ERIK JONES BID OFFICIAL GOODBYE TO TEAM AFTER CONFIRING HIS INJURY STATE.........

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Erik Jones won’t return to Joe Gibbs Racing next season, ending his time with one of NASCAR’s top teams after three Cup seasons but several years in Gibbs’ driver development program.

“We appreciate all Erik has done for Joe Gibbs Racing over the past several years,” Joe Gibbs said Thursday night. “He joined us as a teenager and has accomplished so much in his time here and we remain focused on the remainder of this season and earning him a spot in the playoffs.”

The 24-year-old was discovered by reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Busch when Jones beat Busch in the Snowball Derby late model race in 2012. Jones was 16 at the time and the victory opened the door for Jones’ rapid rise into NASCAR’s national series.

He ran five Truck Series races for Busch the next year and was the series champion in 2015. He ran a full season in the Xfinity Series for Gibbs the next year and was farmed out to Furniture Row Racing in 2017 in a Gibbs-affiliated ride.

Erik Jones has 18 combined wins in NASCAR’s top three national series since 2013.
The Furniture Row agreement didn’t work, though, and Jones moved into the Gibbs camp as one of its four drivers in 2018. Through 131 Cup starts over five seasons, Jones has two victories, both in the No. 20 Toyota for Gibbs.

He goes to his home track of Michigan International Speedway this weekend ranked 18th in the Cup standings and trying to work his way into playoff contention. Jones is also in a contract year but Gibbs has long has a backlog of young drivers and will likely replace Jones in 2021 with Christopher Bell.