Erik Jones Fastest in Practice at Darlington, but Disappoints in Qualifying
3 months agoThe No. 43 Toyota driven by Erik Jones was at the top of the speed chart at Darlington Raceway on Saturday afternoon, as the Cup Series veteran turned a lap of 29.542 seconds around the 1.366-mile speedway. And while Jones flexed his muscle during practice, he struggled to find that same speed in qualifying and will instead roll off of the starting grid from 28th-place in Sunday night's Cook Out Southern 500. Jones is a two-time Darlington winner and has performed well for Legacy Motor Club here recently, posting a top-10 finish in last year's Southern 500 while coming home 19th in the spring race here earlier this season (after starting 30th). Given his strong track record and his deep starting spot this weekend, Erik Jones makes for a relatively safe Place Differential play in DraftKings this weekend.
Source: Driver Averages
Source: Driver Averages