March 9, 2022 | By Lee Spencer

Erik Jones, Dave Elenz taking advantage of newfound parity with new car

Let’s face it, there will never be an equal playing field in NASCAR.

But the introduction of the seventh-generation Cup car is threatening to create as much parity as possible.

While the car is still in its infancy—and powerhouses such as Hendrick Motorsports remain at the top of the win column—drivers such as Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez are in the spotlight like never before.

Erik Jones has been in the spotlight—at least when he was winning races with Joe Gibbs Racing, but last year’s lackluster experience with Richard Petty Motorsports was a wake-up call. For the first time in his Cup career, the 25-year-old racer went a full season without a top-five finish.

With the new car, a new crew chief (Dave Elenz) and a new partnership with the Maury Gallagher-owner GMS Racing—now Petty GMS Racing—Jones finished third in his second start with the organization at Auto Club Speedway and came three laps shy of a top-10 result at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday.

“Obviously with the merger with GMS, it really lets us kind of develop our own package right here,” Jones said. “When I came to RPM last season, that car was in a development freeze, and it was what it was. There’s nothing left to gain on it. We couldn’t do anything to make it any better or any different than what it was. That’s tough as a driver. Kind of locked into what you got and every driver wants something different. 

“So, I kind of had to adapt and figure that out. With the Next Gen car, I think it’s opened up so many doors for us. Just having the same parts and pieces, we just have to figure out to take that wheel that they have given us and make it a little bit rounder and for us. I think Dave has done a good job with that and that’s been a focus of not just him but everybody on the team. 

“It’s bits and pieces of everything. It’s not just the new car. It’s not just the new crew chief. It’s everything kind of bundling all in one.”

Clearly, Elenz's seven-year tour as a crew chief at JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series served him well prior to returning to Cup. NASCAR originally introduced the flange-fit composite bodies in 2018 for the Xfinity cars, so Elenz had a four-year head start on understanding the process.

“I would say absolutely the NextGen car has brought everybody a lot closer,” Elenz said. “We all have the same components. We're not building our own parts and pieces to get an advantage. So it's all in how you bolt them together and everybody has the same parts. So it's just a matter of better decisions with the components you have to pull together and definitely, for our team, we would not be this competitive with last year's car. So it's very, very nice to have this car.

“You know if you look at Suarez running good at Fontana. I think it's provided an opportunity for a lot of people to perform better and not just the other parts disadvantage.” 

For Elenz, it’s also beneficial to have a driver with Jones’ maturity and determination. At JRM, he was tasked with overseeing the development of younger drivers such as Reddick, William Byron and Noah Gragson. 

While the demands of the Cup Series and the challenges to blend RPM in with GMS in the off-season the 40-year-old Gaylord, Michigander found time to bond with his new driver during preseason testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Snow Ball Derby, where Jones finished 10th.

“Working with Erik has been really good,” Elenz. said. “He's very knowledgeable of what he's been looking for in the car and has an understanding of what he needs. So it gives us a pretty easy chance to figure out what he needs early on. And I think that's been some of the success that we've had through these first couple of races. 

“It’s just him knowing the feel that he's looking for with this new car, so that part has been really good. I definitely enjoy his knowledge and his talent.”

Like Jones, Elenz shared a love of cars and racing with his father. The elder Elenz raced IMCA modifieds. Elenz raced snowmobiles in the Wolverine State before moving south and attending Clemson University. After earning his degree, he was recruited by Jasper Motorsports in 2001. After stints with Ginn Racing and Red Bull Racing, Elenz joined Hendrick Motorsports as an engineer in 2012. The following year, Elenz celebrated the Cup championship with Jimmie Johnson and the Chad Knaus-led No. 48 team.

In 2015, Elenz took on a new role as crew chief at JRM. Last fall, he was recruited by RPM. 

“Going to Cup from the Xfinity series has definitely been challenging for myself,” Elenz said. “There's a lot more time, a lot more effort (involved). The competition is a lot more fierce up here, so that's been a little bit to get used to, but it's been nice to have the rewards at the same time.” 

After over two decades in the sport, Elenz sees the potential in the No. 43 Petty GMS team and his driver.

“He’s going to be something special on sport for sure,” Elenz said on Jones. “I think if you look at a lot of these drivers right now, it takes a handful of years to get that experience level, and that knowledge built up. He’s put that time in and I think he's at a point in his career where he's primed to become very successful. 

“So I’m excited to be a small part of that and I’d like to see him do well.”