News: Erik Jones – No. 20 CRAFTSMAN “Racing for a Miracle” Toyota Camry Preview (MENCS) – Bristol Motor Speedway
No. 20 CRAFTSMAN “Racing for a Miracle” Toyota Camry News and Notes:
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:
Jones 2019 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
From the Driver’s Seat:
Erik Jones: “Bristol is one of my favorite tracks and I’m ready to get back there with a little momentum on our side after our top-five finish last weekend at Texas. Not only is it one of my favorite tracks, but we’ve got a cool opportunity with the CRAFTSMAN “Racing for a Miracle” program on our Camry and I can’t wait to represent the kids who helped design my car and have them as honorary crew members this weekend at the track. With my success at Bristol in the past and with how fast our JGR Camry’s have been lately, there’s no better time than this weekend to get the first win of the season for team 20. And no pressure, but $1 million on the line for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals will make for an added bonus if we can get the win this weekend.”
From the Pit Box:
Chris Gayle: “Looking forward to seeing a little short-track run for the next couple of weeks before the Easter break, and no better way to start than with a race at Bristol. I’m really hoping to show that we’ve got our short track program going much better than last year, and I feel like we didn’t get an opportunity to do that in Phoenix before having a loose-wheel issue. Bristol is my favorite track and the higher downforce level should make the place crazy fast. It’ll be interesting to see how the faster speeds effect the ability of the top lane verses the bottom lane to be effective. NASCAR is also applying a different mix of PJ1 in the lower groove for this event and I think that will affect how the race plays out. It should be another great opportunity for this 20 team to go out and get the first win of the season.”
About CRAFTSMAN:
CRAFTSMAN is the American icon that homeowners, home builders, auto enthusiasts and master mechanics have trusted since 1927 – and today’s CRAFTSMAN continues that legacy. With a focus on reliable, high-performance tools, storage and equipment, CRAFTSMAN has revived its long-established pride in superior quality. Now it’s easier than ever to get the tools trusted for generations at more places than ever. For more information visit www.craftsman.com or follow CRAFTSMAN on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
- JONES AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Erik Jones will make his fifth-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. In his previous four starts in the Cup Series at the track, Jones has earned two top-five finishes, one pole starting position, led 260 laps and earned an average start of 10.5 and an average finish of 12.5. His best finish at the track in Cup Series competition is a second-place finish to Kyle Busch after starting from the pole and leading 260 of 500 laps in August of 2017. In the Xfinity Series, Jones has five starts with two wins, three top-five finishes, four top-10 finishes and three pole starting positions. In his lone Truck Series start at the track, Jones earned a sixth-place finish.
- JGR AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 130 total starts at Bristol Motor Speedway in Cup Series competition. In those starts, the team has earned 11 wins, 30 top-five finishes, 48 top-10 finishes and 10 pole starting positions. The team has led 5,561 laps, completed 60,402 of 64,934 attempted laps (93.0%) and earned an average start of 15.0 and an average finish of 17.7. Kyle Busch leads the team with six wins followed by Matt Kenseth with two wins and one win each by Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards.
- MEDIA OPPORTUNITY: Jones will unveil his special No. 20 CRAFTSMAN “Racing for a Miracle” Toyota Camry for this Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday, April 4, 2019 at 11 a.m. ET at Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City, Tennessee.
- THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 CAMRY: This weekend the No. 20 Toyota Camry will feature the CRAFTSMAN brand and their “Racing for a Miracle” program with the ACE Hardware Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals. The Racing for a Miracle program is in its 13th year, aimed at driving awareness for the vital work that CMN Hospitals do to help treat their patients around the country. This year, through CMN Hospitals, the CRAFTSMAN team has recruited four children from the Niswonger Children’s Hospital to be honorary crew members for the April 7th race at Bristol Motor Speedway. CRAFTSMAN will donate $100,000 to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through the Ace Hardware Foundation and if Jones finds victory lane in the No. 20 Toyota on Sunday, CRAFTSMAN will donate an additional $1 Million. The special paint scheme will be unveiled on Thursday, April 4, at Niswonger Children’s Hospital.
- TEXAS RECAP: Jones and the No. 20 CRAFTSMAN Toyota Camry team qualified in the 11th position for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, but an early spin and a gamble on fuel mileage dropped the team to one-lap down early in the 500-mile race. With a fast car and fighting hard to return to the lead lap, Jones was able to get the “Lucky Dog” at the end of stage two. With a fast Toyota Camry and using varying pit strategies, Jones was able to lead 30 laps in the final stage before finishing fourth.
- RACE INFO: The Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, April 7, 2019. Coverage will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN Radio.
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 260 | 10.5 | 12.5 |
Jones 2019 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 16.9 | 15.0 |
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 82 | 1 | 16 | 35 | 2 | 440 | 12.8 | 15.8 |
From the Driver’s Seat:
Erik Jones: “Bristol is one of my favorite tracks and I’m ready to get back there with a little momentum on our side after our top-five finish last weekend at Texas. Not only is it one of my favorite tracks, but we’ve got a cool opportunity with the CRAFTSMAN “Racing for a Miracle” program on our Camry and I can’t wait to represent the kids who helped design my car and have them as honorary crew members this weekend at the track. With my success at Bristol in the past and with how fast our JGR Camry’s have been lately, there’s no better time than this weekend to get the first win of the season for team 20. And no pressure, but $1 million on the line for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals will make for an added bonus if we can get the win this weekend.”
From the Pit Box:
Chris Gayle: “Looking forward to seeing a little short-track run for the next couple of weeks before the Easter break, and no better way to start than with a race at Bristol. I’m really hoping to show that we’ve got our short track program going much better than last year, and I feel like we didn’t get an opportunity to do that in Phoenix before having a loose-wheel issue. Bristol is my favorite track and the higher downforce level should make the place crazy fast. It’ll be interesting to see how the faster speeds effect the ability of the top lane verses the bottom lane to be effective. NASCAR is also applying a different mix of PJ1 in the lower groove for this event and I think that will affect how the race plays out. It should be another great opportunity for this 20 team to go out and get the first win of the season.”
About CRAFTSMAN:
CRAFTSMAN is the American icon that homeowners, home builders, auto enthusiasts and master mechanics have trusted since 1927 – and today’s CRAFTSMAN continues that legacy. With a focus on reliable, high-performance tools, storage and equipment, CRAFTSMAN has revived its long-established pride in superior quality. Now it’s easier than ever to get the tools trusted for generations at more places than ever. For more information visit www.craftsman.com or follow CRAFTSMAN on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
