“Flying around Daytona” took on a whole new meaning Tuesday for a pair of NASCAR’s young guns -- or in this case, top guns: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney.
The two drivers went for as Jones called it “the flight of my life” with the Air Force Thunderbirds, flying over Daytona International Speedway and the surrounding area.
They both definitely satisfied their need for speed, for sure: While they’ll drive in Sunday’s Daytona 500 at speeds approaching 200 mph, Blaney and Jones were slated to hit speeds approaching 700 mph in-flight.
Jones reportedly had wanted to fly with the Thunderbirds for his whole life, in a sense channeling one of his favorite movies -- the Tom Cruise epic “Top Gun” -- which was released 10 years before Jones, 20, was even born.
Bubba Wallace told NASCAR Talk last week that he’s slated to go up into the wild blue yonder with the Thunderbirds as well on Wednesday.
Here’s a number of social media posts from Jones, Furniture Row Racing, Daytona International Speedway and Team Penske on the drivers’ exploits:
Prepping for the flight of my life with the @AFThunderbirds pic.twitter.com/snkIXHHTRM
— Erik Jones (@Erik_Jones) February 21, 2017
There @Blaney goes! pic.twitter.com/htwJOpn2Aa
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 21, 2017
.@Blaney and @erik_jones ready for their @AFThunderbirds flight. pic.twitter.com/gLsOPHIFsP
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 21, 2017
Buckled up, ready to go! pic.twitter.com/7ogxfVA7Am
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 21, 2017
.@Blaney's super pumped for this! @AFThunderbirds pic.twitter.com/MtHcW5WKgL
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 21, 2017
Meeting their @AFThunderbirds pilots and going over protocols. pic.twitter.com/qq96fjqeFI
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 21, 2017
.@Blaney getting his mask fitted before his @AFThunderbirds flight. pic.twitter.com/OGPegREHzb
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 21, 2017
.@Blaney learning about the harness from the @AFThunderbirds before his flight. pic.twitter.com/IjvfwSu6gv
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 21, 2017
.@Blaney prepping for his @AFThunderbirds flight. pic.twitter.com/ZXMwNg0tba
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 21, 2017
It's flight suits instead of fire suits in a few minutes for @erik_jones and @Blaney. #RoadToDaytona500 #NASCAR #Thunderbirds pic.twitter.com/7GHu1ZEND7
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
#ICYMI: @erik_jones is climbing in for the ride of a lifetime with the @AFThunderbirds! #RoadToDaytona500 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Ic34HuNeW0
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
Change of plans, @erik_jones' new flight time in Thunderbird 7 is 2:30pm ET. #RoadToDaytona #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/AE2ZT9rBke
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
And we're climbing back out. Minor starter malfunction for the Thunderbird 8 so @erik_jones will go up in Thunderbird 9 later. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/9vlC6epKfL
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
Both @Blaney & @erik_jones are strapped in and ready to fly with the @AFThunderbirds! #ROADTODAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/kairpzVGeQ
— Daytona International Speedway (@DAYTONA) February 21, 2017
Quick chat with @DISupdates president Chip Wile. #RoadToDaytona #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/sChwQNprgD
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
.@erik_jones is almost ready for takeoff with the @AFThunderbirds! #RoadToDaytona500 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/PQ1n1GIr98
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
.@erik_jones' pilot is Captain Eric "Speedy" Gonsalves in Thunderbird 8. Climb to 11K ft immediately, then outbound to south. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/XVsJaxGFrE
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
Meeting with the pilots before the ride! #ROADTODAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/pQX3KEqhUx
— Daytona International Speedway (@DAYTONA) February 21, 2017
He knows *now* 😳🎵 https://t.co/HHSFly73qf
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
@FRRacingTeam turns out it was @erik_jones who first mentioned Top Gun. He's a big #TomCruise fan #throwback.
— David Hart (@DHFRR77) February 21, 2017
Safety first for Ryan @Blaney and @erik_jones as Airman Boddie reviews descent procedures. #RoadToDaytona500 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/YtS0bqhrYe
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
Heading into the #DangerZone with that one, Goose. 😂 https://t.co/3yUGyCnaee
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
Looking forward to flying @Blaney and @erik_jones today! #ROADTODAYTONA500 #nascar https://t.co/e79s57LQp7
— Thunderbirds (@AFThunderbirds) February 21, 2017
Helmets: ✔️#ROADTODAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/ch9I9LCtoo
— Daytona International Speedway (@DAYTONA) February 21, 2017
Helmet game = 💪.
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
Shout out to Senior Airman Kyle Boddie for getting @erik_jones measured and ready to fly. #RoadToDaytona500 #EJ77 pic.twitter.com/FMtON0SCvf
Taking mental notes, @erik_jones gets info on the vest that straps into parachute. 🤓 #RoadToDaytona500 #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/4eyZ28nwiv
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
.@Blaney & @erik_jones getting outfitted in their gear before they ride with the @AFThunderbirds! #ROADTODAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/IrYihYttss
— Daytona International Speedway (@DAYTONA) February 21, 2017
.@erik_jones is getting geared up to fly with the @AFThunderbirds on his #RoadToDaytona500 with @DISupdates. pic.twitter.com/gqZXymkv06
— FalciAdaptiveMotorsports (@FalciAdaptive) February 21, 2017
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