(Photo: Cole Penning | The Podium Finish)
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Erik Jones and the No. 43 LEGACY Motor Club team gambled with a win on the line at Kansas Speedway, taking two tires for NASCAR Overtime and restarting second.
However, Tyler Reddick prevailed from the third row on four tires to win Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400, his second victory of the season. Jones slipped back to third as Denny Hamlin, Reddick’s owner, finished second after also electing to take four tires.
While inconsistencies have plagued No. 43 team throughout the season, Jones and crew chief Dave Elenz hit on something on Sunday. Jones qualified the car 19th earlier in the weekend, but after not earning any points in Stage 1, the 27-year-old from Byron, Michigan broke into the top 10 and finished sixth in Stage 2.
Jones continued to maintain his Chevrolet near the top five, but the door swung open with seven laps to do. Chris Buescher blew a tire and hit the wall, bringing out a caution and setting up varying pit strategies.
Elenz opted to put just two tires on J0nes’ machine, while Kyle Busch and Joey Logano also took just two. Hamlin, Reddick and Kyle Larson were the first three drivers off pit road with four fresh Goodyears.
J0nes expected to be the leader, but Daniel Suarez elected to stay out and race for the victory on old tires. That changed Jones’ approach toward the two-lap duel.
“The 99 staying out kind of mixed things up for me,” Jones said after the race. “I felt like I kind of planned on being the leader and I was like ‘alright, I’ll take the bottom’ and then just worry about guys on the outside.”
Instead, he restarted up top. Suarez plummetted through the field and Logano dove for the bottom, leaving Jones to cling to the middle groove. Coming to the white flag, Reddick looked high then darted low on the frontstretch, passing Jones and Logano three-wide to pull away for the win.
Erik Jones paces through the garage prior to Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. (Photo: Cole Penning | The Podium Finish)
“I just needed to clear the [Logano] in [Turns] 3 and 4,” Jones said. “I tried to do all I could, it’s just when a guy gets loose under you and kind of runs you up – I had to lift and [Reddick] obviously had a big run there.
“The 45 and the 11 were coming with a big head of steam. But on the frontstretch there, just being side-by-side, we lost a ton of time. Nothing of Joey’s fault, we’re both racing for the win, we’re trying to go for it, so it is what it is. It’s just good to be up front, good to be in contention. We had a shot.”
The three-time Cup winner understandably lamented about what could have been but also weighed the positives. He scored the team’s best finish of the season and continued an improved second half of the season, where the No. 43 machine has finished 11th or better in seven of the last 12 events.
Jones improved from 27th to 25th in points, the highest he’s ranked since after Kansas in May. The team suffered a 60-point penalty in June after NASCAR officials discovered a greenhouse violation while reviewing the No. 43 car at the R&D Center following WWT Raceway.
As LMC transitions to Toyota next season, Jones is satisfied to just contend for a win. However, he’s hopeful to wrap this chapter up on a high note.
“It was a good day. That was probably the fastest car we’ve had all year,” Jones said. “We would have loved to get one there, but our year has been up-and-down and having a good run like that is just a good day for the team.
“We’ve got eight more races left to finish well and try to win. We want to win a race this year — we’re not going to give up.”
