Erik Jones faced a rough outing at Dover International Speedway on July 21, 2025, which only added to his growing frustration this NASCAR season. The Legacy Motor Club driver struggled after starting 27th due to a rain-canceled qualifying session and ended the race in the same position, three laps down, largely because of an in-race incident where NASCAR did not call a caution flag.
Erik Jones’ Frustration Sparked by No-Caution Decision During Race
During the first stage, Jones showed promise, moving up to 20th position before an unfortunate event set him back. On lap 119, Jones experienced a flat tire and hit the wall between turns three and four. Despite the damage, NASCAR chose not to throw a yellow flag, allowing the race to continue under green until Chase Elliott secured the stage win at lap 120.
The decision to keep the race green forced Jones to complete the entire lap on the flat tire, severely hampering his speed and causing him to lose more positions and fall a lap behind the leaders. His frustration boiled over on the radio when he exclaimed,
F***ing NASCAR, dude! We’ve got a wrecked ass car and we’re f***ing riding around at 180 MPH!
—Erik Jones, NASCAR Driver
Motorsports journalist Steven Taranto shared video footage of the incident on social media, noting,
Erik Jones had a tire go down and hit the wall at the end of Stage 1. Evidently he’s not happy that NASCAR held the yellow until stage end.
—Steven Taranto, NASCAR Journalist
Taranto added further insight with the uncensored onboard video of Jones dealing with the right-front tire failure, explaining how the team was attempting to keep Jones on the lead lap despite the damage. The video revealed Jones’ disappointment with NASCAR’s choice to delay the caution, which ultimately contributed to his 27th-place finish.
Jones’ Struggles Highlighted by Underwhelming Season and Dover Record
This incident at Dover added to a season filled with mixed results for Jones. Through 21 races, he has managed only two top-five finishes and three top-ten results, holding an average finish of 19.667 following the Dover race. Jones had pinned some hope on Dover as one of his stronger tracks, given his past consistent performances there.
Looking back, Jones has competed in 12 NASCAR Cup races at Dover and until now had an average finish of 14.9, with eight finishes inside the top 16. His 27th-place result in 2025 marks his worst-ever placement at the track, which will significantly affect his points standing.
Impact on Playoff Hopes and What’s Next for Jones
Finishing 27th earned Jones only 10 points, a setback for his ambitions to make the 2025 NASCAR playoffs. With the regular season winding down to the final five races, Jones currently sits 89 points below the playoff cutline. At this stage, it appears a win may be his only viable path into the postseason.
Jones has three career Cup victories, including two at Darlington and a notable 2020 win at the Daytona 500, which is among the races remaining in the season finale stretch, though this year’s regular-season finale will be held at Daytona rather than Darlington’s Cook Out Southern 500. Considering his history at Daytona International Speedway, this could provide another opportunity for Jones to secure a playoff spot.
As the season progresses, all eyes will be on Jones and the Legacy Motor Club team to see if they can turn around the disappointing results and salvage the playoffs hopeful with strong performances in the crucial remaining races.
