Jones Finishes Runner-Up in Career Night

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Erik Jones put on a career-best performance, leading over half the race, but it wasn’t enough to beat Kyle Busch in the waning laps of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Having won the pole the day prior, he led the field to the green flag. It wasn’t long, 60 seconds in fact, before his first stint in front was cut short, when Chase Elliott passed him exiting Turn 4 to take the lead. He took it back from Elliott two laps later.

His next stint lasted a little longer, going 45 laps before he left the bottom lane open in Turn 2, which allowed Kyle Larson to get alongside and pass him going into Turn 3.

While Jones didn’t get back to the front during the remainder of the first stage, he passed Larson on the final lap of the stage to finish second.

He exited pit road with the race lead and held the lead until Busch swung by him on the high-side in Turn 3 to take the lead on Lap 166. He used Brad Keselowski as a pick to pass Busch and retake the lead on Lap 180, only to get held up by Paul Menard and getting passed right back by Busch on Lap 198.

After a two-car wreck in Turn 3 on Lap 227, Jones opted to short-pit the end of the second stage to set up for the run to the checkered flag. He finished fifth in the second stage.

With leader Matt Kenseth pitting under the stage break, Jones inherited the race lead and was unchallenged during the long 93-lap green flag stint from Lap 257 to Lap 354. On the ensuing restart on Lap 360, Busch went on the attack via the high-side in Turn 4 to take the lead on Lap 361.

After a single-car incident on the backstretch on Lap 396 and the lead cars pitted, Jones exited with the race lead.

The run to the finish with 79 laps to go had him line up first on the bottom, Kenseth to the outside in second and Busch in third behind Jones. Busch made it by Kenseth with 72 to go and set his sights on Jones. With 56 to go, Jones got loose in Turn 3, allowing Busch to dive underneath and take the lead exiting Turn 4.

Busch started to pull away, but ran into heavy lapped traffic with 22 to go, allowing Jones to close in. But just as lapped traffic slowed Busch down, it slowed him down in his quest to catch Busch. He finally ran out of time and came home second.

“It’s a bummer, I mean you can’t lie. I thought we had a really good day and we fought hard all day. We had our ups and downs and led a lot of laps and didn’t have quite enough at the end,” Jones said. “Kyle (Busch) is really good here. But we had a good 5-hour Energy Camry. Just needed a little more at the end. It’s just unfortunate we didn’t have it. I did what I could, but it just wasn’t quite enough.”

Jones leaves Bristol 16th in points, 129 behind Kenseth for the final playoff spot. Barring a major penalty by Kenseth’s team at Darlington Raceway and/or Richmond International Raceway, Jones can’t mathematically point his way into a playoff spot. He must win at Darlington and/or Richmond to clinch a spot.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

Tucker White
Tucker White
I've followed NASCAR for well over 20 years of my life, both as a fan and now as a member of the media. As of 2024, I'm on my ninth season as a traveling NASCAR beat writer. For all its flaws and dumb moments, NASCAR at its best produces some of the best action you'll ever see in the sport of auto racing. Case in point: Kyle Larson's threading the needle pass at Darlington Raceway on May 9, 2021. On used-up tires, racing on a worn surface and an aero package that put his car on the razor's edge of control, Larson demonstrated why he's a generational talent. Those are the stories I want to capture and break down. In addition to NASCAR, I also follow IndyCar and Formula 1. As a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, I'm a diehard Tennessee Volunteers fan (especially in regards to Tennessee football). If covering NASCAR doesn't kill me, down the road, watching Tennessee football will. I'm also a diehard fan of the Atlanta Braves, and I lived long enough to see them win a World Series for the first time since 1995 (when I was just a year old). I've also sworn my fan allegiance to the Nashville Predators, though that's not paid out as much as the Braves. Furthermore, as a massive sports dork, I follow the NFL on a weekly basis. Though it's more out of an obligation than genuine passion (for sports dorks, following the NFL is basically an unwritten rule). Outside of sports, I'm a major cinema buff and a weeb. My favorite film is "Blazing Saddles" and my favorite anime is "Black Lagoon."

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