Frustration has been the theme for Erik Jones’ NASCAR season and his Legacy Motor Club team.
A year after a breakthrough win at the 2022 Southern 500 and 13 Top 10 finishes, Jones and his team have struggled and were recently slapped with a significant penalty by NASCAR for illegal modifications to the cockpit area of the car after the Enjoy Illinois 300.
Jones, a Western Michigan native, lost 60 points in the Cup standings, was fined $75,000 and his crew chief Dave Elenz was suspended for two races.
With his remarkable skills and unwavering determination, the 27-year-old Jones continues to captivate fans on the NASCAR circuit. As the season nears its end, he finds himself in a pivotal position where securing a race victory becomes paramount for a playoff berth. This high-stakes scenario has attracted the attention of passionate racing enthusiasts and avid bettors looking to engage in the thrilling world of sports wagering.
Jones, to his credit, didn’t contest the penalties assessed for the four unapproved parts modifications discovered by NASCAR officials after the Enjoy Illinois 300 near the Gateway Arch, just saying that it has been that type of season.
“I think it’s just everything that could go wrong has gone wrong,” Jones said in an interview with Sportsnaut. “We have got to figure out what went wrong there. I don’t think it was anything intentional on our part. I need to dive in there more with them to figure out what happened.”
The No. 43 team has been plagued by mechanical and aerodynamic issues with the car. Jones’ teammate, Noah Gragson, also suffered a concussion during the Enjoy Illinois 300 and will have to be replaced by Truck Series veteran Grant Enfinger in the 42 car.
Jones team also had to deal with an injury to front tire changer Thomas Hatcher, who got tripped up during a pit stop, fell and suffered a concussion. There was a radiator issue in Charlotte during the Coca-Cola 600 which sent the No. 43 car to the garage, and then Gateway.
“Just when I feel like we’re finally getting our cars kind of close to where we want them to be, now we just have the rest of the world falling down on us,” said Jones.
Jones has had a couple of moments in the 2023 season, finishing eight at the Ambetter Health 400 in Atlanta and sixth at the Geico 500 at Talladega, but now he faces long odds to make the Cup Series Playoffs which begin in September.
Mathematically, thanks to the penalties, Jones can’t make the playoff through points (the top 16 drivers qualify), his only way in is to win one of the remaining races which grants an automatic spot.
“I don’t know what the plan of attack is,” Jones said. “Hopefully we can find one. We have 11 races to do it. I think we can, if we hit it right, and we did it last year. We’re going to try to stay strong and push hard for it.”
Jones in in his seventh full season in the NASCAR Cup Series and the third to drive the iconic No. 43 car (made famous by ‘The King’ Richard Petty) for merged Petty GMS Motorsports. He was Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 2017.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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