Analyzing Erik Jones’s 2015 NASCAR Season So Far

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Erik Jones has emerged in 2015 as NASCAR’s newest breakout star. Despite only making one Sprint Cup start and running a partial Xfinity Series schedule, Jones currently leads the points in the Camping World Truck Series and is looking like a serious threat to dethrone two-time defending series champion Matt Crafton.

Jones has been impressive on a regular basis this season, winning twice in the NCWTS and twice also in Xfinity. With a confidence that goes against the rookie stripe he’s been donning this year across the board, he looks to be NASCAR’s next king and has the potential to do so based off of his 2015 performances. Here’s looking at his 2015 across the three series.

NCWTS

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This season in the truck series, it’s a surprise that Jones hasn’t run away with the title. Then again, fellow competitors Tyler Reddick and Crafton have both been very strong this year, effectively making the 2015 championship battle a three-man fight. Of course, considering Jones has been making partial runs in the truck series since 2013 he’s got a leg up on Reddick at least.

The Toyota Tundras of Kyle Busch Motorsports (a satellite shop of JGR) are naturally unstoppable in the CWTS. Busch himself has won a lot in them, Darrell Wallace Jr. won several times in them, and Jones has won six races in them, making him the second-winningest driver in the organization’s history. That goes a long way in the fact that Jones has only finished outside of the top-10 three times this year. He’s been aggressive in every race this season and should have won more than the two times he has already at Iowa and Bowmanville.

Jones’s aggressiveness really seems to pay off at the larger tracks. He finished second to Reddick at Daytona, second to Kasey Kahne at Charlotte, second at Kentucky to Crafton, and third at Michigan to Busch and Ryan Blaney. The few times he’s finished outside of the top-10 weren’t for lack of strong trucks. However, he’s a master of the flat tracks, as he’s won at places like Iowa and Phoenix repeatedly.

If he wants this title he’s going to have to keep balancing his patience with his aggressiveness. He’s the points leader now, therefore it’s his title to lose. He cannot afford any mistakes considering how thin his lead is. Still, he’s got some good tracks coming up and he should be able to come out with the points lead one way or another.

Xfinity

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The future is bright for Jones in Xfinity, as he has made the most of his opportunities with JGR. As announced last month JGR will be fielding a full-time ride for Jones in 2016, making him a contender for the series title. That could very well be a reality for Jones; in 18 starts so far this season he’s won twice (Texas, Chicagoland), finished in the top-five nine times, and finished in the top-10 12 times. He’s also earned four poles and has led a total of 276 laps.

It helps Jones that the JGR Toyotas are immensely strong in the Xfinity Series as well. He’s been fast on tracks of all types and literally seems to be unstoppable. His best luck comes on tracks that are 1.0 to 1.5-miles in length, as evidenced by his wins this season. He’s as aggressive here as he is in the CWTS, which is a must because things are paced a bit faster in the Xfinity Series than they are in the trucks.

He’s got a long way to the end of the 2015 season and could very well win more. There are a lot of tracks left on the schedule and there’s no doubt he can win at least one more time this season in Xfinity competition. He’s going to need all the momentum he can get heading into 2016 if he wants to win that title for JGR.

Sprint Cup

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Jones made his Sprint Cup debut this spring at the Spongebob Squarepants 400 at Kansas. He ran strong during the course of the weekend while subbing for the then-injured Kyle Busch. He qualified 12th, topped the practice charts, and ran well during the course of the weekend, running in the top-five throughout the race.

However, despite there being no contact, eventual winner Jimmie Johnson got Jones loose and sent him into the outside wall, effectively ending his night. Jones would go on to finish 40th, several laps off the pace. Naturally, Jones was dejected over the finish considering how strong his JGR Toyota was. Still, he’ll be getting seven more chances in 2016, as there are plans for him to run a limited schedule then.

Jones isn’t intimidated by the Cup cars. Rather, he seems as eager as any rookie with an impressive record, which is excellent. He impressed all with his Kansas run as well as his brief Bristol run when he took over Denny Hamlin’s seat when Hamlin had to step away during the race. If he keeps this up he’ll be a winner before too long in Cup, which is important these days because of the implications a win has in the new Chase playoff system.

Jones has all the makings of a champion, given the results of his 2015 season. He’s young, fast, aggressive, and a winner. He’s a crowd favorite who has tasted success and knows what he has to do to get more. In short, he is the epitome of NASCAR’s bright future.

Weigh in below on your take of Erik Jones in 2015.