After Gateway, Erik Jones Received 60-point Deduction For Improper Inspection
Erik Jones is the most recent driver to get a hefty penalty from NASCAR.
Following unauthorized alterations to the area around the vehicle’s cockpit at Gateway on Sunday, NASCAR penalized Jones 60 points and banned his crew chief Dave Elenz for two races, according to a statement released on Wednesday. Jones placed 18th in that event after starting in 31st place.
According to NASCAR, the changes Hendrick Motorsports was determined to have made to the vehicles of Alex Bowman and William Byron at Richmond were also made to the top of Jones’ vehicle. Byron and Bowman were both docked 60 points.
A $75,000 punishment was also imposed on Jones’ No. 43 group.
Jones goes from 26th to 30th in the rankings due to the penalty. With 185 points right now, he is 128 points behind the 16th and last provisional playoff spot. Before the penalty, he was only 68 points behind 16th place.
This season, Jones has had two top-10 finishes. At Atlanta, he finished seventh; at Talladega, he finished sixth. Legacy Motor Club has only had two top-10 results so far this season. Team co-owner Jimmie Johnson had an average result of 35th in his three events, while rookie partner Noah Gragson is 32nd in the point’s standings with no top-10 finishes.
Jones was given a fine a week after Chase Briscoe and his crew were docked 120 points by NASCAR for using a fake part in the Coca-Cola 600. If Briscoe makes the playoffs, he will lose 25 postseason points.
