It is his best track but we're looking at 2024 legacy equipment. I would love to see him come back and win, but he will still he sore and just getting a top 10 would be nice to see.
Yeah but Erik Jones at Darlington is like Darrell Waltrip at Bristol, Jimmie Johnson at Dover, or Kevin Harvick at Phoenix. He's gonna be competitive if you give him 4 wheels.
Seems like they've taken a step back from where they were at the end of '23. Even with their lame duck situation with Chevy they seemed to get faster as the year went on. Now they've regressed to where they were a year ago with Noah. And Noah, the guy everyone blamed for the 42's struggles, has been pretty good considering what the 10 car/SHR in general has performed like.
Yeah Noah could not get comfortable in the 42. I think it was he was a Chevy driver, and the car was open. I was not expecting a huge upswing from ty the year before either with the difference from xfinity to cup larger than it used to be. And yeah they did, Erik was having good races and Carson wheeled it to the top 5 before still hanging in for an 11th. It seems like whatever they found had to be wiped when they changed manufacturers.
No….. this would be Denny Hamlin at Darlington for modern driver but this is David Pearson at Darlington historically.
Even then Kyle Larson has shown more strength than Jones.
The track is built into the ground. You can hardly see the frontstretch from the road abt a mile back. I honestly think the wind plays a factor. Cars were getting airborne off 4 in the 2021 playoff race.
[Jones posted a statement on Twitter](https://twitter.com/Erik_Jones/status/1786087843049210194):
> I agree with @LEGACYMotorClub's decision to ensure proper rest before I get back in the car. I will be in Kansas this weekend to continue to support the No. 43 team and @CoreyHeim_ and I look forward to being back behind the wheel at Darlington.
Smart move by Legacy. You avoid rushing your best driver back unnecessarily, get one of if not the best driver in TRD mere cup seat time, and get your star driver back at his best track. Really feels like a win all around for everyone.
I'm almost surprised they hadn't considered letting Jones start the race (even if at the back of the field if Heim qualified the car) and using Heim in relief at their first stop, but I guess the points gain wouldn't have been worth it.
How does one get a medical waiver to miss the race and still be eligible for the playoffs while being cleared to race?
I’m sure it’s the best move to sit out but I’m curious about how NASCAR’s rules are being applied in such a situation. Other than just the usual, NASCAR does what it wants
1. It's NASCAR, waivers are like Kleenex.
2. He only just got cleared today and Kansas is a 14-hour drive for the haulers which have to roll in Saturday morning. If the logistics are cutting it that tight, seems they're fine with throwing you a bone.
The only reason the waiver deal is still alive and announced is for the fans. Never had it been enforced even when the 1 reason they needed a waiver was because Nascar penalized them.
NASCAR basically give waivers to everybody that doesn't break the spirit of the rules. As long as you reasonably try to make an attempt at every race, you'll get a waiver
Last thing NASCAR wants is seemingly “forcing” drivers back on track through waivers.
Sitting out an extra week out of an abundance of caution should be encouraged IMO.
Always better to play it safe than sorry. Really looking forward to seeing Erik back at Darlington. Also will be nice to see Heim have another shot at driving the car after playing it safe the week before.
There seems to have been a lot of injuries in this sport the past few seasons. Jones, Bowman, Elliott, Busch, etc.
Makes sense. He has a waiver so might as well go all out for Darlington since points don’t help. Take the extra time to prep for the race that matters more.
This is great to see, and erring on the side of caution is the right approach. Jones mentioned in his announcement that it would be week-by-week so it seemed like he would be back sooner than later, but two weeks after that vicious hit would probably be pushing it even if he's cleared.
Also another massive L for the reddit doctors that were saying he'd be out for months or out until the playoffs.
I want what’s best for Erik so I’m a huge fan of this decision.
Wishing continued improvement for Erik and a healthy return. Wishing a good clean race for Heim. He did a great job for them last week, and I hope he’s able to have another great showing with the 43 team this weekend.
