Erik Jones looks for breakthrough win at Bristol

Second-year Cup Series driver Erik Jones may be on the verge of a getting a breakthrough win at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Jones is coming off a fourth-place finish last week at Texas and has finished in the top 11 five times in seven Cup races this season. He also has a history of running well at Bristol, earning the pole last August and leading a race-high 260 laps before finishing second to current teammate Kyle Busch.

Add in that the 21-yearold had the top 10-lap average in the first practice Saturday and there are the makings of a first career Cup win.

“Winning my first Cup race is something that I really want to get done,” Jones said. “I feel like if we can get one knocked out of the way that more is kind of going to come with that, so we’re going to continue to push this weekend.”

Jones won at Bristol in 2016 and 2017 in the Xfinity Series, so he certainly knows his way around the half-mile track.

“It’s good to come back to a place where your team is fast, where you’re comfortable and the car unloads good,” Jones said. “We’ve had a good weekend so far, we just need to

keep it heading that way.”

Things to watch at Bristol Motor Speedway:

Weather concerns

NASCAR has moved the start of the race to 1 p.m. due to the threat of heavy rains and thunderstorms in the area. If the race is postponed, it will be run on Monday.

Busch crashes

Kurt Busch was scheduled to start on the outside of the front row, but now is headed to the back of the field after a crash late in the final practice on Saturday.

Busch was in the midst of a late run when his No. 41 got into the inside wall and suffered significant damage. The team has gone to a backup car, which means Busch will need to start at the rear of the 39-car field.

Harvick in back

Kevin Harvick is starting at the back of the field. Harvick’s suspension broke in practice on Friday and his car hit the outside wall hard. He was not hurt, but was forced to turn to a backup car for the remainder of the weekend.