KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Erik Jones was expected to be a spoiler in the Southern 500 where he has scored two wins in his last five starts in the Labor Day weekend classic at Darlington Raceway.
But nobody expected the 27-year-old Legacy Motorsports driver to threaten to pull off an upset on Sunday at Kansas Speedway, except perhaps the No. 43 team—and Jones. During his tenure at Joe Gibbs Racing behind the wheel of the No. 20 Toyota, Jones posted three top fives and five top 10s in six starts at the 1.5-mile track.
With solid equipment on Sunday, Jones matched a career-best Kansas result of third, the first podium for Legacy Motor Club.
“Well, I think we finished kind of where we deserved,” Jones said. “We were a top-five car. We finished third. I think the 45 (winner Tyler Reddick) and 11 (runner-up Denny Hamlin) were the best all day.
“We were trying to steal one more than anything there, just getting up front. Overall, a solid day. It was kind of up and down. We lost some track position on pit road but finished up really well. Just had a good car. So, happy with that and happy we can go on with a good run. Hopefully, next time, grab a win somewhere.”
The day wasn’t without its challenges. After qualifying 19th on Saturday, the No. 43 crew was greeted with an unexpected part failure on race day morning.
“We had an issue with the transaxle,” Jones said. “It was leaking as soon as we went in the garage this morning (Sunday). So the guys changed the seal on it—and then it was still leaking after that. They then decided we needed to replace the whole thing, which is not a small job. So they hustled hard.
“We had two teams on it, 43 and 42 team to try to fix it. We kind of barely made it out in time to the grid to get going. We kept our spot, fortunately, with it being a manufacturer piece. So, yeah, it was some excitement. But even with as fast as the change was, obviously, it held up all day. So yeah, a little more excitement than you want but happy it held up.”
Jones has an average finish of 6.5 in the postseason. Unfortunately, he didn’t qualify for the Playoffs due to a 60-point penalty for modifying the greenhouse on the Next Gen car at World Wide Technology Raceway in June.
Still, the affable driver hopes to end the season on a high note—starting this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway where he has four top fives and five top 10s in 10 career Cup starts.
“I always love going to Bristol,” Jones said. “Last year was we didn’t have a great car, but I feel like we’ve learned a lot since then, for sure. So, one of my favorite tracks. Always up there with Darlington and some other places.
“So excited to get there. The Night Race is always one of the coolest of the year for me. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
