Connor Jones held for two laps after wrecking Matt Mills in fiery crash at Homestead-Miami

What a hard hit! Matt Mills had to escape his smoke-filled truck after catching on fire due to a wreck courtesy of Connor Jones. Jones was livid on the radio about how Mills raced him but it didn’t seem egregious. The wreck was, though and NASCAR took action.

Connor Jones didn’t like the way he was being raced and took matters into his own hands. For that, NASCAR took matters into their own hands. Jones was held for two laps, and is lucky he wasn’t told to go to the garage.

This wreck combined with his radio chatter resulted in the penalty.

“I’m getting f***ing run over, left and f***ing right. I’m done.,” Jones was heard saying. That will earn you a seat on pit road.

Connor Jones receives a 2-lap penalty after the incident with Matt Mills. Here's what happened: https://t.co/YrSAOkVuPW pic.twitter.com/h9dfPU78F2

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 26, 2024

A young driver making an immature move. That is what this amounts to. Connor Jones is talented and he has a future in this sport, but not if he keeps wrecking drivers like this. These are not the actions team owners want to see out of their drivers. Eventually, it comes back to bite you.

Matt Mills was having a decent run up to this point. Now, his day is over and Jones is mired two laps down. He didn’t do anything to help himself or anyone else with this wreck. All he did was put Mills in an incredibly dangerous situation.

Connor Jones has to realize when contact is appropriate

Now, I’m a fan of drivers policing themselves on the track. Give someone a nudge, let them know you’re there. Throw a block. Heck, under the right circumstances, throw a bump and run.

However, Connor Jones has to learn when that is appropriate. He is a short track racer, he battles it out with the best in the CARS Tour all year long. Turning someone at North Wilkesboro or Hickory is one thing. Turning them at Homestead-Miami on a 1.5-mile track is another.

When on the track, drivers have to be able to trust each other. Frustration is part of the whole thing. Dealing with that frustration and speaking with your racing is what separates drivers with talent from drivers who know how to use talent.

With how good Connor Jones is, he should know better. The speed they are going at a track like Homestead is far too great to get angry at another driver and make a rash decision.