Former NASCAR Cup champion Matt Kenseth has gone from not liking Erik Jones to being the top guy in his corner emotionally, mentally and even in-person.<\/p>\n
Back in 2017, it was announced that Jones would replace Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing after the season. But Kenseth still had to get through the season with Jones driving for the JGR-affiliated Furniture Row Racing team.<\/p>\n
Kenseth knew Jones was going to be his replacement for the next season. But at the same time, Kenseth used Jones as motivation and incentive to lift his own racing performance \u2014 in essence, trying to show team owner Joe Gibbs that he still had it as a driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatt knew that he was the guy that was going to be out in that situation and ended up moving to make room for myself coming up through there,\u201d Jones told NASCAR.com. \u201cThat made it harder to build a relationship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know that there was any animosity from him towards me, and obviously, there was none from me to him. But when you\u2019re getting replaced, it\u2019s never an easy situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
While he was still stung by the fact Jones would replace him in the No. 20 Toyota, Kenseth knew it wasn\u2019t personal \u2014 it was simply NASCAR-related business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been around it for a long time, and the owners and other people make those decisions,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not like the driver did it, or he was the owner and let me go.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be fair, Erik was Toyota\u2019s guy at the time. He was Kyle\u2019s [Busch] guy, Coach\u2019s [Joe Gibbs] guy and was running really well and having a ton of success. I wasn\u2019t exactly a spring chicken, so if you look at it, objectively, you can\u2019t really blame anyone for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the old country song goes, it\u2019s \u2018Together, again\u2019 for Kenseth and Jones<\/p>\n
Fast forward to 2023 and Kenseth and Jones were once again united. Jones was driving for the Jimmie Johnson-co-owned Legacy Motor Club, and the now-retired Kenseth was hired to be a competition advisor. One of Kenseth\u2019s top responsibilities was to help Jones become a better driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cErik and I have always gotten along, but we never really knew each other at a high level at all,\u201d Kenseth told NASCAR.com. \u201cIt was somewhat interesting because when I left Gibbs, they decided not to bring me back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wholeheartedly wanted to be back for another year or two before I retired, and they replaced me with Erik, which makes it kind of interesting. The same thing happened with him. I think he had a lot of apprehension because he didn\u2019t know me that well, and he took over that car when I wasn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two eventually went their separate ways. While Kenseth would have liked another year or two before retiring, his forced retirement actually turned out okay for him.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest motivating factors for Kenseth was when he finished fourth in the 2017 summer night race at Bristol \u2014 proving he still had it as a driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really more thinking about, \u2018That\u2019s my replacement, and I better run him down and pass him to show him I can still do it better than he can,\u2019\u201d Kenseth said<\/a>. \u201cI had those thoughts. But I wasn\u2019t thinking anything about the playoffs, I was thinking about trying to win the race.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s human nature. Whoever you\u2019re catching for the lead, you\u2019re always thinking something about them, right? Where you can sniff the victory, your mindset changes a little bit. It\u2019s not just another car, it\u2019s the leader, so you think things like that every once in a while. My brain\u2019s a scary place.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones has rallied up in the Cup standings of late<\/p>\n After finishing fifth last Saturday in the night race at Atlanta, Jones is up to 16th in the Cup standings \u2014 the cutoff line for the playoffs \u2014 after an outstanding rally of late, climbing from 30th in the standings after Talladega.<\/p>\n This has given Jones motivation and belief that he can still reach the playoffs, since there\u2019s still eight races for him to continue making an upward move in the standings.<\/p>\n Jones knows he still has some way to go, but his relationship and tutelage from Kenseth is definitely helping him. Jones and Kenseth have let bygones be bygones and have put the whole situation at JGR<\/a> behind them. They\u2019re looking forward, not backward.<\/p>\n