Erik Jones and spotter Will Rodgers to trade roles at Sonoma NASCAR race

Cup Series driver Erik Jones will enter this coming Saturday’s (July 12) Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway, albeit in a different role. Will Rodgers, his full-time spotter at the Cup level, will enter the event as the wheelman of the No. 70 entry for Cope Family Racing. This time around, it’s going to be Jones atop the pit box.

As reported by Austin Konenski of Motorsports Wire, it is going to mark Rodgers’ first Cup Series start since 2023. Fans can watch the race live on CW, 4:30 pm ET onwards, or listen to its radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Dropping the news on X, Jones wrote,

“Excited to see @willrodgers65 back at it in the Xfinity series. Hopefully he won't mind me in his ear for this weekend...”

Erik Jones

@Erik_Jones

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Excited to see @willrodgers65 back at it in the Xfinity series. Hopefully he won't mind me in his ear for this weekend...

Meanwhile, Jones will prepare for his upcoming race, the Toyota/Save Mart 350, which is scheduled for the following day. He is currently under a multi-year contract with Legacy Motor Club that will keep him behind the wheel of the No. 43 Toyota Camry beyond 2025.

Erik Jones is one of the Cup Series regulars who are still vying for their maiden win of the 2025 season. The Byron native ranks 17th in driver standings with 393 points to his name.

His upcoming race, the Toyota/Save Mart 350, will be televised by TNT Sports on July 13, 3:30 pm ET onwards. PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide live radio updates on the same.

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Erik Jones thinks Legacy Motor Club is just “one step away” from getting on par with JGR and Penske

Neither Erik Jones nor his Legacy Motor Club teammate John Hunter Nemechek has won a race this year. However, Jones has been running mid-pack and inside the top-10 more frequently than before. Both drivers have more top-10 finishes this year than they had in 2024.

On that note, Jones was asked during a recent press conference what the No. 43 team was missing before they could take their next big step and become a front-runner.

“In racing, I think you go, you're running 30th like we were last year, it's not easy to get better to grunt top 15 or top 10, but it's a lot easier to get to that point than it is to go from top 10 to top five to winning,” Jones replied (7:57). “So, this is kind of where that magic starts to happen."

Erik Jones owns a pair of top-fives besides three top-10s in the 19 starts that he has made so far this year. All he needs to make the playoffs is a win, and the driver thinks that he is close.

“It takes some really good people to find some really minute things in race cars, and then it comes down to the drivers as well, right... I think we're right there, a step away from being, you know, up there with the Penskes, JGRs, and Hendricks," he added.

Last week in Chicago, Erik Jones finished 25th, picking up 14 points on the way. Nemechek, on the other hand, bagged a P15 along with 29 points. All eyes are now on Sonoma Raceway, a 12-turn racetrack located in Sonoma County, California, which is expected to host their upcoming race.