Erik Jones won’t be the driver of the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota beyond the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, the race team announced Thursday.
“I greatly appreciate the opportunity that JGR provided me with over the last four years, and I wish the team nothing but success and good fortune,” Jones said. “JGR gave me a solid foundation from which to go out and compete at the highest level, and I look forward to building on that in the years to come.”
Speculation has Christopher Bell, a 2020 Cup Series rookie, behind the wheel of the #20 next year. Bell is the driver of the #95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota this year, through a deal with JGR, but that team is shuttering operations at the end of the season. LFR owner Bob Leavine announced the sale of his race team earlier in the week.
Jones is in his fourth season as the full-time driver of the #20. In 131-career Cup Series races, Jones has won twice — in 2018 at Daytona International Speedway and last year at Darlington Raceway. He also contested three Cup races for JGR in 2015 as a substitute for the inured Kyle Busch and suspended Matt Kenseth.
“We appreciate all Erik has done for Joe Gibbs Racing over the past several years,” JGR owner Joe Gibbs said. “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.”
Jones moved up the NASCAR ladder as a Joe Gibbs Racing development ladder through the NASCAR Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports and the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JGR.
“Erik has been an incredible friend to Toyota throughout the last eight years,” Toyota Motor North America Marketing Group Vice President Ed Laukes said. “We’ve become close, not only to Erik, but to his entire family. We’ve celebrated together, we’ve cried together, and we’ve supported each other through it all. Unfortunately, the time has come that we have to part ways from a competitive standpoint. We know Erik will continue to do great things in this sport and wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors. We will certainly continue to follow his career and will be there to congratulate him as he continues to succeed.”
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