If NASCAR were racing on Mount Everest this weekend, Erik Jones may still have more breathing room than he does to the Chase cut line with seven races left in the Cup Series regular season.
Jones and the No. 43 LEGACY Motor Club sit 16th in the standings, only four points to the good for the final Chase berth as the final two months of the regular season begin this weekend at Atlanta.
While Jones only has four top-10 finishes through 19 races this season, a run of eight top 20s and six top 15s over the last nine races have put him in position to snag a postseason spot.
“It’s going to be a grind every week,” Jones said Wednesday of the race to the Chase on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “We’re kind of in that position as a team and as a company right now, that we’re right on the cusp of being [in] a good spot of running towards the top 10, but if we have some issues or miss it a little bit we’re going to have to really grind to have a top 15 day.”
Erik Jones hunting Chase berth
The final seven races of the regular season are comprised of two drafting tracks (Atlanta, Daytona), the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the “Magic Mile” of New Hampshire and a trio of short tracks (North Wilkesboro, Iowa, Richmond).
“Looking at the short tracks, I think that’s our biggest question mark,” Jones said. “We changed that [rules] package a bit with the horsepower, which I think has been better for us. We ran really well at Dover with that package in the All-Star Race. I think that package with power seems to have been better for us.”
Jones did participate in a test at North Wilkesboro Speedway, which should come in handy in the July 19 Window World 450.
The speedways of Atlanta and Daytona are likely Jones’ best shot at snagging a win over the final stretch of the regular season, but a Chase berth would also be solidified by another run of consistent finishes.
Jones finished 24th at Atlanta on Feb. 22 and likely needs a better result to stay on the right side of the Chase bubble going into North Wilkesboro.