Video shows massive fire break out in Erik Jones’ Bristol pit box, envelop tire changer
During a pit stop at Bristol on Saturday night, a huge fire broke out in Erik Jones’ box and engulfed the back of his car. While the NASCAR broadcast missed it, one Trackhouse Racing photographer captured the wild moment.
Fires on pit road can happen. In fact, they happen regularly. This Erik Jones fire was a little bigger than most, though. When you have the fueler pouring gas, some of it spills out. Occasionally, sparks fly while the tire changer is doing their job.
Sparks, spilled fuel – that doesn’t mix well. Before you know it, the back half of the car is on fire along with the tire changer and gas man.
Watch as the crew backs off and safety crew members enter to get things under control. Jason Schultz, a photographer and videographer for Trackhouse, was capturing footage of something else when the flames began.
Nothing shows how insane and tough the pit crew is than a big fire. The gas man spills burning fuel down on top of the tire changer. It is all over the place, the back of the car is engulfed in it – and these guys keep doing their job for the most part.
There was a similar moment in an Xfinity Series race last year with a Joe Gibbs crew. Almost identical situation and the tire changer made sure that they did their job completely, while on fire, before seeking help from the fire extinguishers.
Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club still figuring it out
This season has not gone the way Legacy Motor Club or Erik Jones planned it to go. Swapping to Toyota, being a Tier 1 team, was supposed to boost Legacy’s performance. It has not.
Jones is 30th in the NASCAR standings. John Hunter Nemechek is 34th overall in the points. Jones has only a single top-10 on the season while Nemechek has three total. It hasn’t really amounted to much, though.
Legacy Motor Club has done a lot of shuffling this season as well. A lot of leadership positions have been moved around and new hires were made. They have a ton of former drivers involved in this organization from Trevor Bayne to Matt Kenseth, and of course, Jimmie Johnson.
Perhaps next season will be the big jump. Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek are plenty talented. But the results have to show up in 2025 or there will be major questions asked about this organization.