May
Erik Jones, a past superspeedway champion who has showed the ability to fight for victories this season, is a nice combo heading into Talladega this weekend.
Jones’ No. 43 Petty GMS Racing Chevrolet was among the best cars in the field as the race progressed, and he continually put himself in position to run up front.
Jones was leading the polls at the beginning of the final 188 laps, but he was trailed by numerous jittery competitors hoping to make a late drive for the victory.
Kyle Larson rushed up to the top lane on his way into the frontstretch in an effort to pass Jones, and Jones immediately moved up to attempt to block him.
While this was successful, it left Ross Chastain alone on the bottom lane, and he raced straight to the checkered flag for the win.
“I mean, just the last lap, right? It’s typical here. Been close here so many times, in this race and the fall race,” Jones said. “We had good speed, felt good to be up front. Coming there that last lap, we were single file.
“I felt pretty good about it. They kind of doubled up behind us. That top lane was getting some momentum. Looking back, I wish I would have stayed at the bottom and let (Chastain) push me. I didn’t realize they were coming with that much speed.
“But try to defend on (Larson), you’re too far ahead already right there. Obviously, a defense on (Larson) kind of gives the door to (Chastain).”
And Chastain got the benefit, beating Austin Dillon by 0.105 seconds to win for the second time in his career and the second time this season.
Jones finished sixth, which was a welcome bounce following three consecutive 13th-place performances. In the championship rankings, he rose two spots to 17th place.
“It is what it is. You’re trying to just win the race,” he said. “You can only see how much is going on from the seat. You’re trying to make the best decision you can the last 1500 feet.
“Happy to run up front, lead laps. Would really love to get the No. 43 in Victory Lane. I thought today might be the day.
“All day long we were fast and had speed. Especially being up front there at the end, the last 10, I knew we had a shot, but just couldn’t quite close it out.”
Below are some of the most well-known NASCAR drivers’ uniforms, all of which are available at reasonable costs. Visit our link now if you are interested in the racing clothing collection:
Grand Prix, IndyCar, Nascar, NASCAR Cup Series, Erik Jones, XFinity, GMS Racing, Kyle Larson
