Erik Jones experienced a frightening front right tire failure that abruptly ended his race at the 2025 Brickyard 400 on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His No. 43 Legacy Motorsports car hit the outside wall after the wheel detached on Lap 89, forcing him to retire from the event.

The Michigan-born driver described the intense moments just before the incident while speaking to reporters following the crash, revealing how quickly the situation unfolded.

Jones Recalls Moment of Tire Detachment and Crash

The 29-year-old started the race strong, having qualified third, which was his best position of the season so far. Despite this promising start, the race turned into a difficult day when his right front wheel came loose approaching Turn 3.

Jones confirmed he was unharmed after the crash, sharing details about the sudden failure:

“So, I saw him just hang up for it for a second on pit road and then, you know, went into three and immediately knew it was going to come off. So, you know, it was less of a hit than I thought, which is good. So, I feel fine. Happy about that. But just disappointing. Just fast car.”

—Erik Jones, Driver

Competitive Race Before the Unexpected Incident

During the race, Jones was attempting to recover after a restart issue where he tangled with Josh Berry, who missed a gear shift, causing a challenging position on track. Jones explained his effort to regain standing before the mishap:

“Just crossed up on that restart there with the 21 (Josh Berry). He missed a shift, and we’re just trying to work our way back, and it’s gonna take the rest of the race, but just wanted to have a shot, you know, we don’t get to see where it worked out.”

—Erik Jones, Driver

There were no significant signals leading up to the wheel detaching, other than the fact pit road crews had recently worked on it. Jones said,

“No, not other than knowing that they had taken some on pit road on it. Soon as I turned though, you know, it didn’t turn at all. So, yeah, just came off.”

—Erik Jones, Driver

Strong Practice Speeds Highlight Jones’ Potential

Prior to race day, Jones demonstrated impressive speed in practice sessions at Indianapolis, ranking second overall in single-lap and five-lap average speeds. This indicated a fast car and a strong chance for a good finish before the unexpected tire failure.

Reflecting on his performance and race situation, Jones said,

“It’s great, I mean, I’d love to have speed. Got to do everything right, and we just didn’t. The restart wasn’t on us obviously. Miss shift, but just didn’t work out.”

—Erik Jones, Driver

Jones’ Indianapolis History and Season Standing

This race marked Jones’ fourth DNF at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in six attempts, though he does possess a strong second-place finish on this track. Currently, he sits 22nd in the Cup Series standings with two top-five finishes in 2025, showing promise despite recent setbacks.

His high starting position at the Brickyard remains a positive takeaway for the team as they prepare for upcoming races in the season.