NASCAR: 10 drivers who won’t be back with their 2020 teams
By Asher Fair
Drivers moving on after 2020: Erik Jones
Again, with Leavine Family Racing shutting down and all three of their veteran drivers performing at a high level and being under contract on multi-year deals, Joe Gibbs Racing needed to make the challenging decision to let either Christopher Bell go or Erik Jones go, and they chose to let the latter walk after three seasons with the team.
Jones took over behind the wheel of the #20 Toyota in the 2018 season after the team parted ways with Matt Kenseth, and he won two races during his three-year stint.
He secured his first win at Daytona International Speedway in 2018 and added another at Darlington Raceway in 2019, but his failure to win a race in 2020 resulted in him missing the playoffs for the first time since his rookie season with Furniture Row Racing in 2017.
Bell is set to replace Jones behind the wheel of the #20 Toyota in 2021, as expected.
But Jones won’t be without a Cup Series ride. He is instead set to compete for Richard Petty Motorsports behind the wheel of the #43 Chevrolet as the replacement for Bubba Wallace.
Driving for a one-car team where all the focus is on making him as competitive as he can be could play to his advantage, especially after the improvements Richard Petty’s team made throughout the 2020 season.