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NASCAR: Erik Jones ‘close’ to renewing contract with Joe Gibbs Racing

By Asher Fair

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 25: Erik Jones, driver of the #20 Reser's Main St Bistro Toyota, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 25: Erik Jones, driver of the #20 Reser's Main St Bistro Toyota, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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Erik Jones believes that he is “close ” to renewing his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones is one of the key drivers involved in Silly Season for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season primarily due to the success that Christopher Bell has had driving for the team in the Xfinity Series both last year and this year.

Bell has already renewed his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2020 season, but it has not been confirmed whether he will remain in the Xfinity Series as the driver of the #20 Toyota Supra or if he will be promoted to the Cup Series as the driver of the #20 Toyota Camry.

Jones, meanwhile, he not yet renewed his contract with the team to continue driving the #20 Toyota Camry despite the fact that he and the team were reportedly working through a new deal in April and Jones claimed that he was not worried about it.

Now, nearly three months later, the 23-year-old Byron, Michigan native is reportedly “close” to reaching a contract extension to continue driving for Joe Gibbs Racing beyond the conclusion of the 2019 season.

Here is what Jones had to say about the matter, according to NBC Sports.

"“We’ve had some good meetings, positive meetings, so we’re moving in the right direction. I’d love to get it done here soon. We’ve had good meetings between my guys and JGR. I’ve had good meetings with Coach talking about it and moving forward. I know I keep saying it, but I feel like we’re pretty close to getting it done.“I want to get (the extension) done. We both want to get it done and move forward and stop worrying about it and stop focusing on it, but we’re close. Hopefully here soon.”"

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Jones has landed on a hot seat after somewhat of a lackluster start of his tenure driving for the team. His lone victory in his first 55 races there is his restrictor plate victory at Daytona International Speedway last July, and he ended up being eliminated in the round of 16 of the playoffs later that year.

So far this season, Jones is the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver who is not in the top six in the championship standings, not in the top five in the playoff picture and who has not won at least two races. In fact, their other three drivers have combined to win 10 of the season’s first 19 races while he sits just two points ahead of the playoff cut line in 16th in the standings with an active win drought of 37 races.

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With Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin all set to return to Joe Gibbs Racing for at least the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Erik Jones’s situation is particularly worth watching since it will determine whether an open seat remains at the team for Christopher Bell. If Jones does not end up re-signing with the team, that could set off several other dominoes as well.

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