LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Erik Jones will not compete in Sunday’s Würth 400 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway after sustaining a back injury in a crash during last Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
LEGACY M.C.’s reserve driver Corey Heim will substitute for Jones in the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE in this weekend’s 400-mile race.
Jones was involved in a multi-car accident on Lap 157 at Talladega, which involved his LEGACY MOTOR CLUB teammate John Hunter Nemechek, Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace.
The 27-year-old immediately complained of pain in his back from the vicious hit to the wall at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. However, Jones was checked and released from the infield care center.
Following the conclusion of the 188-lap race, Jones was then transported to UAB University Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., for further evaluation and testing.
After being released late Sunday night from UAB, the Byron, Mich. native returned home to North Carolina on Sunday night and met with specialists in the Charlotte area where it was determined that Jones suffered a compression fracture in a lower vertebra.
Although there has been no timeline set for Jones’s return behind the wheel, he will still attend this weekend’s race and help call the race with his crew.
Heim, 21, a native of Marietta, Ga., currently competes in the NASCAR Truck Series for TRICON Garage and in the Xfinity Series for Sam Hunt Racing.
Heim is second in the Truck Series championship standings following their most recent race at Texas Motor Speedway, just two points behind championship leader Christian Eckes.
“Erik’s long-term health is our number one priority,” said Jimmie Johnson, co-owner of LEGACY M.C. “It will be great to see him at the track Sunday and we intend to give him the time it takes to recover properly.
“I know Corey will do a great job behind the wheel for the CLUB. In the meantime, our thoughts are with Erik and his wife Holly – they have our total support.”
While the timetable remains clouded for Jones’ return, the previous injury of two other drivers could give a glimpse of just how long he could be out of the seat.
Denny Hamlin suffered a similar injury in a 2013 last-lap crash at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway with Joey Logano. He missed four Cup Series races where he was diagnosed with a compression fracture in his lower back.
Aric Almirola fractured his T5 vertebra in a violent Kansas Speedway crash in 2017 and, was sidelined for two months and missed eight Cup races.
LEGACY M.C. will request a medical waiver from NASCAR for Jones to remain eligible for the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs that begin in September at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway.
Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].
