23 year old Erik Jones scored the biggest victory of his early cup career on Sunday in the Southern 500. He held off his teammate and mentor Kyle Busch to earn his 2nd career victory in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series. It was his second win in his 100th cup start. This win made sure every Joe Gibbs Racing car had a win going into the playoffs that start after Indianapolis this weekend.
Will Jones Be With JGR in the Future?
This win should all but solidify Jones’ ride in the 20 for next year. Jones and Gibbs have been in talks the whole season about signing an extension to keep Jones in the 20 car in the future. There is the prospect of Christopher Bell who is lurking to take the 20 car from Jones. But it seems like Bell will head to the 95 car next year for Leavine Family Racing, replacing Matt DiBenedetto. Jones will be in the 20 car next year, but it is unknown if he will sign a one year extension or a long-term deal.
“We’re really close. I’ve gotten it and seen it. Nothing’s been signed yet, but we’re definitely really close on getting a deal done. I hope in the next couple of weeks, I don’t have any plans of going anywhere else, so I see myself hopefully announcing something here pretty soon. But not signed yet, nothing’s done, but definitely going in the right direction.”
Erik Jones on the status of signing a contract extension with JGR
What Can Erik Jones Do the Rest of the Season?
Erik Jones finally got a win on the board for his 20 team and it could not have come at a better time. There could be a lot of momentum that can come as a result of this win. It comes right before the playoffs and getting hot at the right time is potentially all you need to do to make a deep run into the playoffs. Look at Tony Steawrt in 2011, he was written off and realistically no shot at winning the title. One win at Chicagoland turned into four more and a championship win at Homestead. Jones is certainly not a championship favorite yet with all his teammates having 4 wins, but anything can happen for “That Jones Boy”. With some luck and execution, Jones could be listed as a dark horse threat to win the championship as he has shown speed all season.
