Five days after winning his second career NASCAR Cup race, Erik Jones got a nice reward from his team.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Friday, Jones has signed a contract extension to drive the No. 20 JGR Toyota in 2020.
Jones had been rumored to be on the hot seat earlier this summer as the organization looked for a way to promote Xfinity Series star Christopher Bell. But Jones has scored five finishes of fourth or better in his last seven races, including a victory at Darlington Raceway last weekend that clinched him a spot in the NASCAR playoffs. He also qualified for the playoffs last season.
“I’m so happy to finally have my plans for 2020 confirmed and to talk about it,” Jones said in a team statement. “I’m excited to be staying with Joe Gibbs Racing and the 20 team and to continue the success that we have built over the last two years in the Cup Series. I put my heart and soul into this and this race team. This is my living and how I want to make a career and what I want to do.
"I’ve been racing with JGR since 2014 and it’s really cool to be able to continue with the foundation we’ve built over the years and hopefully win more races and contend for championships together.”
The 23-year-old Jones is in his second season with JGR, after breaking into the Cup series full time with Furniture Row Racing in 2017. He has 23 top-fives in 100 career NASCAR Cup starts, including the win at Darlington and a victory last year in the July race at Daytona.