Erik Jones reflects on 300th Cup Series career start at Texas: "Being around for that long is never easy"

NASCAR driver Erik Jones is set to hit a major career milestone this Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, where he’ll make his 300th Cup Series start. The Legacy Motor Club driver joins an elite group of veterans to have reached the 300-race mark in American stock car racing.

Erik Jones drives the No. 43 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club, owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, and competes full-time in the Cup Series. He made his debut in 2015 at Kansas Speedway, filling in for Denny Hamlin in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing car. The 28-year-old has since earned three Cup wins, including two Southern 500 victories.

Ahead of his milestone 300th Cup Series start, Jones took a moment to reflect on how far he’s come in his NASCAR career and expressed his gratefulness for being one of the '36 guys' who competed all season. (via X)

"I don't know how many guys have made 300 or more starts in the Cup Series, but you know, being around for that long is never easy. You know, there's 36 guys that get to do it every week at the Cup level and to be one that's done it, I'm gonna push in a decade now so that's really neat." he said

"Just a lot of good memories, more than anything. I guess it probably makes you a bit reflective... I knew it was this year, but I didn't realize it was this weekend. So, yeah, it just makes you think back to different memories to your cup of career and even all your racing career, but cool to be at that point." Erik Jones added

Jones' career in NASCAR is also highlighted by his 9 wins in the Xfinity Series and a Truck Series championship, which he secured in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled to run at 3:30 PM Eastern time. Catch the race live on FOX Sports 1, PRN, and SiriusXM.

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"We did not give ourselves enough margin": Jimmie Johnson-owned LMC on Erik Jones’ disqualification at Martinsville

Erik Jones was disqualified in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway in March for not meeting the sanctioned weight requirement of his #43 Toyota. Jones, who had finished the race in P24 with a top-five finish in stage one, lost all his points and settled for a P38 finish.

Following an internal investigation, Legacy Motor Club released a statement highlighting that they would not be challenging their #43 team's disqualification: (via Kelly Crandall on X)

"Legacy Motor Club will not appeal the disqualification of the No. 43 car following Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. We understand NASCAR allows a clear margin to account for the difference in pre- and post-race weight. After a thorough audit by the Club today, we have concluded that we did not give ourselves enough margin to meet the post-race requirement."

Erik Jones' LMC teammate finished the race in P26, marking an underwhelming day for the 7 time Cup Series champion's team.

Toyota had a strong showing at Martinsville, sweeping the top three spots. Denny Hamlin took the win, followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell in second, and Bubba Wallace securing third place.