As several dominoes of the annual and wild Silly Season began to move into place, one recently fell with the announcement by Legacy Motor Club to extend its contract with Erik Jones, driver of its No. 43 Toyota.
Jones has been with the team since 2021 when it was then branded as Richard Petty Motorsports, and he has stood through thick and thin as the team goes through its ebbs and flows.
The 28-year-old delivered the team perhaps its biggest milestone by returning the famed No. 43 to victory lane in the 2022 Southern 500, Jones’ third career win and second triumph in one of NASCAR’s toughest races. Since then, the sea has not been calm at several points, yet Jones’ extension proves his loyalty and commitment to what the team is building.
Jones sat down with Frontstretch following the Aug. 11 race at Richmond Raceway to discuss his new deal, the vision for LMC, changes the team has faced over the past year, racing off the track and his input on Austin Dillon‘s controversial victory at Richmond.
Luken Glover, Frontstretch: You announced your contract extension with Legacy Motor Club. Can you just tell me how that all came together, and how much of a relief is it to have that out of the way?
Erik Jones: Yeah, it’s always nice to have that done. Obviously, it was a pretty easy negotiation in general. I think both sides kind of knew what we wanted. Legacy was wanting to have me back, and I was wanting to get back there and continue to build this program that we’ve got.
I’ve been in the [No.] 43 car for a number of years now, and I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with my group on the 43. We’ve been pretty similar since I started up and joined the program. It all went pretty smooth, but it’s nice to have it done and just lock back in on the racing side and what we’ve got to do to get better.
Glover: Were there any thoughts about entertaining other options, or was it Legacy all the way?
Jones: I think every time contract negotiations come up there are other things out there that you explore a bit. I went through that list of options and looked at what was available, who’s moving around. I thought at the end of the day, Legacy was going to be the best option for me to continue to grow and eventually be in a situation that I was really content with.
[Legacy] is on a trajectory to improve a lot. We have a ways to go to get where we want to be, but I’ve still got a lot of things I want to accomplish in…
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