LONG POND — Erik Jones is one of NASCAR’s rising stars.
The 19-year-old drives the No. 4 Toyota full-time in the Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports and will be one of the contenders to watch in the Pocono Mountains 150 at Pocono Raceway on Saturday.
Earlier this season, however, the Michigan native made his debut in the Sprint Cup Series in strange fashion.
Jones was sitting on his couch at home in North Carolina in April, waiting for the rain-delayed race at Bristol Motor Speedway to resume when his phone rang. It was Joe Gibbs Racing team owner Joe Gibbs. He wanted Jones to get to the track as soon as possible because Denny Hamlin pulled a muscle in his neck early in the race and might not be able to continue.
Seriously.
So Jones, who also drives for JGR on the NASCAR Xfinity Series, hurried to the airport, boarded the team plane and made the 35-minute flight to Bristol.
“They told me I probably wasn’t going to be needed; that Denny was good to go and I was going to be on standby just in case,” Jones said.
Indeed, by the time Jones arrived, Hamlin’s condition had gotten worse.
So when the race resumed after a nearly four-hour delay, Jones was behind the wheel of the No. 11 Toyota. He held his own and finished 26th.
“I didn’t have enough time to think about it to really get nervous,” Jones said. “But it was a pretty exciting day and a cool story.”
He got another chance three weeks later at Kansas when he filled in for the injured Kyle Busch in the
No. 18 Toyota.
Jones qualified 12th and even was fastest in the final practice session. During the race, he led a lap and was running in the top five when he got loose and hit the outside wall. He wound up finishing 40th.
“I was feeling really good. Then, unfortunately, we lost it,” Jones said. “It was a lesson you couldn’t learn anywhere else but there and a good memory to hang on to. It definitely was nice to know you had the speed and were fast enough to lead a lap.”
Getting a taste of the Sprint Cup Series hasn’t made Jones want to get there any faster. But he is excited for when that day will come.
“It gives me a lot of hope for the future,” he said. “When I get the opportunity, I’ll be pretty pumped up about it because I think we can run well.”
For now, though, he’s focused on the Truck Series.
Heading into Pocono, Jones ranks third in the standings with 428 points. He’s 24 behind leader Matt Crafton and 10 in back of second place Tyler Riddick.
Through 11 races, he has one win (Iowa), seven top fives and eight top 10s. He also has three poles and has led a series-high 647 laps.
Last year at Pocono, Jones placed sixth in the Truck Series race. He also has competed at the 2.5-mile triangular track in Long Pond in the ARCA Series, posting finishes of second and 12th in 2013.
“It’s always been a fun place for me,” Jones said of Pocono. “The ARCA cars were a blast, and the truck race last year we ran pretty well. It’s a fun track, but a pretty unique challenge.”
Besides his success in the Truck Series, Jones also has driven 16 Xfinity Series races and has two wins (Texas, Chicago), three poles, eight top fives and 10 top 10s.
“We’re at it full bore, and getting experience in the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series has been fun,” Jones said. “I’ve learned a lot as a driver. But I still have a long way to go.”
Practice for the Pocono Mountains 150 at Pocono Raceway is today from 2 to 4:25 p.m. Qualifying is Saturday at 10 a.m. with the race scheduled to get the green flag at 1 p.m.