Legacy Motor Club has released an update on the status of Erik Jones following a hard wreck during the GEICO 500 at Talladega on Sunday afternoon.
Jones’ day ended when the Toyotas collided while single-file, which was one of the more shocking wrecks of the afternoon. He took the brunt of the hit, and immediately told the safety personnel that his back was in pain.
Still, Jones went to the infield care center and was giving interviews after the wreck, but it was evident he was in immense pain. He ended up being transported to a local hospital, where the wheelman of the No. 43 was evaluated, according to Legacy Motor Club.
“Following a crash at Talladega Superspeedway in Sunday’s GEICO 500, Erik Jones was transported to UAB University Hospital in Birmingham, Ala,” the press release read, shared to X by Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut. “As of 11:30 p.m. CT, Jones was evaluated, released and will return home to North Carolina this evening.”
Moreover, was Jones who by far took the biggest hit. Those head-on collisions into the outside wall are terrifying. If you have watched NASCAR or motorsports for a while, you know that those impacts can be the most damaging.
Even with the SAFER Barrier, these hits are violent and can do a lot of damage. It is concerning that Jones was calling out about his back while still in the car after the wreck. High speeds at Talladega can lead to hard crashes like Jones had. It’s one of the dangers of racing.
What if Erik Jones is injured?
So, Erik Jones is being evaluated further. While we hope for a speedy recovery and to see him racing in the 43 car again next week, what are the options if he misses time? Jones and Legacy Motor Club do have options depending on how they want to proceed.
Let’s just say that Jones misses at least one race. In that case, you can expect Toyota and Legacy MC to move Corey Heim into his seat. Heim is a simulator driver for 23XI Racing as well as a reserve driver for Legacy. He works closely with that team during the week on many aspects of racing.
Heim is the reserve driver, so it makes perfect sense to put him in the 43 car. However, let’s just say they don’t want to do that. Well, there is also a man named Trevor Bayne at Legacy. He is in more of a coaching and advisory role to the other drivers. Still, he’s a former Cup Series talent I’m sure they could lean on if needed.
Right now, Erik Jones is still in the driver’s seat. Until we hear otherwise, expect to see him line up at Dover next Sunday and be ready to do his job. However, don’t be shocked if there is an injury if you see Heim Time in the Cup Series.
On3’s Jonathan Howard contributed to this article.
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