TOYOTA RACING – Erik Jones
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 11, 2026) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Erik Jones was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to the Daytona 500.
ERIK JONES, No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Does the change in the postseason format bring back the “prestige” of this race?
“Yeah, I think that’s a good way to think of it. I was kind of, I guess, milling over in my mind a little bit, what that change would be like for the (Daytona) 500. I think it does change the mindset a little bit of the guys that think this is maybe one of their only four shots in the year of winning. That changes a lot. I think the racing will be a little bit different. Guys (will) still be pushing to win, but you’re probably going to see some different moves of just trying to be in contention to win it. I’m excited about it. I’m happy to see what the points are this year and how the system’s going to work, and I think just enjoying whoever does get the chance to win this race Sunday, to really just get to enjoy being the 500 winner is pretty neat.”
Do you think it’ll be less aggressive or more aggressive racing?
“I think you’ll still see a lot of aggression towards the end, but I think you might just see different racing through the day. I think some of the guys that feel like this is going to be their only chance, here and Talladega, the few (drafting tracks) we do, that there’s probably more aggressive moves through the day to try to put themselves in position all day long. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the racing be a little bit different with it not being a win-and-in scenario (for the postseason).”
How do you mentally prepare to jump back in the car after the offseason?
“I think for me, I kind of pick a date in January, where it’s like, ‘okay, it’s time to go back into race and work mode,’ and it’s not, you know, vacation anymore, back in just the regular swing. I think I think some of that helps and just getting the mindset, right? But I really feel like until you get through the Duels tomorrow night, you’re still in just that weird mindset of not being totally comfortable yet and ready to go again. I feel like once you get through those and you’ve done some good, or at least one pit stop, and you’ve raced a little bit again, and know which car is going to do, you’re all the way back in. But even with the Clash, it doesn’t feel the same. So, it kind of takes through the Duels to get ready.”
Do you think Jimmie (Johnson) would be content to help you or your teammate win this race?
I think he would do whatever would be best for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, right? I know Jimmie (Johnson)’s a competitor and wants to win another (Daytona) 500 as much as anybody in the field, but I think if he’s in a situation where he’d be putting at risk that no the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB car won the race, I think he’s going to take the option that one of us is going to win. If that means it’s me or John Hunter (Nemechek), I think that’s the choice he’s going to make. Kind of a cool spot to be in for him, I feel like. As a guy who’s accomplished plenty in his career and has a chance to go out and run it again this year and hopefully have a couple of cars in it in contention, I think he’s going to do what it takes to have at least, at least one LEGACY MOTOR CLUB contend for the win.”
How have things been with Justin Alexander so far as your new crew chief?
“Yeah, the test was good. The biggest thing is (that the) communication is so different, right? Not just between me and him (Justin Alexander, crew chief), but to the crew, as well, and what the guys are used to hearing. Those guys worked with Ben (Beshore, director of engineering, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) for three years, really, so their communication change is probably bigger than mine. Ben and I had only worked together last year and felt like we kind of knew what we needed, but there’s still some learning for me. But the biggest thing is with the crew guys during practice, what the cadence of Justin is, what he’s asking for, what he’s needing from them. I think all of that is a little bit more challenging, but I feel like we’re getting there. Practice went pretty smooth for the most part today. It’s so low pressure, which is nice, nobody’s really thrashing in that session, so it kind of gives you a nice little warm up to it.”
How have expectations risen for the team this year?
“Yeah, I mean, they’re up. I think the whole process, if you look back at it, has taken longer than everybody’s wanted. This is year three for us with Toyota, and we want to be in contention. We spend a lot of time, a lot of money, and put a lot of effort in, so I think everybody wants to see that transition to being a contender. So, I think the expectations this year are definitely to win. How many? We’d like to win a few, but (expectations) have definitely risen.”
Do you feel like the points format favors the team like LEGACY MOTOR CLUB?
“I think so. A couple of years ago, (in) 2022, we pointed our way well into the Playoffs, but there was, I want to say, at least 16 (winners) before the Playoffs and we missed out. But, we were like 12th in points where the Playoffs started. So, I feel like we’re fully capable of having a similar year to that, as we did in 2022, where we’re in contention and just running well in general. I think this format does reward the consistency that I think we can have, so I’m happy about that.”
What would it mean to win the Daytona 500 in the No. 43 car?
“I really just want to have a good career in (the No. 43 car). I’ve been in this car for a minute now, and we’ve been able to win, but we want to win more races. We’ll never match Richard (Petty)’s career, right? Frankly, at this point, probably don’t have enough time to have that sort of career, but I would love to add on a handful of wins, and just have a career that you look at in the No. 43 that would really stand out as someone other than what Richard did in it. That’s definitely my goal in this car, and Daytona would add right into that. A crown jewel win, and what it would mean for the Petty family, what it would mean for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, what it would mean for the No. 43 fans. There’s a lot of long-time No. 43 fans. I think it would be a pretty neat moment. Would definitely love to add that one on the list.”
Do you feel like this new format creates more storylines across the board in the sport?
