NASCAR on TV this week
(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Underdog House: Erik Jones, the Rider Who Couldn’t Be Thrown at Texas

by

Top Dog: Erik Jones

“There was never a horse that couldn’t be rode, there was never a rider that couldn’t throwed.”

That old Western adage rang true in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday (May 4), where there always seems to be something a little quirky about the water.

With several underdogs dropping like flies on Star Wars Day, it was Erik Jones who used the force to drive to a fifth-place finish.

See also
NASCAR Cup Series Results: Joey Logano Wins Wurth 400 in Overtime

Making his 300th career Cup start, Jones has taken a liking to Texas in his career, and it always presents an opportunity to put his No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota in the limelight.

That’s exactly what he did, driving inside the top 10 for much of the race, including earning a stage point in the opening segment with a 10th-place result.

Jones’ day was nearly whisked away like a tumbleweed when he was caught speeding after stage one, putting him in the back of the field at a place where track position is critical. However, Jones flexed some muscle and nearly cracked the top 20 by the end of the second frame.

Through the final stage, Jones methodically worked his way forward, clawing into the top 10 before a flurry of cautions occurred over the final 40 laps. Through the attrition of stampede on restarts, Jones chipped away before setting himself up to grab the top five result, his first on a non-superspeedway since the Kansas Speedway fall race in 2023.

Jones also scored his first top 10 of the season, a much-needed result after four consecutive races outside the top 15.

Sitting 29th in points, it will take a win for Jones to get the No. 43 back into the playoffs, but with his seventh Texas top 10, Jones was the cowboy who couldn’t be thrown in The Lone Star State.

Notable Underdog Runs

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. nearly got bucked off his horse, but recovered nicely to score a sixth-place finish, a career-best for him at Texas.

On lap 228, Kyle Busch bottomed out over the treacherous turn 4 bump, sending him spinning into the outside wall and back across the track. Stenhouse took evasive maneuvers, playing a risky card by going through the grass. In both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series races, several drivers had their vehicles torn apart by the infield, which had received heavy rain on Friday (May 2).

However, with a day full of sunshine and the narrower splitters of the Cup car, Stenhouse made it through, leaping from the grass to asphalt.

With the close call behind him, Stenhouse used the ending flurry of cautions to his advantage, roping in one driver after the other. On the final restart, the No. 47 challenged Kyle Larson for fourth before settling into sixth at the checkered flag.

Now 11 races into the season, Stenhouse is officially in the playoff mix, currently holding the final spot by 12 points over Busch. With favorable tracks such as Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway in the upcoming slate of races, the No. 47 could be a factor come mid-summer.

Legacy placed not one, but two drivers in the top 10 with an eighth-place finish by John Hunter Nemechek, the first time two LMC cars have finished in the top 10 on a non-superspeedway. The No. 42 driver was also busted for speeding during stage one, yet his team played aggressive strategy throughout the afternoon. A call for two tires in the second stage got Nemechek back into the top 10, just missing out on stage points by finishing 12th.

In the final stage, Nemechek was able to maintain his track position and survive the chaos to secure his third top 10 of the season, just one short of his 2024 total. His average finish has also improved by nearly seven spots to this point, making the 27-year-old one of the most improved drivers in the garage from last year.

Todd Gilliland‘s day was like a mechanical bull, as he ran in both first-place and outside the top 30 at moments during the race. After finishing stage one in 31st, Gilliland stayed out during a yellow flag in stage two to usurp the lead. However, the older tires led to a drop off a cliff for the No. 34, as he stopped the bleeding in 19th.

See also
Monday Morning Pit Box: Pit Strategy Calls Are Bigger in Texas

After getting trapped a lap down on a caution during green flag pit stops, the Sherrills Ford, N.C., native was able to wave around to the lead lap. On fresh tires at the end of the race, Gilliland blazed his way to 11th, earning his fourth finish of 16th or better in the last five races.

