Erik Jones finishes top-10 at Las Vegas

Richard Petty Motorsports

     In Yesterday’s NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Erik Jones brought the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 to 10th place finish. 

Jones finished 17th in stage 1, 18th in stage 2, and 10th in stage 3. 

This finish surprised many fans as this was only Jones’ 4th finish in the famed No. 43, and was his best so far. 

At the end of last season, former Richard Petty Motorsports driver, Bubba Wallace announced that he would not be returning to the No. 43, and that instead he would be joining NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and Basket Ball Hall of Famer Michael Jordon to drive for the newly formed 23XI Racing. This left a perfect opportunity for former Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Erik Jones, who was desperately looking for a ride, to join the team. 

While Jones’ performance took many by surprise, some may have seen it coming. You see, Richard Petty Motorsports has had luck Las Vegas before. In last year’s Pennzoil 400, driver Bubba Wallace had luck on his side as he finished 6th in the No. 43, marking his best finish with the team. While it may be hard to recreate a lucky finish, yesterday we saw the closest thing to it, as Erik Jones worked hard all day to stay within the top-10.

This remarkable finish really shows the strengths of both Richard Petty Motorsports, and Erik Jones. This pairing of team and driver appears to be very strong, and could be exactly what Richard Petty Motorsports needs to get back on their feet!