Erik Jones wraps up strong day at Talladega with a 9th place finish

Erik Jones on his way to a 9th place finish during the "YellaWood" 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (CIA Stock Photo Incorporated)

     After a whacky couple of days at Talladega Superspeedway, Erik Jones scored his fifth top-10 finish of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, bringing the iconic Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 home in 9th place.

As rain of epic proportions filed into Alabama’s Talladega county just in time for Sunday’s Cup race, without any track lights and persistent precipitation the race was rescheduled for the next day. As Monday came the weather remained uncertain, but it stayed just dry enough for the green flag to drop at the Speedway. That’s when the No. 43 team showed their hand. 

For Erik Jones, a decent plate racer, stage one didn’t end how he would have liked as Justin Allgaier and Kyle Larson wrecked allowing it to finish under caution, but he still pulled off a 24th Place stage finish. That placement alone is what the No. 43 team tries their best to reach week in and week out. Stage two would go above and beyond the expectations.

Erik Jones attempts to pass Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones during the 2021 "YellaWood" 500 at Talladega Superspeedway (CIA Stock Photo Inc.)

As rain continued to loom in the Talladega area drivers would go ballistic trying to squeeze their way to the front. Erik Jones would stay as calm and collected as possible and gradually worked his way around the track until he found what would work for him, the bottom line. Jones saw the bottom groove of the race track pulling ahead, and knew that momentum was what he needed to battle the leaders. The No. 43 pulled down in front of Tyler Reddick’s No. 8, and Jones pushed his way to the front of the field. Denny Hamlin who was leading the race on and off would see the threat this bottom line posed, and he decided the best way to combat that was to join them, as he pulled into the bottom racing line.

This wouldn’t slow down Erik Jones though, as he and Hamlin have a withstanding relationship following Jones’ time at Joe Gibbs Racing. The two drivers worked together to stay at the front of the field, well, as much as you can at superspeedways. Regardless of luck, Jones and Hamlin did stay in contention as drivers like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got shuffled in, and drivers like Alex Bowman got shuffled out.

As the field approached 5 to go in stage two an unlikely contender found his way to the front, Bubba Wallace. Last season Wallace drove the No. 43 that Jones now pilots. 

Rain continued to loom overhead, and drivers only became more and more aggressive. Erik Jones found himself falling back to 10th place, but this turned out to be beneficial for the No. 43 car’s sake. Ryan Preece who drove the No. 37 for JTG Daugherty Racing has been very solid at superspeedway tracks. Preece was riding along in the fifth position when a hard bump from Chris Buescher sent him spinning sideways. Erik Jones avoided the wreck.

Now under caution the No. 43 car sat peacefully in 9th place, and that was when the big rain drops began to fall, and the field was called down pit road for a red flag. Everyone wondered whether or not Wallace, the leader, would score his first win, and while track drying efforts continued, rain persisted.

Eventually NASCAR’s sanctioning body would determine the race was over, as the race had past the half way mark and was official when the rain began. Bunny Wallace the former driver of the No. 43 was in tears of joy as he scored his first victory. Erik Jones and the No. 43 team were happy with a 9th place finish, though they knew they were capable of more. They will try again for a win as the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series begins at Daytona International Speedway in February.