winner until after I won it. First it was just the sense of relief was that you did your job to the best of your ability. Whether it’s Indy 500 or the 24 Hours at Le Mans, your goal is to win – it’s your profession, the athletic side of you. You just want to strive to be your best. And when you win Le Mans, it's not because you won, it's because the whole team won it.

Jones (L), Reuter (M) and Wurz (R) along with team owner Reinhold Joest, giving his famous gesture... (Photo courtesy of Davy Jones)

“I was the only American on the team and it was a completely German operation, but it was so nice to see some American flags waving in the crowd and to get all the congratulations from the other teams and my friends in the paddock. Price Cobb (from Texas) had won in 1990 in one of the sister Jaguars, so I was the next to follow him. I don’t know who’ll follow me – there really aren’t any Americans in top LMP1 teams today, but we have such a rich tradition at Le Mans I’m sure someone will grab the torch from me and carry it on. But until then, I don’t mind holding onto it for a while longer!”

Like so many of the famous American driver that won Le Mans, Jones also raced at the Indianapolis with distinction. He came close to winning Indy in 1996, leading with ten laps to go before having to settle for second. With a runner-up finish at Indy three weeks before his win at Le Mans, Jones enjoyed a banner year that any driver would envy.

Davy mentioned his countrymen that won Le Mans before him with great reverence -- Shelby, Hill, Gurney, Foyt…all men he idolized.

“I think it's pretty special to be in an elite crowd like that. To be one of eleven American winners is exceptional and to be the last is a genuine honor for me. It would be great someday if we could all get together, the ones that are still standing, and share the stories from this special bond we have.”


Marshall Pruett is Auto Racing Editor for SPEEDtv.com. Pruett grew up at "Pruett's Olde English Garage," his father's shelter for abused foreign cars, and spent his childhood being dragged across the West Coast to help with his dad's amateur racing exploits.

Pruett spent twenty years working in the IRL, CART, IMSA, and most of the known open-wheel feeder series before retiring from active duty in 2001. And in case you were wondering, no, he isn’t related to Scott Pruett.

Marshall lives in Northern California with his wife Shabral.