Things have come full circle for Erik Jones.
Since his arrival at Petty GMS Racing last season, the driver and team have been searching for consistency.
Though 2021 only resulted in six top-10 finishes, it gave the organization a launching point for the future.
With the introduction of the Next Gen car this season, it brought the group closer than ever to competing for victories on a weekly basis.
Last week, the famed No. 43 led the pack at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway for countless laps, before getting collected in an accident that ended the team’s chances of making the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
However, on Sunday night at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, the stars aligned, and the driver of the No. 43 was back on top of the mountain for the first time in three years.
With the guidance of crew chief Dave Elenz, the No. 43 Chevrolet improved as the sun disappeared into the night. By the end of 500 miles, Jones had climbed from his 15th starting position to the point.
For Jones, it was a moment that came two seasons after his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing. Though it may be seen as a redemption story, Elenz doesn’t believe that to be the case.
“No, I don’t think it’s redemptive. Obviously last year was a tough season for him,” Elenz said. “I watched from afar last year. There were races that were good, a lot that weren’t great. But that’s resources. That’s cars that he’s having to run. That’s nothing to do with him.
“I think he believed in himself and what he’s capable of. I obviously believe in that,” Elenz continued. “I think it’s a continuation of where he left off more than redemption.”
Jones viewed the victory as one of the highlights of his career.
“Obviously, I was a little in a bad spot toward the end of 2020 trying to find a new home, and the 43 car became that and took me in,” Jones said. “I knew at the start, it was a long-term outlook for me at least. I was like, ‘All right, we’ve got to settle in and build and figure it out.’ It’s not like I just came in and did that. There’s a lot of great people that came in and were a huge part of that, to build to where we are now.
“But it’s just been cool to see, cool to be a part of,” Jones continued. “Coming from a four-car powerhouse team like I was at to what was a single-car team last year, to now a two-car team this year and building into a race-winning program now has been very — probably the most rewarding of my racing career.
“This is the 20th time I’ve said this tonight, but I’m very happy for myself to win a race, but more proud of the group. A lot of guys tonight it was their first Cup win. Some it was their first win in anything, any series. I’ve been fortunate to win many races in my career and that’s been awesome, and this is an awesome race to win.
“Don’t get me wrong; I’m super happy. But just more proud of the group and what they’ve brought to the table and what we’ve built over the last year and a half.”
As a result, Petty GMS is seeing success the Petty operation hasn’t enjoyed since the ’90s with Bobby Hamilton and John Andretti.
In his decision to join Petty GMS, Jones knew it wouldn’t be a quick turnaround for success.
“I would say I was not in desperation mode when I went to the 43 car. The outlook I had was to build,” Jones said. “I knew last year was going to be a tough year, and I think there was some really high hopes in the 43 camp that last year was going to be a magic year. I’m like, ‘Man, I’d love to say I can plug in and just make this car win races, but it just doesn’t happen like that.’
“Coming in, I knew it was going to take time to build,” Jones continued. “I was fortunate to have been with a winning organization and have won races in Cup and know what it takes, which was a big help for sure coming into RPM (Richard Petty Motorsports) at the time and now Petty GMS.
“Yeah, were there times when I doubted it? Probably. I remember — you’re not supposed to tell everybody what you’re doing, but my close friends, I called them and said, ‘Hey, this is what I’m doing; I’ve signed this deal with the 43 car.’ You can tell in your close friends’ voices when they’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s good, man, I’m happy for you.’ I’m sitting there on the phone, like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’
“I actually was talking to one of them the other week, and he’s like, ‘You know, I was really nervous when you first told me about this deal, and to see what you guys have done this year has really proved me wrong.’
“So yeah, there’s some nerves in there at times. I think the big thing for me, I never doubted myself, man. I never found myself in a bad place. Sure, I was disappointed at times, last year, absolutely. But I never — I cannot say there was one time where I thought, ‘Man, I just can’t do this.'”
The never-quit mindset from Jones, was on full display during the most crucial part of Sunday’s Southern 500
With former teammate Denny Hamlin breathing down his neck as the laps ticked down, Jones never broke stride, insisting that it was the calmest he’d ever felt racing for a win.
“To be honest, I hadn’t been in position to win a race in a while, number one. But I went and ran some late-model races this year, grabbed a win at IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park) against William Byron up there, and kind of got me back in the mindset like, ‘All right, got to get in the mindset of winning these races again.’
“I went through a year where we were not in contention to win. I went to Auto Club earlier this year with a winning car and didn’t win the race, and a lot of it was just because I was rusty. I was sloppy on restarts and car placement and stuff that I know I can be better at, and I was like, ‘Man, I’ve just got to get back in that groove.’
“But some of it’s just having been there, right? I looked back toward the other Southern 500 I won here, and that was probably harder as a driver to be honest because I ran out, like the entire last segment. We went through pit stops, racing with those guys, racing with Kyle (Busch) at the end for what felt like 50 laps.
“This one, I’m like, ‘All I’ve got to do is 20. If I can get clear, just run 20 perfect laps and it’s all mine,’ and I guess that’s why I felt so good about it.”
Those 20 perfect laps have helped elevate Jones and the No. 43 team to Cup Series contenders.
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