While Ryan Blaney can now be scratched off the list, Erik Jones is still searching for his first career NASCAR Cup win.
And judging by Sunday’s Pocono 400 and his Cup career- and season-best third-place finish, Jones could potentially be the next to follow Blaney as a first-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series.
“I was hoping to get side-by-side like the 21 (Blaney) and the 18 (Kyle Busch) did,” Jones told FS1 after the race. “We were able to close on up on them and have a shot there, but just could never quite get up there. ... It was definitely a physical race, but had a lot of fun and it was really cool to get our first top-five.”