After Nearly a Decade in NASCAR, Erik Jones Still Focused on Patience, Growth

The NASCAR Cup Series is the most competitive and prestigious stock car racing series in American motorsports. Erik Jones has been competing at that top level for nearly a decade, and the biggest lesson he’s learned is patience. 

“I think everybody who probably gets to the Cup Series has won a lot of races at some point and is probably very fast,” Jones said. “But you have to learn a ton of patience at the Cup level.”

The length of the races, the level of competition and the challenge of putting together a strong 500-mile run to be in contention at the end are all aspects drivers must navigate, he said. 

“You have to know that the day isn’t always going to go exactly how you want it,” he said. “Getting through those moments where it’s challenging is the most important part.” 

The Byron, Michigan, native first made headlines in 2012 when, at just 16 years old, he defeated two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch head-to-head to win the Snowball Derby. At the time, Jones was racing with his family-owned team and had no clear path into NASCAR’s national series. 

“All of a sudden, it was kind of just game on,” Jones said. 

After the Derby, Busch signed him to a five-race deal in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Jones quickly proved he belonged, winning his first NASCAR National Series race at Phoenix in just his fifth career start. From there, his rise continued. 

His biggest challenge as a young driver, he said, was learning how to manage his time. 

“I just graduated high school, and was just trying to figure out how to dedicate the time I needed to race and also find a minute probably for myself in there and just relax,” Jones said. 

In 2015, Jones balanced a packed schedule, appearing across all three NASCAR national series. 

Just a week after securing his first Xfinity Series win at Texas Motor Speedway, Jones got his first taste of Cup Series action at 18 during the rain-delayed 2015 Food City 500 at Bristol. Though he didn’t start the race, Jones took over the No. 11 Toyota when Denny Hamlin opted not to continue due to a neck spasm. Jones finished 26th, while Hamlin retained the points. 

Jones capped 2015 by becoming the youngest Truck Series champion at 19 years, 5 months and 21 days. He followed that up with a fourth-place finish in the Xfinity Series in 2016, then moved up to a full-time Cup ride in 2017 with Furniture Row Racing. Along the way, he won Rookie of the Year honors in the Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series becoming the first driver to achieve the feat in all three series. 

Jones earned his first Cup Series win at the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, then added a Southern 500 victory at Darlington in 2019, securing back-to-back playoff appearances. In 2021, he joined Richard Petty Motorsports as driver of the iconic No. 43. A year later, he scored his third and latest career win, repeating at Darlington. 

“It seems like it’s quicker every year, but it’s just been a fun ride,” Jones said. “The opportunities through the years being with really good teams and winning races has been definitely more than I probably ever envisioned.

“I wanted to get to the Cup level but was never sure the odds at that or the opportunities I would have. So being here nine, 10 years on is really an honor.”

Jones, who will turn 29 in May, now drives for Legacy Motor Club, the successor to Richard Petty Motorsports. In 2024, the team switched manufacturers to Toyota—a transition that proved difficult.

Jones failed to lead a single lap last year, but managed to score one top five finish at the YellaWood 500 at Talladega and two top-10 results. His season was also impacted by a back injury from a violent crash at the GEICO 500 in April, which sidelined him for two races with a compression fracture. 

“Last year we struggled with speed,” Jones said. “We really struggled unloading and having a car that was well-balanced and handled well.

“We have to close these races out and be a bit better on Sundays in the long runs.”

The team has worked on refining its approach in 2025.

“This year, we’ve been closer to where we aren’t really thrashing on changes through practice,” Jones said. “We’re able to make some longer runs and learn more about our car.” 

So far, Jones’ best finish is 12th in the season opener at Daytona. He was disqualified at Martinsville last week after his car failed to meet minimum weight requirements, forcing him to forfeit a 24th-place finish and six stage points. The penalty dropped him from 21st to 29th in the standings. 

The transition at Legacy Motor Club has been a work in progress, but Jones believes the effort will pay off.

“We went through a really big change at Legacy, between the manufacturer and adding people,” Jones said. “Everybody’s just kind of learning these new processes that’s been put in place.”

This Sunday, Jones will pilot a special throwback scheme at Darlington Raceway in the Goodyear 400, part of NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend. The AdventHealth and Legacy Motor Club design honors the late John Andretti replicating his 1998 Petty Enterprises car. 

The tribute raises awareness for colorectal cancer, which Andretti battled before his passing in 2020. It also aligns with Jones’ off-track work through the Erik Jones Foundation, launched in 2021 to support children’s literacy, early cancer detection and animal welfare. 

We’re proud to see Erik honor the legacy of John Andretti with this powerful throwback scheme. At EJF, early cancer detection and care are core to our mission. Moments like this remind us why. #CheckIt4Andretti #ColorectalCancerAwarenessMonth #DrivenToCare https://t.co/1GwnwUX6eu

— Erik Jones Foundation (@ErikJonesFdn) March 28, 2025

But with nearly a decade in the Cup Series behind him, Jones remains focused on growth—both for himself and his team. 

“There’s obviously room to grow and where we want to be, but I feel like we’ve really taken a bigger step at this point right now than where we were last year,” he said. 

His target for success? Making the playoffs. 

“I think if we made the playoffs this year, it would be a huge success,” Jones said.“If we could really dial in here and figure out a way to point our way in or win our way in, even better.

“Overall, as a company, if we could have one of our cars make the playoffs this season, that would really be a big success.”

Five Quick Questions:

1. If you could win at any track you haven’t won yet, which one would it be?

Jones: It sounds funny, but Michigan. It’s my home track and just getting a win there would be as big as anyone for me, to be honest.

2. What’s your favorite non-NASCAR motorsport to watch?

Jones: I would probably say late model, pavement late models. That’s what I grew up doing and I still go back and race. I love tuning in and just seeing I know all those guys and have raced against a lot of them, so I love watching them and sometimes you catch kind of the next young guy that’s coming up.

3. One rule change you’d make in NASCAR?

Jones: I would love to add some power back. I think that’s been a pretty big sentiment through the garage. If we could add some back, I think it would help the racing out.

4. If you weren’t a race car driver, what would you be doing?

Jones: I only had one job before. I was working for my dad, we were with a Corvette parts company, so I was there and I kind of did whatever. I was picking parts and filling orders, working out in the restoration shop a little bit. I’m pretty sure I’d still be doing something involved with that.

5. If you could race against any driver, past or present, who would it be?

Jones: I think it’d have to be Richard Petty. He’s been my boss now for a handful of years, and I didn’t even get to see him race, unfortunately. So I’d love to race against him in his prime. That’d be pretty cool.