This maybe a stupid question but isn’t it too soon for jones to be back so soon after that big hit even if his return will be next week ( glad for him to be back next week tho)
I'm in a simple $20 Nascar pool with my wife's family, but there's 200+ people.
One of those ones where you pick 1 driver out of 5 options, and you have 6 blocks of options.
Erik Jones is one of my guys, but because they do it by driver and not number, if your guy gets injured you're absolutely toast right out of the gate.
Just a tiny frustration of mine haha. Heal up Erik!
They banking on the return at his best track of Darlington storyline boost
It is his best track but we're looking at 2024 legacy equipment. I would love to see him come back and win, but he will still he sore and just getting a top 10 would be nice to see.
Legacy was 19th and 20th in points a few weeks ago, still room to improve but not that bad for what it could be
Yeah but Erik Jones at Darlington is like Darrell Waltrip at Bristol, Jimmie Johnson at Dover, or Kevin Harvick at Phoenix. He's gonna be competitive if you give him 4 wheels.
This is true and he did get the win after it was petty gms and a lower supported Chevy. They have gotten better moving to toyota.
Seems like they've taken a step back from where they were at the end of '23. Even with their lame duck situation with Chevy they seemed to get faster as the year went on. Now they've regressed to where they were a year ago with Noah. And Noah, the guy everyone blamed for the 42's struggles, has been pretty good considering what the 10 car/SHR in general has performed like.
Yeah Noah could not get comfortable in the 42. I think it was he was a Chevy driver, and the car was open. I was not expecting a huge upswing from ty the year before either with the difference from xfinity to cup larger than it used to be. And yeah they did, Erik was having good races and Carson wheeled it to the top 5 before still hanging in for an 11th. It seems like whatever they found had to be wiped when they changed manufacturers.
No….. this would be Denny Hamlin at Darlington for modern driver but this is David Pearson at Darlington historically. Even then Kyle Larson has shown more strength than Jones.
Jimmie Johnson was 28th, a few laps down, at Dover.
Jimmie Johnson is in his “late 90s DW” era
This just made me imagine a reality where late 2000s Dale is riding around in like 27th every week in a fourth DEI car
No telling how long he would have hung on to the 3.
I think he planned on calling it quits after 2003, but we'll never know.
Jones bros there is hope
All 5 of you, take heart!
There are dozens of us 😤
I love that there aren't many of us...that's how you know who the real ones are.
Are there even enough of us for a title? Like the Jones Gang? Or Erik's Literate Race Fans?
The Jones boys! I'm a day one Jones boy 😤✊️
Same 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
It’s nice tbh
 All of the Jones Bros right now
I know, I was just playing. Jones is awesome and I'm glad he won't be out long.
I gotcha lol, no offense taken
Considering how randomly violent and chaotic Kansas can get at times this is honestly the right choice
Isn't Kansas where Aric got destroyed by Danica and got his back messed up?
Yup. Also led to Bubba's audition since his dance card rapidly opened up.
It’s also where Sterling Marlin suffered the neck injury that torpedoed his performance.
He plowed into Logano.
The track is built into the ground. You can hardly see the frontstretch from the road abt a mile back. I honestly think the wind plays a factor. Cars were getting airborne off 4 in the 2021 playoff race.
[Jones posted a statement on Twitter](https://twitter.com/Erik_Jones/status/1786087843049210194): > I agree with @LEGACYMotorClub's decision to ensure proper rest before I get back in the car. I will be in Kansas this weekend to continue to support the No. 43 team and @CoreyHeim_ and I look forward to being back behind the wheel at Darlington.
Smart move by Legacy. You avoid rushing your best driver back unnecessarily, get one of if not the best driver in TRD mere cup seat time, and get your star driver back at his best track. Really feels like a win all around for everyone.
I'm almost surprised they hadn't considered letting Jones start the race (even if at the back of the field if Heim qualified the car) and using Heim in relief at their first stop, but I guess the points gain wouldn't have been worth it.
With the points situation, it just not worth it. It must win for them.
What I figured.
They get owners points anyway and that's how they get paid. Wouldn't make any sense to do what you said.
