When Erik Jones defeated NASCAR’s villain who later became his boss

NASCAR driver Erik Jones beat one of NASCAR's most infamous villains, active Cup Series driver Kyle Busch in the 2012 Snowball Derby. The Snowball Derby is a Super Late Model race held at Five Flags Speedway in Florida.

Aged just 16, Jones was piloting the #4J Chevrolet sponsored by Paragon Corvette Reproductions and started the iconic Late Model event in P9. Meanwhile, two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch started the race from P4 in the #51 Monster Energy Toyota. As the race went on, Jones went on to beat Busch who had already secured more than 80 wins in NASCAR's top three divisions.

Here's a look at Erik Jones after he emerged victorious in the 2012 Snowball Derby via a post from @LegendsNascar on X. The post is captioned:

"Erik Jones won the 2012 Snowball Derby twelve years ago today. 🏁 The 16-year old beat Kyle Busch for the Derby win. A few months later Busch signed Jones to drive his truck in five @NASCAR_Trucks races, and Jones won the Truck race at Phoenix."

Kyle Busch has long been one of NASCAR's most polarizing figures. Dubbed the sport's "villain" by many, his brash demeanor and unapologetic approach have earned him as many detractors as admirers. Busch's confidence in victory can at times be viewed as bordering on arrogance, while his frustration in defeat can result in contentious moments, including public blame of fellow drivers for on-track incidents.

Busch finished the 2012 Snowball Derby in P3, behind former Truck Series driver Jeff Chouquette. However, Busch has won the event twice with his latest win coming in 2017. Meanwhile, Erik Jones defended his Snowball Derby by winning the 2013 edition of the event.

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"I didn't think he was going to come over": When Erik Jones revealed his conversation with Kyle Busch following Snowball Derby triumph

After Erik Jones' impressive victory at the 2012 Snowball Derby, he caught the attention of NASCAR champion Kyle Busch. The latter approached the former shortly after the race, initiating a conversation that would eventually lead to a pivotal moment in Jones' career. Reflecting on this interaction in a February 2016 interview with NASCAR, Jones recalled the details of their exchange

"I was kind of nervous. I mean we raced hard but we raced clean at the same time so I didn't think he was going to come over and cuss me out or anything. I knew Kyle a little bit before that. We talked, but he came over honestly told me I did a great job and just asked me a little bit about the race and how my car was and we just kind of talked like two short track guys," Erik Jones said.

"You would never thought that he was a Cup driver or anything else and that's the fun thing about racing with Kyle."

In current matters, Jones, who pilots the #43 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club had an underwhelming end to his 2024 Cup Series season. In 34 race starts, Jones finished outside of the top-ten 32 times and had an average finish of 22.912.

The Cup Series will return for the Clash on February 2nd, 2025. Catch the #43 driver in action at Bowman Gray Stadium on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR channel.