“Everything matters so much more now, right? You kind of looked at those (certain) weeks as the weeks where you really missed it, or you got caught in a wreck, it was kind of like, ‘whatever, we weren’t going have a chance to point our way in anyways, or we still have a shot to win here or whatever,’ to get in. Now, all those weeks are going to matter now. I’m excited. I think if you can get in ‘The Chase’ and be a part of it this year, on a true points format, I think it’s really rewarding. There definitely are no flukes in that system. And as you go through the postseason, there’s no flukes, and who goes deep into the postseason and who wins the championship. I’m excited to see who’s going to be in it and contend for it. I think the guy who hoists the trophy at Homestead (Miami Speedway) at the end of the year is going be feeling as rewarded as ever in quite a while.”
Are you excited to return to Chicagoland?
I am, I’ve always liked Chicagoland (Speedway). I mean, number one, it’s not too far from where I grew up. It’s about a three-to-four-hour drive. I’ve always loved the track and had success there and won a few races. I’m excited to get back. I think the track is going to be aged, rough and challenging in these cars, but I think we’re going to put on a really good show. The real high point, I think, in the Next Gen car is good at mile-and-a-half races, so I’m happy to see another one on the schedule. And to get back to that area and stay there. Chicago’s always been good to us, so a lot of good things, and excited to get back to it.”
Feeling good about everything so far after practice?
“I think so. You know, it was pretty straightforward. There weren’t any issues, nothing went wrong, which was good. So, we’ll see where we end up. We got some help on our laps to get some good laps. I’m just hoping, if we could qualify top 20 tonight, I think that’d be good for our group and what we what kind of effort we put into qualifying.”
How much confidence do you have to get a strong result this weekend?
“Yeah, I always come in here with confidence high. I feel like I’ve always had strong runs in the (super)speedways and been in good positions to win. (The Daytona) 500’s been a tough one for me for some reason. Had a couple good runs here but have been caught up in a lot of incidents here, I don’t feel like of our own doing. We’d love for it all to work out and be in contention, but I always come here with confidence, knowing that I know what I need to do, and I think our cars are going be good as well.”
How do you approach a season when “silly season” is highly anticipated?
“Yeah, from what I hear, is probably the most options for movement in a long time. There’s so many guys at this point that have been here a while, and they’re settled in their homes. There are guys that are on the last, maybe going into one of their last deals, so there’s a lot of things that are going to move here in the next couple of years. For me, this has been a home, a team that I think we’re growing and getting better. I don’t have any interest in moving around, but I think it’ll be interesting to see where things shake out, and with some of those top organizations is always interesting to see the routes they make.”
Do you feel like you’re due for a good Daytona 500 this year?
“I like to think of it that way. Maybe eventually, you just have good luck chips left. I think we’ll have a good car. I know what I need to do to be in contention and where I need to be at the end of the race. The racing has changed so much with fuel mileage and how we position ourselves with that. I just hope we’re in contention. I feel like last year, we had a really good car, and obviously ran well in the Duel, and we were running okay in the 500 and got caught in the wreck late and had a pit. It’d definitely be a great way to start the year off, but I feel like we’ve been in the right spot a lot, we just need to need to play out right for us.”
With two LEGACY MOTOR CLUB cars finishing in the top-five here last year, does that also bring confidence?
“Yeah, I think all three of us would have been up there without our damage. We had fast cars last year, and I think we have as good of cars this year. It’s a little early to tell until we get in the Duels tomorrow night to see how (the car) does in traffic, but I think the speed will be there. I think we just need to execute well on pit road and strategy and put ourselves in the right spot. And from there, hope things just fall your way a little bit. But there’s a lot you can do on your end, too, to put yourself in a good position.”
How do you guys feel heading into a season where it seems like qualifying to be more important?
“I think qualifying’s always been important. But the stage points and what you do in these (super)speedways, I think becomes more important. You look at the stretch to the Chase and what you have do to put yourself in position. I don’t feel like you can ride around (here) and just decide not to take stage points all day. You have to be in contention here all day long to be racing for stage points and gaining them, and that’s going to be every week. I think we’ve been trying to get better qualifying. It’s been a big emphasis for us and we’re already thinking a lot about it. I think this will just be more of a continuation of that.”
Is it strange to get back in a mindset of points racing over the whole season?
“It’s a little bit of a shift, definitely a mindset shift. Maybe not as much for team like us, honestly, because we kind of had the points race a little bit and hope that we could be in the top 16 and point our way in, because we couldn’t really count on a win. The top, big three teams, I think they’re always kind of counting on a race win before we get to Daytona for the cutoff. I think that mindset shifts a little bit bigger than what maybe a team like ours is. We’ve been points racing for years, at least I have when just trying to make the Playoffs every season. I think the guys that get multiple race wins a year, they’re probably going to have to have a little bit more of that shift.”
Which track do you find the most challenging?
“Well, for us, it’s been any road course. It’s been challenging the last few years with this car. We just haven’t really got a good program going yet, so that’s been our biggest challenge.”
What does a guy like Kellen Mills mean for your team?
“He’s always the motivator. We chatted a little bit internally about what that award (Richard Petty Award for Excellence) meant. It’s the guy who’s taking the extra time out of the day to make somebody’s day at the track a little bit better, and I think Kellen (Mills, jackman, No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE) has always embodied that. I was excited for him, I think it’s a great thing. It sounds a lot better than employee of the month (laughs). I think he really was deserving of the first one, and I’m excited to see it. It’s a great thing, honestly, to have internally. He doesn’t do (that stuff) because he wanted to win that award, that’s just who he is.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
