Top Dog: Erik Jones
Erik Jones and a Richard Petty-owned team have been on similar pathways the past couple of years. For Jones, it was the voice of fans questioning whether he was a bust as he could never shine under the Joe Gibbs Racing lights like his teammates. For Petty GMS Motorsports, which was known as Richard Petty Motorsports from 2009 through 2021, it was the question of whether the team could ever return the No. 43 to glory after years of financial woes and lackluster results.
Turn the page to 2022 with Jones in his second season with the organization and a merger between GMS Racing and RPM, and it has begun to answer both questions. Jones notched his 13th top 10 of the season with an eighth-place finish at the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 16).
Jones showed speed off the truck, putting his No. 43 near the top of the board in Saturday’s practice, though he didn’t qualify all that well.
After starting in 22nd, Jones struggled with the balance of his car, only advancing one spot by the end of the stage. The car improved in stage two as Jones drove up into the top 10 at one point, but the end of runs took a toll on his car. Jones finished stage two in 18th.
In what has become the norm in 2022 especially, the final stage featured aggressive restarts and close calls. Crew chief Dave Elenz helped call for the right adjustments, improving the balance on the No. 43 to face the slick track. Jones climbed inside the top 10 in the final stage, going toe-to-toe with multiple playoff drivers.
A couple of cautions in the final stage mixed the field up on track position, but the 26-year-old was able to take care of his car, allowing him to reach the top five with about 20 laps to go. By the end of the race, he only yielded a couple of spots to stay inside the top 10 when the checkered flag dropped.
Jones’ 13 top 10s match his total from his last season with JGR in 2020. He only needs one more to parallel the 14 he landed in his rookie season with Furniture Row Racing. It is also his third top 10 in the last four races, giving him four top 10s in seven playoff races despite missing the postseason.
For Petty GMS, the mark goes much deeper. While GMS did merge with the team, Jones only needs one more top 10 to tie the most top 10s by a Petty driver since 2009 when Kasey Kahne earned 14 such finishes. That was the first season of RPM after merging with Gillette Evernham Motorsports.
As non-playoff teams try to close 2022…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Frontstretch…