Viral video shows dad saving son after crash at South Boston Speedway

Dad says his only focus was helping his son

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. – People around the world are talking about a viral video recorded in Southside that shows a father saving his son after a fiery car crash during a race at South Boston Speedway.

"It's a driver's worst nightmare, for sure," said Mike Jones, who is a stock car driver.

The crash happened Saturday as Jones battled another driver for the lead. The two cars crashed, Jones hit a wall and his number 39 car burst into flames.

"Once I saw the flames, it was just, get out as quick as I could," Jones said.

Within seconds, Jones' dad, Dean Jones, jumped the pit wall to help his son escape. Dean is also his son's pit crew chief.

"I just had a single focus: get my son out of that burning car," Dean said. "Nothing else mattered."  

Dean managed to pull his son out of the car before track safety crews arrived to put out the fire.
    
"When I saw the flames, nothing was going to stop me from getting to his car," Dean said. 

Dean made the save during Father's Day weekend.

The fire destroyed Jones' car. Now the father and son duo, who share a love of racing, hope Mike will be able to get back in the driver's seat eventually.

"It certainly hurt, definitely a big financial hit," Mike said. "The car is killed. Just trying to get a feel for what it would take if or when we were ever able to race again." 

The general manager of the South Boston Speedway released this statement regarding Dean Jones:

"Mr. Jones will not be fined nor suspended; he has been placed on probation through the end of the season. Mr. Jones license was taken at the time which is  normal procedure but was returned to him on Monday.  We have sat down with Mr. Jones and discussed what transpired on Saturday, and he fully understands our position on non-safety personnel entering the track surface during an event. We are all grateful that there weren’t any injuries, and we look forward to getting back to racing."

Both Mike and his dad said it would take years to get back to where they were before the crash, if they can do it at all.