RADIO
Erik Jones Definitely Faster This Year, but Short Tracks Still a Liability
Erik Jones used to be known for his Bristol prowess in his early years driving for Furniture Row Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, where he scored four top fives in his first eight races before Gibbs fired him. However, in his years in the No. 43 car particularly with the Next Gen car, he has never seemed to have much speed as all his finishes were between 20th and 30th and he looked equally disappointing at most other short tracks. Even in the epic 2024 spring race which had 16 different leaders, Jones wasn't one of them and he hasn't led here since his JGR years. He has had an increase in speed recently, but despite his slight resurgence, he still hasn't been very fast on short tracks. He's maybe worthy of a little consideration since he starts 27th and only costs $6,300, but it's hard to be convinced he'll suddenly have short track speed tonight.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference
