Erik Jones qualified 28th for Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, February 22, 2025. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
HAMPTON, Ga. – Last weekend’s Daytona 500 ended with a spectacular bang for Legacy Motor Club, with all three entries finishing in the top 12. Erik Jones and the No. 43 Advent Health Toyota Camry now look ahead to Atlanta Motor Speedway with pep in their steps.
Despite feeling that the Daytona Duel No. 2 win was stripped away after Team Penske’s Austin Cindric was declared the leader at the time of the final caution, Jones made it through the chaotic 500-mile season opener unscathed and ready for the next challenge.
Since Atlanta’s 2021 reconfiguration into more of a superspeedway-style track, close three-wide racing has made for some of the craziest finishes in NASCAR history. In 2023, Jones had the momentum to win if he had just one or two more laps after his impressive last-lap dive into the top 10. At the drop of the white flag, Jones shot through the gap between the inside and outside lanes, racing from 17th to eighth place in just one lap.
“We just kind of squeaked that one out there at the end with some stuff working out on the last two laps for us,” Jones said following the thrilling effort.
After some major changes in management at Legacy Motor Club over the past year, the hope is to do more than just “squeak” by. This year’s Daytona 500 was the perfect start to a season with positive adjustments paving the way for success. Jones’ efforts in the 2024 Atlanta races were less than stellar, but with a best finish of fourth in the 2022 summer race, it is clear that Jones is a legitimate contender.
“Erik Jones has been the consistent cornerstone of Legacy Motor Club’s driver lineup since Maury [team co-owner] chose to enter NASCAR’s highly competitive Cup division,” Cal Wells III, CEO of Legacy Motor Club, said in a team release following the announcement of Jones signing a multi-year contract extension in 2024. “He’s a proven champion that, surrounded with the right team powered by Toyota, can and will compete for race wins against the very best on any given Sunday.”
Legacy Motor Club majority stakeholder and seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson had also reinforced how vital Jones was to the team and the faith that they all have in his future success.
“Erik will be a key to helping us turn our program around, and we look forward to giving him the tools he needs to go out on Sundays and race for wins and eventually a championship someday.”
Erik Jones during qualifying for the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, February 22, 2025. (Photo: Hayden Hutchison | The Podium Finish)
During media availability at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jones commented about the uniqueness of the track and what it takes to be successful there.
“Atlanta has become a very unique track, it’s definitely one of a kind as far as the layout and rules package racing there,” Jones said. “It’s really challenging, it’s a lot of handling and also a lot of speed in the car. You have to balance both and also find your way to the front. It reminds me of the older speedway racing, what we used to do with the old car, the kind of way you can get some really big runs, make some big moves. It’s exciting and fun but definitely a challenge.”
Jones will roll off 28th in Sunday afternoon’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Coverage will begin at 3 PM EST on FOX.