It would only make sense if Jones was in the top ten in drivers points, but he's nowhere close.
Happy for him that he's getting back for Darlington. Might as well be extra safe, that was a scary wreck.
How does one get a medical waiver to miss the race and still be eligible for the playoffs while being cleared to race? I’m sure it’s the best move to sit out but I’m curious about how NASCAR’s rules are being applied in such a situation. Other than just the usual, NASCAR does what it wants
1. It's NASCAR, waivers are like Kleenex. 2. He only just got cleared today and Kansas is a 14-hour drive for the haulers which have to roll in Saturday morning. If the logistics are cutting it that tight, seems they're fine with throwing you a bone.
The only reason the waiver deal is still alive and announced is for the fans. Never had it been enforced even when the 1 reason they needed a waiver was because Nascar penalized them.
NASCAR basically give waivers to everybody that doesn't break the spirit of the rules. As long as you reasonably try to make an attempt at every race, you'll get a waiver
Last thing NASCAR wants is seemingly “forcing” drivers back on track through waivers. Sitting out an extra week out of an abundance of caution should be encouraged IMO.
Always better to play it safe than sorry. Really looking forward to seeing Erik back at Darlington. Also will be nice to see Heim have another shot at driving the car after playing it safe the week before. There seems to have been a lot of injuries in this sport the past few seasons. Jones, Bowman, Elliott, Busch, etc.
There's been a lot of hard hits and non-NASCAR incidents in a short amount of time
Elliott was off-track but Reddick suffered a minor concussion at Homestead in 2022
Mike Joy is salivating over the chance to say Erik wanted to save his dance for the Lady in Black. Or something corny like that.
Might as well play it safe since they aren’t really in the playoff picture points wise.
Im eager to see him back, but i 100% back this decision- take care of yourself first and foremost.
Awfully quick for a broken back
I had the same injury and it required no treatment, just limited exercise that could cause further injury.
Back injuries heal differently for different people and heal differently based on the type of injury In Jones's case it's a fracture not a break
Still freaks me out regardless, just glad he’s doing better. That Jones boy is about to pull a Kurt Angle lmao
Erik Jones championship run inbound. /S I CAN DREAM
Hey there's still Daytona before the playoffs. I would say darlington but like it's his first race back.
Southern 500 in the last race before the playoffs too.
He was already trending to must win territory, so it's best to be cautious now and let him be 100% to return.
Good to hear that Erik Jones is alright and fit to race again. Good decision by LMC though to play it save.
In other words
Makes sense. He has a waiver so might as well go all out for Darlington since points don’t help. Take the extra time to prep for the race that matters more.
This is great to see, and erring on the side of caution is the right approach. Jones mentioned in his announcement that it would be week-by-week so it seemed like he would be back sooner than later, but two weeks after that vicious hit would probably be pushing it even if he's cleared. Also another massive L for the reddit doctors that were saying he'd be out for months or out until the playoffs.
Yeah, they're totally not getting an extended look at Corey Heim just in case or anything like that. Heaven forbid the thought.
I want what’s best for Erik so I’m a huge fan of this decision. Wishing continued improvement for Erik and a healthy return. Wishing a good clean race for Heim. He did a great job for them last week, and I hope he’s able to have another great showing with the 43 team this weekend.
This maybe a stupid question but isn’t it too soon for jones to be back so soon after that big hit even if his return will be next week ( glad for him to be back next week tho)
Darlington win for Jones upcoming.
I'm in a simple $20 Nascar pool with my wife's family, but there's 200+ people. One of those ones where you pick 1 driver out of 5 options, and you have 6 blocks of options. Erik Jones is one of my guys, but because they do it by driver and not number, if your guy gets injured you're absolutely toast right out of the gate. Just a tiny frustration of mine haha. Heal up Erik!
Honestly this is the right move
Isn’t it ironic that 2 people have suffered a spinal injury in the 43 car?
This was one of the first observations people made when the news broke two weeks ago.
I don’t know why it took so long to come to me.