Due to injuries sustained on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, Erik Jones will not compete in the NASCAR Cup Series event this weekend at Dover Motor Speedway. As a result, designated reserve driver Corey Heim will drive the Legacy Motor Club No. 43 instead.
Jones was involved in a crash on Lap 157 of the race on Sunday at Talladega, where he was at first checked and released from the infield care center, but was later transported to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama for additional evaluation.
He returned home to North Carolina overnight and met with specialists in the Charlotte area where it was determined that Jones suffered a compression fracture in a lower vertebra.
There is no timeline for Jones to return to competition, but he will be in attendance at Dover to help call the race and assist Heim in acclimating to his reserve role. Heim, 21, will be making his Cup Series debut but his a full-time racer in the Truck Series for TRICON Garage and races part-time in the Xfinity Series for Sam Hunt Racing.
“Erik’s long-term health is our number one priority,” 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 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.”
The team will request, and will surely be granted a medical waiver for Jones to remain eligible for the playoffs should he return in time to win a race and qualify for the Round of 16.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.