With Erik Jones’ seventh-place result at Nashville Superspeedway, the 29-year-old Michigan native has now wheeled the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota to finishes of 13th or better in three of the last four NASCAR Cup Series races. In the case of Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400, though, the top 10 might have been the most convincing performance to date for the team.
How so? Let’s dive into the metrics.
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According to NASCAR Insights — which analyzes multiple data points and conceptualizes performance trends — Jones’ seventh-place result at Nashville was not just a solid finish, but also a dominant one. Look no further than the No. 43’s top-ranked Defense Rating, which evaluates a driver’s ability to hold their position when under pressure. With such sturdy footing (or in this case, driving), Jones held strong against fellow Toyota pilots, including Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell, who finished ninth and 10th, respectively. Jones was the third highest-finishing Toyota Sunday, with Denny Hamlin (third) and Bubba Wallace (sixth) the only Toyotas to wheel ahead of the No. 43.
The No. 43’s dominance didn’t stop at defense. A fifth-ranked Speed Rating also played a part, especially as the race continued into the middle and late portions; Jones finished fifth during Stage 2 and battled Joey Logano — who finished fourth — for second during the contest’s final stage. Sixth-ranked results in Passer Rating, Restart Rating and Pit Crew Rating rounded out Jones’ statistical masterpiece, cementing his position inside the top 10.
Such a well-rounded performance stands out even more when factoring in that Jones was the only driver to finish sixth or better in all five statistical categories at Nashville. Although the end result wasn’t a race victory, there is plenty of upside if this elite performance continues, beginning at Michigan International Speedway, Jones’ home track, Sunday (2 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
MORE: Michigan schedule
“We didn’t have any mistakes,” Jones said. “We had good pit stops. It just is cleaning everything up and continuing to improve on these cars. Like at the end there, that was all we had. Our balance was pretty good, so we still need to get a little faster. We’ve done a great job. We are getting there. We are optimizing the speed.”
Other notables from Sunday:
— After finishing 19th or worse in all five metrics during the Coca-Cola 600, Logano finished ninth or better in each category at Nashville.
— William Byron finished sixth or better in four of the five metrics at Nashville; the No. 24 ranked 23rd in Pit Crew Rating.
— Despite early-race woes, Kyle Larson rebounded to finish eighth, thanks in part to a fifth-ranked Restart Rating.
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