Erik Jones will not compete in this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway, yielding to Legacy Motor Club’s reserve driver, Corey Heim, Legacy announced April 23.
The race will mark Heim’s Cup debut.
Jones crashed head-on into the outside retaining wall during Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The impact resulted in a compression fracture in a lower vertebra of the driver’s spine, which has left Jones unable to compete at Dover this weekend.
The team did not provide a timeline for when Jones will be able to return to action, though he released a video on social media labeling his injury status as “week-to-week.”
“Erik’s long-term health is our number one priority,” Jimmie Johnson, Legacy co-owner, said in a team release. “It will be great to see him at the track Sunday and we intend to give him the time it takes to recover properly. I know Corey will do a great job behind the wheel for the Club. In the meantime, our thoughts are with Erik and his wife Holly — they have our total support.”
Heim races full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for TRICON Garage. He has earned six victories and made a Championship 4 appearance, with one win coming this year. He also drives part time in the Xfinity Series for Sam Hunt Racing, earning one top five and two top 10s in nine starts since 2023.
Legacy said it will request a medical waiver from NASCAR to allow Jones to remain eligible for the 2024 playoffs once he is cleared to return from his injury. He and the No. 43 team are currently 20th in driver and owner points.
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