INTERVIEW: Erik Jones

Erik Jones
Erik Jones

He’s only 18 and has a couple of wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  Now he’s looking to get a win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in his first attempt at Chicagoland Speedway tonight. Erik Jones talks about his work in the truck series and his Nationwide Series debut in the seat of the  Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 in this Behind the Wheel interview.

Erik Jones Behind the Wheel

NASCAR Penalizes NCWTS Team for Infraction

Erik Jones driver of the #51 ToyotaCare Toyota celebrates after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol 200 presented by Enogen at the Iowa Speedway on July 11, 2014 in Newton, Iowa.  Photo by Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images
Erik Jones driver of the #51 ToyotaCare Toyota celebrates after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol 200 presented by Enogen at the Iowa Speedway on July 11, 2014 in Newton, Iowa. Photo by Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images

A penalty has been handed down to the winning team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCTWS) race Friday night at Iowa Speedway.

NASCAR officials found that the No. 51 for Kyle Busch Motorsports had a violation in that the race truck failed to meet post-race height requirements, the second such violation discovered in two consecutive races.

The infraction will cost crew chief Eric Phillips a $6,000 fine and he has been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. The driver of the truck for that race, Erik Jones, will lose 10 championship driver points and KBM Motorsports owner Kyle Busch will lose 10 championship owner points.

Jones won the Iowa Speedway race Friday night to launch the team to its seventh win out of nine races this season.

Erik Jones Wins at Iowa Speedway, Claims Second Career Win

Erik Jones
Erik Jones

Erik Jones made it look easy as he claimed the checkered flag in the American Ethanol 200 at Iowa Speedway. But it wasn’t. He had some stiff competition from Ryan Blaney for most of the race.

Jones was able to get out of pit road with the lead just in front of Blaney on the last round of pit stops after a caution on lap 125. From there, Blaney used lapped traffic to close the gap on Jones and went three wide for the lead on lap 184 in an attempt to charge for the lead but got loose coming out of the corner. The rear right wheel on Blaney’s truck made a smooth black tire tread mark on the track as he brought the truck out of a slow slide to avoid any contact with Jones. There was minimal contact as Jones was caught in the middle of the action with the lapped truck of Justin Lofton on the outside. Jones was able to reclaim the lead and stayed there until the flagman waved the checkered flag on the stand.

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Erik Jones Named Winner in Snowball Derby

A disqualification gave Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Erik Jones the opportunity to hoist the Snowball Derby champion trophy Sunday night.

A post-race inspection found that race-winner Chase Elliott’s team used tungsten which is illegal in Super Late Model competition. The illegal weight cost Elliott the trophy and it was instead awarded to second place finisher Erik Jones.

Jones was the defending champion going into Sunday’s 300 lap race at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.

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NASCAR Drivers Roll out Super Late Models to Participate in Snowball Derby

You can’t keep a NASCAR driver away from the track for too long. The NASCAR off-season is short for some drivers who will be participating in the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida this weekend. It’s an event that features the best-of-the-best in short track racing.

David Ragan, Erik Jones and Daniel Hemric are preparing their Super Late Model machines to skid around the track in the Snowball Derby 300 in between NASCAR seasons.

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Jones Makes History, Crafton Expected to Claim NCWTS Championship

He’s 17 and he’s a winner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Erik Jones drove the No. 51 Toyota truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports into victory lane in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway Friday night becoming the youngest driver in history to win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).

Ross Chastain didn’t let him have the win easily as they were door-to-door on the final restart of the race with less than 15 laps to go. Chastain had cleared Jones for two laps when Jones came roaring past him to take the lead for the last time of the night. Jones finished more than a second ahead of second place runner Chastain when Jones took the checkered flag.

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