Erik Jones rolled to an unexpected runner-up finish in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, stepping in as an 11th-hour replacement for an ailing Noah Gragson at Pocono Raceway.
Jones, a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular, started the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18 Toyota in the next-to-last starting spot in the 32-truck field after Gragson was unable to post a qualifying speed Saturday morning. He zoomed up to finish fourth in Stage 1 at Lap 15 and briefly took the lead on Lap 27. He challenged for the lead again in the late going but eventually settled for second place, just behind team owner Kyle Busch, who won for the 51st time in his Truck Series career.
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Jones said his first appearance in a Truck Series race since June 2016 was “definitely a surprise.” Busch said post-race that Jones was his first choice for a fill-in driver, but that former KBM driver William Byron — now a Monster Energy Series rookie with Hendrick Motorsports — was also considered. Jones, the former series champ, said he found out after first Monster Energy Series practice that he might be called upon as a last-ditch substitute.
“You’re definitely changing your mindset getting into a truck race,” said Jones, who will now have an unplanned double-duty weekend with Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). “I was planning on probably going back, taking a nap and catching the end of the truck race. So I had to really kind of reset and try to think back — I don’t really have any notes with me here, obviously, in truck racing. … Just tried to refresh my memory and get in the mode of what we had to do.
“I knew it was going to be a little challenging coming from the back and obviously not being in the truck all day, I didn’t know how it drove. I don’t know how Noah drives his trucks, so there’s a lot of things that go through your head, but we had a great truck.”
Gragson, 20, fought through what the team described as a stomach virus to be fastest in Friday’s practice for the Gander Outdoors 150 (1 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). But he was not medically cleared to compete after a pre-race visit to the infield care center.
A NASCAR spokesperson confirmed that Gragson will receive a waiver for postseason eligibility. Even with the late scratch from the lineup, Gragson still ranks second in the Truck Series standings behind points leader Johnny Sauter, having scored one win (Kansas Speedway) and a series-leading four pole positions.