Behind Gilliland was Ty Dillon, whose 12th-place run continues a steady stretch for him in his first full season with Kaulig Racing. Dillon ran in the top 20 for most of the race, spending various phases in the top 10 or 15. He was slightly involved in a late-race incident between Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Austin Cindric, but escaped with little damage. Despite restarting 22nd on the final restart, Dillon pulled off a daredevil four-wide move to gain several spots, earning his third top 15 of the season.

Riley Herbst joined the list of drivers to recover from issues, as he earned his best finish on a non-superspeedway in 14th. On lap 88, Herbst was running just outside the top 10 when Chase Briscoe became a victim of the turn 4 bump. Briscoe slid into Herbst’s right-rear, sending the No. 19 into the outside wall. Herbst narrowly avoided being hooked into the outside wall, and he continued on to put together his best performance with 23XI Racing.

Carson Hocevar looked like the fastest cowboy in the Midwest on numerous occasions, recording the fastest lap in practice, and logging his first career Cup pole. Representing Chili’s in its home race, as well as its popular “Ride the Dente,” it looked as though Hocevar may have a had a shot of staying on the bull.

Hocevar led a career-high 22 laps and grabbed 10 stage points with a pair of sixth-place stage finishes. Despite complaining about a tight-handling car, it looked as though at least a top five was in reach. That is, until Texas reared its head and showed what happens when “riding the Dente” goes wrong.

With 31 laps remaining, Hocevar ignited a crash with Ryan Preece and Cody Ware, leading to a long crab walk back to the pits. It was pure heartbreak for the sophomore driver, who continues to have misfortune after misfortune. However, mark it down, this young driver will have his day, and it could be soon.

Spire’s best chance at a win evaporated until it re-appeared again via Michael McDowell. A two-tire call with just over 40 laps to go put McDowell into the top five. Expected to fall through the field, McDowell surprisingly kept pace with race leader Larson. Then, on a restart with 20 to go, McDowell took the lead away. Even with Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano restarting around him, McDowell bested them every restart.

See also
Thinkin' Out Loud: Michael McDowell Almost Saved Texas Motor Speedway

Restarting with 10 laps left, McDowell held on once again, and it looked like he would ride into the sunset and score a win at the track that made him famous for all the wrong reasons in 2008. Instead, in a brutal turn of events, he was passed by Logano with four laps to go, then lost control and slammed the turn 2 wall, crushing the heart and soul of Spire’s hopes.

The accident relegated McDowell to 26th.

Underdog Power Rankings

1. McDowell (–): Just three laps from a massive win, McDowell will have plenty of sleepless nights this week, especially considering he has shockingly not landed in the top 10 to this point. Kansas Speedway hasn’t been a land of dreams for the 40-year-old, but he did score his lone top 10 there a year ago.

2. Stenhouse (+1): The Hyak Motorsports driver still hasn’t finished worse than 25th this season, and he heads to a high-speed, wide race track with momentum. Kansas hasn’t yielded the results for a driver who has excelled at intermediates, but Stenhouse’s last three Kansas spring races saw him finish 16th or better.

3. Hocevar (–): At some point, luck has to turn around for Hocevar, who has brought speed nearly every week. His best finish at Kansas is 20th, but if no flying monkeys intervene, he could very well top that easily.

4. Gilliland (NR): Flashes of the consistency he displayed last spring/summer are starting to come together for Gilliland, who has been a top 20 machine in his career. He only has one such result in The Sunflower State, but it was a 14th-place finish in the spring race last year.

5. A.J. Allmendinger (-3): A race that held a lot of promise, Texas ended up turning Allmendinger’s No. 16 into chopped barbeque, as he was caught in a wreck. Kansas may not be the venue to right the ship, as Allmendinger hasn’t earned a top 10 there since 2016.

Honorable Mentions: Nemechek, Justin Haley, Zane Smith, Dillon

Small Team Scheme of the Week

Herbst certainly packed his best punch of the season thus far, sporting the bright colors of BeatBox Beverages on his No. 35 Toyota.

With variegated colors all over the car, Herbst and 23XI Racing certainly brought Texas-sized heat to the track.

Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.

A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.