Erik Jones endured a harsh setback during the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday when his front right wheel detached, causing a crash that ended his race prematurely. This marked his third Did Not Finish (DNF) in the 2025 Cup Series season, a critical moment involving the Legacy Motorsports No. 43 car.
Following the accident, Jones spoke with reporters to recount the nerve-wracking seconds before the wheel failure and crash.
Details of the Tire Failure and Crash at Turn 3
The 29-year-old driver from Michigan had secured a strong position by qualifying third, showcasing promising potential for the race. However, during Lap 89, disaster struck when his right front wheel came off in Turn 3, forcing him into the outer wall and cutting his run at the iconic Brickyard short.
Jones affirmed he was unharmed in the incident, describing the experience and how the failure occurred.
So, I saw him just hang up for it for a second on pit road and then, you know, went into three and immediately knew it was going to come off. So, you know, it was less of a hit than I thought, which is good. So, I feel fine. Happy about that. But just disappointing. Just fast car.
— Erik Jones, NASCAR Driver
He also explained that just before the crash, he had been trying to recover after a difficult restart with Josh Berry, who had a missed shift during that crucial moment.
Just crossed up on that restart there with the 21 (Josh Berry). He missed a shift, and we’re just trying to work our way back, and it’s gonna take the rest of the race, but just wanted to have a shot, you know, we don’t get to see where it worked out.
— Erik Jones, NASCAR Driver
No Prior Warning Signs Before the Wheel Came Off
Despite feeling the wheel detach just as it happened, Jones confirmed that there were no earlier indications of an issue, aside from some maintenance on pit road.
No, not other than knowing that they had taken some on pit road on it. Soon as I turned though, you know, it didn’t turn at all. So, yeah, just came off.
— Erik Jones, NASCAR Driver
Jones’ Performance Leading Up to the Incident
Jones had demonstrated remarkable speed and consistency before the crash, ranking second in overall speed and in five-lap averages during practice at Indianapolis. He also showed strong pace in the prior race of the Cup Series.
It’s great, I mean, I’d love to have speed. Got to do everything right, and we just didn’t. The restart wasn’t on us obviously. Miss shift, but just didn’t work out.
— Erik Jones, NASCAR Driver
Looking Ahead After Another Challenging Race
Although this was Jones’ fourth DNF at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in six career starts, he still holds a second-place finish there. Despite the frustrations of this season’s setbacks, including two top-5 finishes so far, he remains 22nd in the standings. The strong qualifying effort at Indianapolis provides a positive sign as he and his team seek to improve results moving forward in the 2025 Cup Series.
