[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2025 Racing Annual magazine. Order your copy online today, or buy one at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]
If there was a face of frustration in 2024, it belonged to Erik Jones. After a puzzling tumble downward in performance, Jones and the No. 43 team are looking for answers entering 2025.
Legacy Motor Club, the descendant of Richard Petty Motorsports, has struggled the last two seasons after a major overhaul. A switch to Toyota for 2024 brought some optimism for better manufacturer support, working with a smaller and tighter group of other Toyota organizations. But the cost of a full technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing is steep and Gibbs hasn’t made a secret of wanting to keep the Toyota stable small and exclusive.
Erik Jones 2024 stats
| Starts | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Poles | DNF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
34 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
The result of the switch was like buying a lemon at the used car lot. Jones, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, failed to lead a single lap last year, scoring just two top-10 finishes for Legacy Motor Club. It’s possible a back injury suffered at Talladega in April played a role; Jones missed two races with a compression fracture after a violent crash in the GEICO 500. That type of injury can take weeks to heal completely. It’s also possible that the team is holding him back.
Team owners Maury Gallagher and Jimmie Johnson have made multiple personnel moves this offseason to try and turn things around. Johnson, a seven-time Cup champion as a driver, has thus far failed to find the right recipe as an owner.
The biggest move comes at crew chief, where Dave Elenz was released in favor of Ben Beshore. The swap, made with five races left in 2024, should continue despite limited improvement; Jones’ average finish of 24.2 to end the year was worse than the 22.9 he posted for a full season. Beshore does bring extensive Toyota knowledge as Kyle Busch’s former Cup crew chief who also led Legacy teammate John Hunter Nemechek to seven NASCAR Xfinity Series victories.
Jones is an extremely talented driver who won the Craftsman Truck Series title in 2015 at just 19 years of age. He’s enjoyed the lion’s share of his Cup success on intermediate ovals and thrives at Darlington, a notoriously difficult track. He’s aggressive but calculated, a good combination which can be an asset when the car is right.
Erik Jones career stats
| Years | Starts | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 |
289 |
3 |
38 |
90 |
2 |
The personnel just has to be right around him. Morale internally around Legacy remains poor, disorganization from within being the main complaint. From Johnson to Gallagher to Petty’s honorary role to Matt Kenseth as competition advisor, there’s been a lot of cooks in the kitchen.
Jones and crew are capable of more than they’ve shown, and the pressure is on to perform this year. Does the organization as it stands have what it takes to deliver for them? That’s the big question. It will take baby steps; focusing on qualifying well and getting top-15 finishes is key. Jones needs to approach every race the way he approaches Darlington: race the track first and let the race come to him.
The Erik Jones file
Car: No. 43 Toyota
Team: Legacy Motor Club
Crew chief: Ben Beshore
Years with current team: 3
Best points finish: 15 (2018)
Hometown: Byron, Michigan
Born: May 30, 1996
Scouting report
Anonymous takes from drivers, crew chiefs, and assorted industry insiders:
There is no disputing the talent, but the industry just wants to see more from Jones.
“If he cares, I wish he would show it,” says a team owner. “I know he is a talented driver but I wonder how hard he works at it. His name came up in a lot of meetings over silly season. I hear questions about his work ethic.
“And here’s the thing: He shouldn’t have been P2 or P3 for the (Joe Gibbs Racing) 19 car. Doesn’t that strike you as weird? That’s a tell and he needs to pay attention to it.”
An agent in the sport agrees: “He was so good early in his career; everything came so natural to him that he just won on talent alone. Then you get here (Cup) and you have to work harder. Erik never had to do that before, and I don’t know that he has learned to.”
He could be one of the best if you paired his talent with a work ethic to match it. I hope he doesn’t run out of time because that’s a guy that could win championships in the right situation.”
His peers like racing with him and even praise his underlying skillset: “Erik is really respectful to race against. He’s a tough, tough guy to pass and it’s impressive to see the lines he is able to run,” says a Cup driver.
“You don’t think about Erik Jones as an up-against-the-fence kind of guy but he runs the highest line at flat tracks like New Hampshire. It’s actually really impressive.”
More must-reads: