Top Dog: Erik Jones
Any time the NASCAR Cup Series rolls into the bright lights of Las Vegas, the race itself embodies a life-sized version of the roulette wheel.
Just as it looks like the prize will land in hands of one driver, it hops into the lap of the next one over.
That theme can relate to the results of the underdogs in the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 3). While one team took center stage early, Erik Jones left the table with the reward of topping his dark horse peers in 14th.
Launching from 22nd to commence the 400.5-mile race, Jones struggled in the first stage, finishing in 31st after battling loose-handling conditions. But like that roulette wheel, things can change in a hurry, and they did by the conclusion of stage two.
Adjustments and better track position allowed the No. 43 to go to work, and he pocketed a stage point with a 10th-place stage two finish.
Jones was able to keep the momentum rolling for the most part in the final stage, spending much of it hovering around the top 15. A caution with 33 laps remaining saw Jones in 16th, but he was able to gain two more spots by the end to grab a solid top 15 finish.
While Jones and the new-look Legacy Motor Club have yet to find the speed of their Toyota counterpart teams, the result was a good recovery for Jones after a potentially discouraging opening act in the race. The showing gives the 26-year-old two finishes of eighth and 14th in the young season.
How Does it Compare?
Jones’s top 15 run does not match recent performances by underdogs, including one of his own in 2022. In this race a year ago, Justin Haley cracked the top 10 while driving for Kaulig Racing by grabbing an eighth-place finish.
And can you believe that Trackhouse Racing was an underdog just a short time ago? In 2022, while he was still on the column’s list, Ross Chastain turned in a third-place run that sparked a season that would see him reach the Championship 4 by year’s end.
Notable Underdog Runs
While Jones did top the leaderboard for the underdogs, he was arguably not the man of the hour, or team for that matter, in Vegas. That would belong to Spire Motorsports, who had rookie Carson Hocevar as its highest finisher in 15th.
Hocevar got roughed up in the first two races of the season, but his speed this week was evident, looking every bit the future star many have pegged him to be. His lap times were impressive in practice, and it carried…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at …