Erik Jones takes issue with Kyle Larson shoving him in closing laps at Daytona: 'It was just too much'

Erik Jones wants to speak to Kyle Larson after being sent sideways by him during the final laps at Daytona on Saturday night. While speaking with Toby Christie of Sports Illustrated, Jones was asked if the shoves by Larson were fair.

“I don’t know. I got to ask Kyle,” Erik Jones said. “The run before, you can see the seven (Justin Haley) and I working really well together and pushing to the lead. Even the 22 (Joey Logano), the 17 (Chris Buescher), all of us were working really well together and pushing the lead when we could and taking the runs for what they were.

“The five (Larson) there got behind us and was just super aggressive, just kind of bulldogging through us. He kept getting me a little more and a little more out of shape, and it was just too much at one time. Fortunately, we didn’t wreck but I gotta ask him. I dont know what his thought was. It wasn’t really helping us go forward, it was kind of slowing us down before I got to far out of shpae. I just got to see what his thought was.”

It was a challenging regular season for Erik Jones

Jones bounced back and finished fifth at Daytona, but it’s possible he could have won the race and clinched a playoff spot had Kyle Larson not have shoved him during the final laps. Ultimately, Ryan Blaney rallied from 13th place to win at Daytona, and Jones will have to wait another year to reach the postseason.

The regular season was a challenging one for Jones as he earned just four top-10 finishes. The last time the 29-year-old has won a race was in 2022 when he placed fifth in the Southern 500. Earlier this season, Jones was disqualified from the Martinsville race after his No. 43 car failed a post-race inspection.

At the end of the 2024 season, Jones signed a contract extension with Legacy Motor Club. “Erik is one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR, I’ve had the chance to race against him and have had a chance to watch him drive for other teams and the Club,”Leagcy co-owner and NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson said at the time. “I admire his talent and am glad we will have him race for us for the upcoming years. Erik will be a key to helping us turn our program around and we look forward to giving him the tools he needs to go out on Sundays and race for wins and eventually a championship someday.”