Beyond the Flag
Fansided

NASCAR: Best substitute drivers of the 2010s

By Bryce Turner

DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 31: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Shriners Hospital for Children Ford, climbs into his car during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on August 31, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 31: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Shriners Hospital for Children Ford, climbs into his car during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on August 31, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

Erik Jones

Another driver who spent his substitute opportunities in multiple cars was Erik Jones.

Running a partial Xfinity Series schedule for Joe Gibbs Racing, Jones finished in fourth place at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 18, 2015. Following the race, he returned home to Charlotte. Then came one of the more interesting substitute stories.

Denny Hamlin started the Cup Series race on Sunday, April 19, 2015 before rain came down on lap 22. With Hamlin dealing with a neck spasm, the team brought in Jones, who rushed from Charlotte during the four-hour rain delay to step in for Hamlin once the race resumed.

While the result is credited to Hamlin, it was Jones behind the wheel of the #11 Toyota for his first Cup Series race, taking the car to a 26th place finish, multiple laps off the lead lap.

Jones’s next substitute experience came a few races later for Kyle Busch at Kansas Speedway. Busch missed the start of the season due to injuries he suffered in a crash during the season-opening Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Jones took the #18 Toyota to a 40th place finish at Kansas, many laps off the lead lap.

Still in 2015, Jones’s next substitute opportunity came in place of another Joe Gibbs Racing driver. With Matt Kenseth serving a suspension for intentionally wrecking Joey Logano at Martinsville Speedway, it was Jones who piloted the #20 Toyota at Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. He finished in 12th place at Texas while completing every lap before finishing 19th at Phoenix, one lap off the lead lap.

Jones raced full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2016 before getting back to the Cup Series as a full-time driver in 2017.

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