by Reid Scearce
Erik Jones on Kansas, after announcing his contract extension at Legacy Motor Club: “We just need to get rolling”
Erik Jones and Legacy Motor Club agreed to a multi-year contract extension on Sunday, keeping Jones behind the wheel of the No. 43 Toyota as the organization continues to build toward the future.
The announcement came as Legacy Motor Club continues to navigate a difficult stretch of the 2026 season. Jones has recorded three DNFs this season, all of which have occurred in the last five races.
When asked by Reid Scearce of Fan4Racing during Legacy Motor Club’s pre-race media availability about the No. 43 team’s path to success for Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway following the contract announcement, Jones said the team was looking for a reset.
“Well, we’ve got a little ways to go,” Jones said. “You know, we’ve just had a stretch here that hasn’t been what we wanted, and I think we were kind of looking for that one reset.”
Jones said sometimes all a team needs is one race where everything falls into place, whether it comes from a strong car, a good pit strategy, or a well-timed caution.
“You get that one race where things just, they go right for you,” Jones stated. “And even if you have a decent car, maybe some things during the day go well, and you luck out on a couple good calls or a good caution here and something turns your day into a great one, and that’s what we need.”
The competition caution on lap 35, Jones says, is an opportunity to make adjustments and begin moving forward.
“The lap 35 comp yellow is good for us,” Jones said. “You know, we’re starting 30th, so we’ve got to kind of work our way forward, hopefully, and then get a break and reset and go from there.”
Pointing to Kansas as a track where a good car can make up ground, Jones recalled his runner-up finish at Michigan International Speedway earlier this season as an example of what the 43 team could do.
“Kansas is a place you can pass. If you’ve got a good car, you know, I think back to Michigan earlier this season, we started dead last, and it was one of our best races of the year. If you’ve got the car, this is a place where you can make it happen and get to the front,” Jones said.
The team’s immediate goal, Jones says, is to stop the recent slide and build some consistency through the remainder of the season.
“We just need to get rolling. You know, we want to finish top 20, and we don’t want to finish in the 20s and points again.”
With Jones now secured with Legacy Motor Club beyond the current season, the team has several opportunities ahead to turn its recent stretch around.
“We need to have a good stretch here to the end of the year, and we’ve got some good tracks we can do it, and that’s, I feel like, starting with today at Kansas, so we’ve just got to have it get rolling.”
