Erik Jones suffers spinal fracture, replaced by Corey Heim at Dover

Erik Jones has suffered a spinal fracture from his bad wreck at Talladega. Corey Heim will drive the No. 43 car until Jones returns.

[autotag]Erik Jones[/autotag] announced on Tuesday afternoon that he suffered a “spinal fracture” in his wreck at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon. Jones will not compete in this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway. In his place, [autotag]Corey Heim[/autotag], the reserve driver for Legacy Motor Club, will drive the No. 43 car.

According to Legacy Motor Club, Jones’ specific injury is a “compression fracture in a lower vertebra” within his back. The driver of the No. 43 car’s timeline for a return is unknown and will be “week to week.” Heim will also drive the No. 26 Xfinity car for Sam Hunt Racing on Saturday afternoon, so he’ll perform double duty on the weekend of his Cup Series debut.

Jones’ injury isn’t the same as Aric Almirola’s back fracture, which was in the middle of his back. Therefore, this won’t be the same situation. Jones will be evaluated week-to-week to see when he can return. In the meantime, this is a good yet unfortunate opportunity for Heim to make his Cup Series debut in the No. 43 far for Legacy Motor Club.

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