Joe Gibbs unveils plans for Erik Jones next season
Erik Jones has just one Sprint Cup start in his career, but Joe Gibbs has plans to make it a few more next season, according to Jared Turner of FOXSports.com.
Gibbs - owner and founder of Joe Gibbs Racing - revealed Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio he plans to have a full-time Xfinity Series car for the 19-year-old Jones next season and place him in multiple Sprint Cup races.
"We look at Erik as a big part of our future," Gibbs said. "We've got a plan laid out. The plan next year would be a full Xfinity season and try to run for a championship there and also, in all likelihood, have him in some Cup races. That would be the goal for next year."
Jones has found success running with JGR in the Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
In 29 career Truck starts, he's collected five wins, 22 top-10s, has six poles and has led 1,040 laps. He has been to victory lane twice in 20 starts in the Xfinity Series, has 14 top-10s, three poles and has led 278 laps.
Jones made his first Sprint Cup start this season in May at Kansas Speedway, filling in for an injured Kyle Busch.
JGR is currently at capacity for the number of cars allowed per team in the Sprint Cup, but could ask for a fifth car for up to seven races in 2016. If Jones becomes a full-time driver in the Sprint Cup series in 2017, one of the current drivers would have to move teams.
JGR currently consists of Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and Denny Hamlin - all of whom have won at least one race. Edwards, Kenseth, and Hamlin are all locked into The Chase, while Busch needs to get himself in the top-30 in points to join his teammates to race for the championship - he's currently 32nd.
"We've got a plan laid out in the future, something we don't want to talk about right now," Gibbs said. "There is no question, Erik is headed for Cup and we've got a path charted that we think is the best to get him ready and to fulfill his goal of being in a Cup car as quick as we can get him there."