NASCAR Playoffs post-mortem: Saying goodbye to the 4 eliminated drivers

CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 30: #48: Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Lowe's for Pros during the running of the Inagural Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sunday September 30, 2018 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord North Carolina (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4 of 4

CHARLOTTE, NC – SEPTEMBER 29:#20: Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Reser’s at Pit Road during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race Bank of America ROVAL 400 on September 29, 2018, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Erik Jones

High point of 2018: This one’s easy: Jones outlasted the field on a typically wreck-filled summer night at Daytona to claim his first NASCAR Cup Series victory. He would have likely made the field on points anyway, which is a testament to a pretty good first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, and he entered the postseason hot with four top-five finishes in the final six regular season races. Also has arguably the second-best head of hair in the garage after Ryan Blaney, so there’s that.

Low point of 2018: It’s almost as easy to pinpoint this one, as Jones finished dead last in the fall Vegas race and thus was on life support in the playoffs almost immediately. The ROVAL gave him all kinds of trouble and thus ensured that his title hopes ended with a whimper instead of a bang.

Next. When to expect changes to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. dark

Better luck next year? Of all of the drivers in this batch of eliminations, Jones has the most realistic hopes of believing his best days are ahead of him. Just 22 and undeniably talented, he’s also unassuming and it’s easy to kind of forget about him when he’s not running up front. There was really no doubt that it wasn’t going to be him that got nicely shown the door for Martin Truex Jr., so Joe Gibbs Racing believes in him and we probably should too.

Home/NASCAR