Erik Jones got hurt in a crash at Talladega, where he suffered a compression fracture in one of his lower backbones. Because of this injury, he won’t be racing in the NASCAR Cup series at Dover Motor Speedway this weekend.
Corey Heim will take his place, driving the No. 43 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club. It’s not clear when Jones will be able to race again. Despite not being behind the wheel, he’ll still be at the Cup race at Dover.
Jones, who’s 27 years old, hasn’t had the best season so far, with only one top-10 finish in 10 races, and he’s currently in 20th place in the standings. Legacy is planning to ask for a medical waiver so that Jones can still be eligible for the NASCAR playoffs.
Jimmie Johnson, one of Legacy’s co-owners, emphasized that Jones’ health is the main concern and that they’ll give him all the time he needs to recover. He expressed confidence in Corey Heim taking over driving duties for now and sent well-wishes to Jones and his wife Holly.
During the Talladega race, Jones got caught up in a crash caused by contact between John Hunter Nemechek and Bubba Wallace. Jones hit the wall hard, but thankfully, the safety measures in place helped lessen the impact.
After initially being released from the infield care center, Jones was taken to a hospital for more checks. It was later discovered that his injury was more serious than initially thought.
