News: Erik Jones Finishes Seventh at Kansas Speedway
Box Score Info:
Date: October 20, 2019
Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (Race 32 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Track: Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile Oval)
Format: 267 Laps (Stages: 80 laps / 80 laps / 107 laps)
Start/Finish: 20th/7th (Completed 277 of 277)
Point Standings: 16th
Race Winner: Denny Hamlin
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80)
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160)
Stage 3 Recap (Laps 161-267)
ERIK JONES, No. 20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
How was the race for you today?
“It was a good day. Kind of up and down. We lost some track position there in that middle stage and it was just a struggle to get it back all day. I thought the Reser’s Camry was really good on the long run and we were kind of running those guys down before we had the caution come out late for the first of those final restarts. We just didn’t have a great short run car and it didn’t play out the way we needed it and not a clean enough race to contend. It’s frustrating when you have that fast of a car, but a good day.”
Additional Notes
Next Race: With four races remaining in the season, teams now head to Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, October 27, 2019 for the First Data 500. The race is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN Radio and SIRIUS XM Channel 90.
Date: October 20, 2019
Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (Race 32 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Track: Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile Oval)
Format: 267 Laps (Stages: 80 laps / 80 laps / 107 laps)
Start/Finish: 20th/7th (Completed 277 of 277)
Point Standings: 16th
Race Winner: Denny Hamlin
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80)
- Erik Jones and the No. 20 Reser’s Toyota Camry team started Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway from the 20th position and finished stage one in ninth place.
- Starting the race from 20th, Jones wasted no time starting his move to the front moving in to the top 10 on lap three and in the top five on lap 11.
- Running some of the fastest lap times on the track, Jones was able to run as high as second before making a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 40 for four tires, fuel and a small adjustment. Once the field cycled through pit stops, Jones was scored sixth.
- Closing in on the final laps of stage one, the caution waved on lap 74 for a single-car incident. Crew chief Chris Gayle called Jones to pit road for another routine stop and the team restarted the race on lap 78 from the ninth positon. A shoot out to end the stage, Jones crossed the start/finish line to end stage one on lap 80 in the ninth position.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160)
- Jones started stage two from the sixth position and ended the stage in 11th.
- Opting to stay out under the stage break, Jones restarted the race on lap 86 from the sixth positon and was scored in fifth place when the caution waved on lap 115. Jones pitted for four tires, fuel and another round of adjustments.
- The race restarted on lap 120 with Jones in the fourth position. Unfortunately, Jones has contact from a competitor on the restart causing the No. 20 Camry to drop to 17th. With damage to the Reser’s Camry, the team devised a plan for repairs during the next pit stop.
- Settling in and turning the focus back to the leaders, Jones was able to move back in the top 10 on lap 145 and was scored 11th when the caution waved on lap 160 to end stage two. Jones pitted for four tires, fuel, adjustments and to make repairs to the No. 20 Camry.
Stage 3 Recap (Laps 161-267)
- Jones started the final stage from the 13th position and finished the race seventh.
- The race restarted on lap 166 for the final stage of the Hollywood Casino 400 with Jones in the 13th position. With a fast Camry and focused on the leaders, Jones moved back in to the top 10 on lap 185.
- Continuing under a long green-flag run, Gayle called Jones to pit road on lap 213 for four tires, fuel and a set of adjustments. Once the field cycled through pit stops, the Reser’s team was scored fourth.
- Running lap times comparable to the leaders, Jones made his way up to third before a late-race caution on lap 252. Jones made his final stop of the race for four tires and fuel. The race restarted on lap 258 with No. 20 Camry in the sixth spot.
- Jones survived two more late-race cautions and crossed the finish line in seventh following two green-white-checker finishes.
ERIK JONES, No. 20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
How was the race for you today?
“It was a good day. Kind of up and down. We lost some track position there in that middle stage and it was just a struggle to get it back all day. I thought the Reser’s Camry was really good on the long run and we were kind of running those guys down before we had the caution come out late for the first of those final restarts. We just didn’t have a great short run car and it didn’t play out the way we needed it and not a clean enough race to contend. It’s frustrating when you have that fast of a car, but a good day.”
Additional Notes
- Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin won his fifth race of the season. Kyle Busch finished third and Martin Truex, Jr. finished sixth.
Next Race: With four races remaining in the season, teams now head to Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, October 27, 2019 for the First Data 500. The race is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN Radio and SIRIUS XM Channel 90.
