"He seems to have an issue with me every week”: Erik Jones fires shots at Chase Briscoe after Phoenix crash

Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones was upset with clash with Stewart-Haas Racing's Chase Briscoe at the Shriners Children's 500 in Phoenix.

For the first time this season, Jones qualified in the top five of the field. The 27-year-old driver delivered a stellar qualifying race for Shriners Children's 500 to secure fourth position in the starting grid. Piloting the No. 43 Toyota, Jones ran near the front of the field for a significant portion of the Cup race at Phoenix Raceway.

However, the turning point came after the final restart with 92 laps to go, when Jones found himself racing alongside Briscoe in the middle of the pack. In a tight moment, Jones made contact with the outside wall, damaging his car and relegating him to a disappointing 31st-place finish, seven laps down.

Expressing his frustration, Erik Jones didn't mince words when addressing Briscoe's involvement in the incident, saying that the 29-year-old was slowing the others down. Jones also said that Briscoe seemed to have an issue with him, adding that he would love to talk to him.

"[The] No. 14 (Briscoe) is dragging us down over and over, restart after restart. He put us four wide because he’s slowing us down so much, and I got wrecked. So, that sucks, but he seems to have an issue with me every week. I’ll call him this week, he probably won’t call me back, and [I’d] love to talk to him."

He added:

"We were able to leapfrog [using] some track position stuff. And we got our car way better, too, and was able to hold on there for ninth, so really good momentum."

---

Chase Briscoe addresses Erik Jones' frustrations after the race

Erik Jones speaks at the Nascar Daytona 500 in Phoenix

Chase Briscoe finished the Cup Series race in ninth position, accumulating 28 points. Speaking to Frontstretch after the race, the Stewart-Haas driver maintained his innocence regarding any deliberate wrongdoing and said that he would answer Erik Jones if the latter called him.

"I don’t know what I did, I know we were four wide at one point. I got super tight and got into him, I think. I don’t know if that’s the part he’s mad about or what. If he calls me, I’ll gladly answer," Briscoe said.

"I’ve never really talked to Erik before, and I don’t have a problem with him at all, but I feel like we definitely always race around each other. I’m racing hard, I’m trying to do what’s best for my guys," he added.