Daytona Beach, Fla. • Erik Jones survived several gnarly wrecks, defending Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. on his bumper late and the pressure of overtime at NASCAR’s most famous track.
Jones won a crash-filled race at Daytona International Speedway, passing Truex on the final lap and then wildly celebrating the first victory of his Cup career. Jones created so much smoke during his burnout that he had trouble breathing afterward.
“How about that race boys and girls?” said Jones, who replaced 2004 series champion Matt Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing this year. “I thought we were out of it and all of a sudden we’re right back in it.