NASCAR: 3 possible landing spots for Erik Jones in 2023
By Asher Fair
Erik Jones 2023 landing spots: No. 2 – Stewart-Haas Racing
There is one team that knows for a fact that they will need to make a driver change this coming offseason, and that is Stewart-Haas Racing. And they may need to make more than one.
Before the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season began, Aric Almirola announced that it would be his fifth and final season behind the wheel of the #10 Ford and his 15th and final season competing at the sport’s top level.
As a result, for the sixth time in seven years, Stewart-Haas Racing are set to make an offseason driver change.
Erik Jones certainly isn’t the first name on anybody’s list of potential Stewart-Haas Racing drivers. Many believe that Ryan Preece, who joined the organization as their official reserve driver before the season started, is the likely replacement for Almirola.
But given his performance this year, and even last year following his post-2020 departure from Joe Gibbs Racing, Jones should certainly be in the discussion.
We also can’t neglect to mention the struggles of Cole Custer. Some believe that he finds himself on the hot seat in his third year behind the wheel of the #41 Ford. If the team opt not to bring him back, that means they will need to fill two seats as opposed to just one.
And let’s not forget the common belief that the 2023 season will be Kevin Harvick’s final year. If Stewart-Haas Racing want to build toward the future, now is a perfect time to start, and a good place to do so is by signing the 26-year-old Byron, Michigan native.