Erik Jones will miss the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway this weekend, marking his first absence in the field since 2017, 262 starts ago.
After meeting with specialists, they discovered Jones suffered a compression fracture in a lower vertebra after a multi-car accident on Lap 157 at Talladega Superspeedway.
“Erik’s long-term health is our number one priority,” stated Jimmie Johnson in the press release, co-owner of Legacy Motor Club. “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.”
Jones posted a video update on X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to a team press release on Tuesday, Corey Heim will make his Cup debut in Sunday’s Wurth 400 piloting the No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club. Heim currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with TRICON Garage in their No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra and has one win this season at Circuit of the Americas, locking himself into the Playoffs. He also races part-time with Sam Hunt Racing’s No. 26 Toyota Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with a best career finish of fourth at Richmond Raceway.
The press release also shared that the team plans to request a waiver from NASCAR to keep Jones eligible for the postseason Playoffs. Jones currently sits 20th in the driver championship standings with 181 points, 64 marks below the cutoff.