Getty Erik Jones will use another U.S. Air Force scheme in 2022.
Stock car racing fans have made their voices heard ahead of the 2022 season. They voted on three schemes and picked the one that Petty GMS Motorsports driver Erik Jones will use for NASCAR Cup Series races featuring the U.S. Air Force.
USAF TSGT Andrew J. Brockman’s winning B-29 Bomber scheme features an OD Green base with black Chevrons on the front and rear fenders. The U.S. Air Force logos cover the hood and the doors in white while some text takes up space on the fenders and the bumper.
The U.S. Air Force announced on November 27 that the 2022 Cup Series races would not feature just another military scheme. Instead, members of the U.S. Air Force could submit designs and potentially see theirs racing by at nearly 200 mph.
The final three designs surfaced on January 7, which featured drastically different schemes. The Thunderbird design had a gray base with blue U.S. Air Force logos and splashes of red on the hood and the bumper area. The P51/75th Anniversary scheme had a gray base with black logos, a checkerboard pattern on the front bumper area, and yellow designs behind the door numbers.
The Contest Is Part of a Partnership Extension
GettyErik Jones posted a top-10 finish with the U.S. Air Force scheme.
The original contest announcement was part of another announcement from Petty GMS Motorsports — then Richard Petty Motorsports. The team stated that the U.S. Air Force would return to the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro for three more races during the 2022 Cup Series season.
According to a press release issued on November 27, Jones will first work with the U.S. Air Force for the Talladega Superspeedway race on April 24. The OD Green Chevrolet will then return for races at Road America on July 3 and the Bristol Motor Speedway night race on September 17.
Jones showcased the U.S. Air Force during three races on the 2021 schedule, his first season with RPM. He used the scheme for both trips to Talladega Superspeedway and the Bristol Motor Speedway night race, a run that included two top-10 finishes. Two of his schemes honored the Tuskegee Airmen while the third was a Special Warfare scheme.
Jones Will Join Forces With a New Teammate
The 2022 season will mark a significant change for Jones and the No. 43 team. He will go from a single-car driver at Richard Petty Motorsports to one of two drivers for the rebranded Petty GMS Motorsports.
Jones will return to the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro for the second consecutive season. His new teammate, Ty Dillon, will drive in the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro, marking his return to a full-time schedule after he ran part-time in 2021.
Dillon previously spent four full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, all with Germain Racing. He never reached Victory Lane while driving the No. 13 entry, but he posted six top-10 finishes and a pair of top-fives at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
While Dillon will return to full-time competition after a year of limited starts, Jones will work with a teammate once again. He previously drove the No. 20 entry for Joe Gibbs Racing from 2018-2020, winning two times.
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