Jones sidelined from Dover race with back injury from Talladega

By Mike Finney

DOVER — A hard impact with the outside wall at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama was enough to sideline NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones from Sunday’s Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.

Jones tangled with Bubba Wallace in the closing laps of the race before spinning and colliding nearly head-on with the SAFER barrier in between turns three and four.

Tyler Reddick went on to win the race that finished with several other cars crashing while coming to the checkered flag.

Legacy Motor Club, the team that Jones competes for, will turn to its reserve driver Corey Heim to take the wheel of the No. 43 race car at Dover this weekend.

Heim, 21, a native of Marietta, Georgia, currently competes in the NASCAR Truck Series for TRICON Garage and in the Xfinity Series for Sam Hunt Racing.

Following Sunday’s crash at Talladega, Jones was checked and released from the track’s infield medical center.

He was then transported to UAB University Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, for further evaluation and testing.

Jones returned home to North Carolina on Sunday night and met with specialists in the Charlotte area, where it was determined that he had suffered a compression fracture in a lower vertebra.

“Erik’s long-term health is our number one prioriaty,” said Jimmie Johnson, co-owner of Legacy Motor Club. “It will be great to see him at the track Sunday and we intend to give him the time it takes to recover properly.

“I know Corey (Heim) will do a great job behind the wheel for the Club. In the meantime, our thoughts are with Erik and his wife Holly — they have our total support.”

While there has been no timeline set for Jones’s return behind the wheel, he will be in attendance in Dover to help call the race with his crew.

Legacy Motor Club said it will request a medical waiver for Jones to remain eligible for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.