Erik Jones reflects on “big learning experience” from Talladega

NASCAR is indeed a dangerous sport, and recently, Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones came face-to-face with that element of danger. The Toyota driver suffered from a compression fracture in his lower vertebrae at Talladega Superspeedway, which kept him away from the driver's seat at Dover and Kansas in the following weeks.

Making his return from injury, Jones claimed that he views it as a learning experience and not a setback.

While speaking to veteran FOX Sports journalist Bob Pockrass during the pre-race media availability at Darlington, the driver of the #43 Toyota Camry XSE, explained how he has been readjusting to the din and bustle of his career amidst the aftermath of his injury.

After having run the simulator for quite some time over the last couple of weeks, he said,

"I felt good. I ran about an hour and a half in there. Ran a couple of tracks, trying to pick tracks where it was gonna move the sim a lot and put some bigger impact on my back and make sure everything was good. I felt fine from the impact and also being in there that long."

Jones will make his return after a two-week hiatus. Reflecting on the changes that his team has made to his car ranging from seat position to belt angles to emphasize the aspect of safety, he said,

"I think it's been a big learning experience; we've all learned a lot internally on what we can do better on safety. I feel like we're in a better spot now, for me at least.

The week before the mishap at Dega, Jones had secured a top 20 finish and collected 25 points in the AUTOPARK ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE at Texas Motor Speedway. Currently, he stands 27th on points, just below Front Row Motorsports driver, Michael McDowell.

Erik Jones explains his two-week plan

The plan has been made, and Jones seems eager to experience how the new angle feels. Based on that, he and his team intend to make the necessary adjustments to his car.

Next week, he will have another go at it at the North Wilkesboro Speedway before the team is ready to unleash their fullest potential throughout the 600 challenging miles at the Charlotte ROVAL.

"This will be the first race on that seat. Pretty different position than what I'm used to...for almost all my racing career," he said.

Talking about the different seating angles and the endurance needed for the race, Jones added,

"Guys who have went through this similar injury have went through this same transition as well so, fortunately, it's not a short race; 400 miles...but it feels short here. It will be kind of a good test."

In May 2023, Jones finished P32 with Legacy MC at the famed ROVAL. It remains to be seen if "two good weeks" worth of practice will be enough for Erik Jones to bring out his best performance at the 1.5-mile quad-oval speedway in Concord, North Carolina.