Ben Davis alum waves green flag at Mid-Ohio

LEXINGTON, Ohio (WISH) — Dawand Jones was the man of the moment at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

The former Ben Davis football star – now Cleveland Browns offensive tackle – served as grand marshal of Sunday’s IndyCar race in the Buckeye State. That included waving the green flag and hanging out with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal. Jones supported Rahal with the No. 15 car on his shirt.

Mid-Ohio wasn’t Jones’ first IndyCar experience. He’s been to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing — the Indianapolis 500 — multiple times during his time at home in Indy.

“It’s really exciting,” Jones said. “Being from Indy, seeing the Indy 500 from the outside, finally being a grand marshal for one of the events is definitely an amazing experience.”

The Browns drafted Jones in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft after a standout collegiate career at Ohio State. Now entering his second year in the league, Jones is loving every moment in the NFL and is excited to get back out on the gridiron.

“There couldn’t be much more that I could ask for,” Jones said.

Standing at 6-foot-8 and 375 pounds, Jones made a giant — pun intended — impact for the Ben Davis Giants during high school. He was a star on the football field and basketball court, but it wasn’t until he was older that he even considered football.

“Honestly, I was all in on basketball,” Jones said in an April 2023 interview with News 8. “Being from a basketball state. And then my best friend told me, ‘If you want to make some money and just change your mom’s life, you might want to play football.’ I said, I’ll play if you play, and he did.”

It’s a good thing he did as Jones continues to make an impact on an NFL roster.