DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Six years ago – 2,044 days, to be exact – Erik Jones found himself on top of the racing world after defeating Kyle Busch at Five Flags Speedway to win the 2012 edition of the Snowball Derby.
Saturday night, Jones finally returned to the pinnacle of the sport by winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona Int’l Speedway, surviving a dramatic finish that evoked a myriad of emotions for the 22-year-old.
“How about that race, boys and girls?” Jones said on the frontstretch to the cheers of a frantic crowd as he climbed from his race car. “Oh man, I can’t believe this. It’s amazing to be standing here right now.”
From the start of his six-year odyssey to its high-water mark over the weekend, Jones went through a roller-coaster of a journey that included a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship for Kyle Busch Motorsports, losing his father Dave and a year spent learning at Furniture Row Racing before returning home this season to drive for the house team under the tutelage of team owner Joe Gibbs.
Jones noted Saturday night after celebrating in victory lane that he thought the wait for his first Cup Series win would have been even larger than it ultimately was.
“I would have thought it would have took longer,” the Byron, Mich., native admitted. “When I won the Snowball Derby in 2012 … I was 16 years old, and I didn’t have any opportunities in NASCAR at that point, so I honestly thought I was going to have to find something else to do pretty soon.
“I thought at that point I was going to get maybe some smaller opportunities for other teams, but that kind of changed everything for me, so really these last six years have flown by. It doesn’t seem like 2,044 days ago; it’s definitely went by quickly,” Jones added. “I never would have thought six years would have passed so quickly, but looking back right now over the six years and what all has happened … places I’ve been, things I’ve done – it has flown by.”
Jones entered the night simply dreaming of finishing the race; after all, he had previously noted himself that he’s never been a particularly strong restrictor-plate racer.
He never anticipated topping all comers and locking himself into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as a result.
However, thanks to a well-timed push on the final lap from Chris Buescher and a block of former teammate Martin Truex Jr. off turn four, that’s exactly the scenario that played out for the 22-year-old native of Byron, Mich.
Jones led only the final lap in securing the trophy at Daytona, driving into victory lane in his 57th career Cup Series start and putting an exclamation point on his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing.
“Saturday was not a day that I necessarily thought was going to be our day. I just didn’t,” said Jones, who came back from a lap down to win the race. “Coming into it, we knew were going to do everything we could to win the race, but we had to be fairly conservative and we were. We were laying back and dropping back and at one point we had to repair quite a bit of damage and went a lap down. I didn’t give up at that point, but thought, ‘Okay, we’ve really got to do our best to salvage a solid day.’ As the race started winding down, we just kept bumping up. We were 15th and then we were 12th and then we were seventh and then we were fourth and then we were second … and it kept inching forward. On the last restart, I knew we finally had a legitimate shot at this point.
“It was just one of those days when you don’t think you have a shot to win, and when you end up winning, the excitement level is just 100 times higher than the days where you have dominated and feel like you should win the race. That’s why my excitement was so high when the checkered flag waved.”
Jones’ late father Dave sold his prized Corvette to fund his early opportunities in racing, a Corvette that Jones was finally able to buy back a few years ago. It was among the many sacrifices that Jones’ family made to give him a shot.
Saturday night, that shot was finally paid off with the ultimate reward, something Jones didn’t take lightly and noted he’ll always be appreciative of.
“There were a lot of sacrifices made by my family to get to this point and for me to have an opportunity,” Jones recalled. “That wasn’t the only thing that was sold along the way – chances were taken financially to get me to this point – but I was able to buy that car back about a year and a half ago, and that was pretty cool. It was pretty neat to get that back. I always wanted to give it back to my dad, but it sure feels good to have it in my hands now.
“I definitely wish he could have been here to see this one, but I know he would have been proud,” noted Jones, with a visible glimmer in his eyes. “His excitement would have matched mine, if not exceeded it. This is just a special night … it means so much to all of us as a family and as a team.”
