Erik Jones 1-on-1: On Darlington prowess, coming back from injury and pending fatherhood

Erik Jones has two career Cup wins in the Southern 500, having captured the marquee event in 2019 and 2022.

His 2019 win locked him in the playoffs, although he would have made it that year on points. His win in 2022 was in a playoff opener when he wasn't in the playoffs but was a huge win for the Petty GMS Racing team.

A win in 2024 would likely rank even bigger as it would lock him into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in a year when he sits 26th in the standings. He missed two races because of a broken back suffered at Talladega, but he still wouldn't be in contention to make it on points even if he finished second in the races he missed.

The Legacy Motor Club driver, who recently signed a contract extension to remain with the team, talked with FOX Sports about the season and trying to race his way into the playoffs Sunday night.

Trying to win to get in, there probably aren't too many other places that you'd rather have that shot?

You take the superspeedways out of the question, if I had to pick one track, Darlington is probably high on that list. I enjoy it a lot, obviously have had success there in the Cup Series, and I've always run well there regardless. It's a great opportunity to try to go and win our way in. The 500 has been a good race for me. It's very different from the [400-mile] spring race with the way the track changes through the night, the way the race kind of plays out, that extra distance adds a little bit in as well. I love racing at Darlington, and it's definitely always been one of my favorite tracks.

Had the extension not been done before then, would there be any additional angst if it wasn't done?

Maybe some at this point. It's obviously getting late in the year. We're at the point now, you'd