Erik Jones feeling ‘back to 100 percent’ ahead of Cup Series return at Darlington

“First off, I feel good,” Jones said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “The first week out I was obviously pretty sore, tried to rest up and get to feeling better. By last week before Kansas, I was starting to feel pretty good, still had some soreness but this last week really since last Friday, I’ve started to really feel good and feel back to 100 percent. You know, the two weeks — really been kinda busy, just staying busy with appointments and working to get cleared and obviously trying to get back in the gym and back in some kind of workout routine to make sure I feel good in the car and my body can handle everything.

“[Got] in the simulator a little bit and tested all that out. So, kinda going through the motion of everything to make sure I feel 100 percent and feel good and just confident that when I strap in tomorrow morning [and] go make laps at practice and in the race Sunday that I’m gonna feel how I need to feel to go out and be successful.”

Jones, the Legacy Motor Club driver, has missed the last two races after suffering a spinal fracture at Talladega last month. In his second season with Legacy, Jones currently sits 27th in the points standings with one top-10 finish this season.

Kevin Harvick addresses Erik Jones’ return at Darlington, emergence of Corey Heim ahead of Silly Season

Jones’ return comes as Silly Season is heating up, and FOX Sports analyst Kevin Harvick believes there’s added pressure for the 27-year-old to perform. Speaking on his “Happy Hour” podcast, Harvick said that with Corey Heim running well in place of Jones, Legacy could have some tough decisions to make.

“Let’s not leave Darlington without talking about Erik Jones,” Harvick said. “He sat out an extra week this week. He’s won there a couple times. I feel like we can’t leave the Corey Heim thing unaddressed because he had another good week where he ran all the laps. His finish does not reflect how he ran all day and I think it puts a lot of pressure on Legacy [and] Toyota because Corey Heim’s the real deal. And Silly Season is getting ready to get silly.”

If Jones does indeed need to prove himself, the schedule is certainly in his favor. Darlington has been his best track to date in the Cup Series, with two of his three career wins coming at The Lady in Black (2019, 2022). Jones has tallied seven top 10s in 12 starts at Darlington.