Over the 74-year historical past of the Darlington Raceway, few drivers have efficiently tangoed with “The Woman in Black.”
The fortunate souls who’ve discovered their approach to victory lane at NASCAR’s hardest monitor normally discover it tough to e-book one other go to.
That’s not the case for Erik Jones, nonetheless, whose two Southern 500 wins make him a risk every time the Cup Sequence visits NASCAR’s first superspeedway.
Jones and Legacy Motor Membership could not have the pace or the sources of the highest groups within the NASCAR Cup Sequence, however it was solely two years in the past that they broke by means of for an enormous upset at Darlington.
That win in September of 2022 stays Jones’ third and most up-to-date Cup Sequence victory, and since then, it’s been a tricky highway for each Jones and his crew.
2023 noticed a rebranding of Jones’ group as an entire. Richard Petty’s crew noticed a lot of mergers and title modifications from the mid-2000s onward, and its rebranding to Legacy Motor Membership in 2023 ushered in a brand new period for Jones and the No. 43 crew.
Sadly, 2023 was a poor yr for Jones on the racetrack. A mid-season announcement that the crew could be leaving Chevrolet on the finish of 2023 didn’t assist, as any beforehand shared knowledge would now be withheld.
A change to Toyota in 2024 hasn’t helped the crew’s outcomes, nonetheless, and Darlington stays the ultimate likelihood for each Jones and John Hunter Nemechek to win their manner into the playoffs.
A again harm for Jones in April served as one other hindrance, forcing the 28-year-old to overlook the Cup Sequence occasions at Dover and Kansas.
The excellent news for Legacy Motor Membership? Each of Jones’ Southern 500 wins got here when Jones wasn’t thought of a favourite. That’s the case once more this yr the place, regardless of his previous success on the monitor, his lack of pace has many followers doubting if he may pull one other upset.
Nevertheless, if there’s one factor the Darlington Raceway is exceptionally good at, it’s telling a narrative. A 3rd Southern 500 triumph for Jones wouldn’t simply break a winless streak of two seasons, however would additionally catapult the enduring No. 43 into the NASCAR Cup Sequence playoffs for the primary time since 2014.
