FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 3, 2019)
Box Score Info:
Date: November 3, 2019
Event: AAA Texas 500 (Race 34 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile Oval)
Format: 334 Laps (Stages: 85 laps / 85 laps / 164 laps)
Start/Finish: 2nd/10th (Completed 334 of 334)
Point Standings: 16th
Race Winner: Kevin Harvick
Stage 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick
Stage 2 Winner: Aric Almirola
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85)
· Erik Jones and the No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry team started the race Sunday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway from the second position and finished stage one in the 12th spot.
· Settling in to the second position behind eventual race winner Kevin Harvick, Jones was pretty quiet on the radio until he ran over a sign that had fallen on to the track on lap 14. Following the incident, the caution flag was displayed for debris. Crew chief Chris Gayle called Jones to pit road for fuel and to check the Sport Clips Camry for any damage from the sign. The race restarted on lap 19 with Jones in the 19th position.
· Over the next 50 laps and multiple cautions, Jones was able to close back in on the lead before pitting late in the stage during the lap 71 caution for four tires and fuel. The race restarted on lap 76 with Jones in 27th.
· Quickly making moves, Jones moved in to the top 20 on lap 77 and the top 15 on lap 80 before finishing the stage in 12th.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170)
· Jones started stage two from the third position and ended the stage in second.
· The race restated on lap 95 for the second stage and as the stage continued under a long green-flag run, Gayle called Jones to pit road on lap 148 for right-side tires and fuel. Once the field cycled through stops, Jones was scored second where he remained when the caution flag waved on lap 170 to end the stage. Reporting the handling of the Sport Clips Camry as being too tight, Jones pitted for left-side tires and fuel.
Stage 3 Recap (Laps 171-334)
· Jones started the final stage from the fourth position and finished the race 10th.
· The race restarted on lap 177 for the final stage with Jones in the fourth position. With multiple cautions early in the stage, Jones settled in to the top five before making a green-flag pit stop on lap 241 for four tires and fuel. Unfortunately, the caution waved while Jones was on pit road and trapped the No. 20 team one lap down in the 17th position. When pit road opened and the leaders pitted, Jones was able to take the wave around to get back on the lead lap and restart the race at the back of the field in the 17th position on lap 248.
· With less than 100 laps remaining in the race, Jones was able to quickly make his way back in to the top 10 on lap 258 and make his way as high as eighth before stalling out and finishing the race with a strong 10th-place finish.
ERIK JONES, No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Talk about your finish.
“It was okay, the car was alright. Got caught out there on pit road and had to restart pretty far back with 90 to go and just drive back to where we could. Kind of a tough day. The Sport Clips Camry fired off the race well and just kind of lost it through the race. We’ll go on to Phoenix and hopefully be a little bit better.”
Additional Notes
· Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex, Jr. finished sixth, Kyle Busch finished seventh and Denny Hamlin salvaged a 28th-place finish.
Next Race: With two races remaining in the 2019 season, teams now head to ISM Raceway on Sunday, November 10, 2019. The race is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and MRN Radio.
- JGR -