“It is redemption in a lot of ways,” Erik Jones on his Darlington win
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Erik Jones
Erik Jones registered his first win with Petty GMS Racing and the second win of his career at Darlington Raceway in the first round of the 2022 playoff, the same track where he secured his first win. The Camaro ZL1 driver secured the long-awaited win for the team as well as the iconic No:43 car for the “GOAT” Richard Petty’s team.
The Petty GMS Racing team received the ideal gift from Erik Jones, whose contract was extended last month when he triumphed at Darlington, the site of his lone other NASCAR Cup victory for Joe Gibbs Racing. The former truck series champion was able to reclaim victory on Sunday as a result of the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers missing the mark.
Find out what Erik Jones had to say about his first win of 2022
Erik Jones points out that the win is a proud moment for him as it is the first one in the No:43 car at Darlington after King Petty made it to the victory lane 55 years ago, saying, “Richard hasn’t been to Victory Lane at Darlington probably since he last won here. It’s just awesome. Just so proud of these guys, Petty GMS and (sponsor) Focus Packer Crew,”.
Erik Jones added that though they have come close to winning this year, he didn’t expect the win to go on Darlingtonia and pointed out that there isn’t a better place to secure a success than the track. He added that it’s a pretty cool feeling for him to get to the victory lane twice in the Cookout south 400.
“We’ve been so close all year, and I didn’t think today was going to be the day. It was going to be a tough one to win, I knew, but no better fitting place. I love this track. I love this race. On that trophy twice, man. I was pumped to be on it once, but to have it on there twice—pretty cool,” Erik Jones added.
Erik Jones went on to say that he never lost belief in himself throughout the season as he knew he could still get the all a winning with the team if he were able to grow the program as they needed it to be. He also expressed his happiness in sharing the win with Dave Elenz, who called the race for the No:43 team.
“Well, I mean, I never lost any belief in myself through any of it. I knew I could still do it, and I just knew we needed to grow the program to do it, and we have. We’ve brought on a lot of great people in the last year. Dave Elenz called a great race today. His first Cup win—that’s pretty cool for him,” says Erik Jones.
Erik Jones went on to say that he is excited about the win as they have been waiting for the day for a long time and pointed out that it’s the perfect redemption story. He added that his first Darlington win with JGR saved his job back then, and this win once again puts him on the map.
“I’m excited, man. We’ve been talking about this day for a long time, and it is redemption in a lot of ways. Very fitting that it’s here at this race again. I felt like this was the race that saved my job the first time around, and coming back here with this win, I guess it puts you back on the map,” added Erik Jones.
Can Erik Jones get one more win this season?
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