Erik Jones prevailed at Texas Motor Speedway, rounding out the top 5 in the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club. (Photo Credit: Rachel Schuoler | The Podium Finish)
FORT WORTH, Texas — It had been a long 210-day gap dating back to the fall Talladega Superspeedway playoff race since Erik Jones took a finish inside the top 5, let alone top 10 at the NASCAR Cup Series level. He prevailed during his 300th NASCAR Cup Series start in Sunday afternoon’s Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, scoring a fifth-place result.
The 28-year-old Byron, Michigan, native also was joined alongside Legacy Motor Club teammate John Hunter Nemechek to finish inside the top 10 as Nemechek crossed the line in eighth place.
After qualifying his No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE in 14th place during Saturday’s qualification session, Jones understood the assignment of what he had to do to work his way up to the front during Sunday’s 400-mile duel.
Jones made quiet gains throughout the first stage until he worked his way into the 10th place spot just as the caution came out to end Stage 1 after Denny Hamlin’s motor expired between Turns 1 and 2, granting him a singular stage point, the only one he’d scored on the day.
As Stage 2 resumed, Jones stayed quiet during the 85-lap second stage, ultimately falling back through the field to finish in 21st place, preparing for the final mad dash to determine the race’s outcome.
Erik Jones shaking his car down during practice for the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. (Photo Credit: Rachel Schuoler | The Podium Finish)
The three-time Cup Series winner made his way back into the top 10 by Lap 219. However, during the green flag pit stops, Jesse Love spun out halfway down the backstretch, prompting the seventh caution of the race. This incident altered the strategy for the majority of the field, allowing Jones to gain an advantage and restart in seventh place.
Jones remained inside the top 10 for the rest of the day, dodging the chaos of several competitors winding up in crashes, which kept Jones in the game all the way until the end of the race.
After the final caution of the race, Jones found himself in a fierce battle with Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for a spot in the top five. Larson managed to pass Jones as they approached the white flag, but the veteran successfully kept Stenhouse Jr. behind him, ultimately finishing in fifth place.
“It was a sloppy day in a lot of ways.” Said Jones after finishing fifth and recovering from two separate pit road speeding penalties.
“We had two pit road penalties, but just happy to come back from it and get a top-five. It would have been pretty disappointing to have a car this good, kind of our first car this year that’s been pretty strong, to throw it away, I thought we were headed that way, but it turned out well.”
Jones also showed that the finish can help him build a strong momentum boost as the Cup Series begins to enter the dog days of summer.
“Thankful for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB to get a good run, and hopefully we can get rolling. I would love this to be the start of our summer stretch and just keep it going. It’s been a long road; last year was tough, and this year started a little bit tough, and we’ve had our ups and downs. I’m happy with the finish for sure.”
Jones still is digging his way out of a 29th-place spot in points as the Cup Series heads back to Kansas Speedway for the Advent Health 400 on Sunday, May 11.
