Erik Jones was set to be one of the analysts on the call for the FOX broadcast for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Shriners Children’s 200 at Darlington Raceway, but Jones will not be in the booth due to a stomach bug that he suffered Friday evening.
Jones, who was able to gut it out during NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying earlier in the morning Tweeted that it was in his best interest to rest up in an effort to be his best for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400.
Last night I was fighting a stomach bug most of the night and got two fluid bags this morning. I pushed through practice and qualifying but thought it would be in my best interest to get some good rest this afternoon to be 100% for tomorrow.
That means unfortunately I won’t be…
— Erik Jones (@Erik_Jones) May 13, 2023
Jones, who won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway last fall, was second-fastest in NASCAR Cup Series practice. Jones trailed Chase Elliott by 0.101 sec. in that session.
In qualifying, things didn’t go so well for Jones, as he caught the outside wall a little bit during his run, which scrubbed some speed off of his lap. Jones would end up locking up the 28th starting spot for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event.
Jones, 26, will look to snag his third top-10 finish of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, and even though he’s under the weather, confidence has to be high for the driver in his seventh full-time season in the Cup Series.
Jones has a career average finish of 10.7 at the 1.366-mile Darlington Raceway, and his two wins at the track are the most of any track that he’s run at in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway is set for Sunday, May 14th at 3:00 PM ET with television coverage on FS1. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the radio broadcast of the event.
