Erik Jones out at Joe Gibbs Racing

Two days after Bob Leavine announced that his NASCAR team will cease operations at the end of the year, Erik Jones will have to find a new ride next year. Fox Sports reporter Shannon Spake reported on NASCAR Race Hub Thursday night that Erik Jones will not be returning to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021.

Erik Jones will not return to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021 #RaceHub pic.twitter.com/Njmjkr6PJv — FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) August 6, 2020

At the age of 19, Jones got his first taste of the Cup Series with Joe Gibbs Racing substituting for Kyle Busch in 2015. That year, Jones won three races on his way to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He had a total of seven wins, 20 top-five finishes, and 35 top-ten finishes before moving up to the Xfinity Series full-time in 2016 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Jones was already racing for Gibbs part-time in the Xfinity Series in 2014 and 2015. His most wins for Gibbs came in 2016, winning four races and finishing fourth in the Xfinity Series Championship. In total, Jones won nine races, 37 top-five finishes, and 50 top-ten finishes.

Jones would then move up to the Cup Series a year later with Furniture Row Racing with five top-five finishes, fourteen top-ten finishes, and one pole. He would become the first driver in NASCAR history to win rookie of the year in all three NASCAR national series. He then moved to Gibbs number 20 Toyota Camry a year later, replacing Matt Kenseth, and in 2018, he got his first win at Daytona. Jones would get his second Cup Series win last year at Darlington. So far in his Cup Series career, he has 29 top-five finishes, 57 top ten finishes to go with two wins.

In a statement released by Jones, Jones said, “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. 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.”

Currently, Jones is a one-year deal with Gibbs. This year, Jones as five top-five finishes and eight top-ten finishes. It is more likely that Christopher Bell will go into the 20-car next year. For Jones, he will have options. Could he race for Rick Hendrick next year in the 48-car, go sports car racing, or could he end up back in the Xfinity Series? Only time will tell.

Where do you think Erik Jones will end up in 2021? Leave a comment below or comment on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Parler.

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