Two of NASCAR’s ‘Young Guns’ were shooting blanks Friday at Sonoma Raceway. The second and final practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series saw two of the sport’s up and coming stars.
Erik Jones, making his first trip to the Northern California road course has an issue in the first practice when he got a flat tire on his Toyota. He was able to save it and make it back to the pits.
Just over two minutes into the second session, Jones missed a shift and slid into turn 11, the final corner on the circuit. The car hit flat into the tire barrier.
“I just got some wheel hop and then got loose and hit the fence,” Jones said. “I’ve been frustrated all day and this just compounds that. We have to get the backup out and try to learn more.”
The team immediately went to work pulling out the backup car.
“I don’t have a lot of road course experience anyways and then to get thrown into the fire,” Jones said. “I wish we could do any kind of testing anywhere. It’s hard to show up and get out there to do it. Just one of those things trying to learn and you make a mistake.”
The team was able to get the backup ready and Jones was able to make the final 25 minutes of practice.
The trouble wasn’t over for the young driver squad. MORE>>>
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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