NASCAR Fans Saddened by Erik Jones Missing Jimmie Johnson and Co’s Special Tribute to ‘The King’

Erik Jones has to be the unluckiest driver in NASCAR at the moment. The legacy Motor Club star will not only miss out on competing this weekend at Dover but also on driving a special Richard Petty tribute car. The team announced that the No. 43 car will roll out with a special paint scheme, celebrating “The King’s” 200th win this weekend.

The Petty family has also been celebrating their 75th anniversary year in NASCAR. The racetracks have been celebrating the Petty Family’s contribution to the sport with a statue of Richard’s infamous hat, and now his very own racing team has decided to honor Richard’s racing success with a paint scheme. The No. 43 car sponsored by Dollar Tree will see the return of Petty Blue and Day-Glo Red schemes.

However, Jones, who usually pilots the ride, won’t be able to participate in the proceedings this weekend. The driver was involved in a brutal crash with his fellow Toyota drivers at Talladega, which resulted in a compression fracture. Thus keeping him out of the race car for some time. Replacing Jones, Corey Heim from Truck Series team Tricon Garage will make his Cup debut driving the special tribute car at Dover Motor Speedway.

This was a bittersweet moment for the LMC race fans. They were thrilled to see the iconic Petty colors make a comeback but were bummed about the fact that Erik Jones won’t be able to drive the beautiful ride.

Fans react to Legacy Motor Club’s special tribute to “The King”

The team shared the news about the tribute through a video post on their Instagram account, showcasing the progress of the #43 car over the year under Richard Petty. Quickly, fans started pouring in their thoughts and comments.

Erik Jones must have been waiting for this special day, and missing out on being part of the tribute was disheartening for him. A fan sharing a similar sentiment commented, “I felt the emotion from Erik Jones’ injury announcement. He seemed really heartbroken, and I feel this was part of it, I bet he wanted to run this scheme badly”.

Another user suggested that the LMC should run this scheme again in future races so that Jones can get his moment with the special car. “Wow, such a beautiful car. Please run this more than once this year. I love how this is the car Corey Heim will make his cup series debut in, but Erik deserves a turn, too”.

The 27-year-old has had bad luck on the race track, and now it looks like he will miss out on yet another opportunity to contribute towards his team’s effort. “Erik Jones and having absolutely 0 luck saga continues”.

Adding to the shared sentiment of feeling bad for the LMC driver, a fan shared, “Absolute pain for Erik Jones fans everywhere. Poor fella can’t even run this beaut”.

However, despite not being able to pilot the ride this weekend, full-time driver Erik Jones’ name will remain above the door of the No. 43 car.