News: Erik Jones – No. 20 CRAFTSMAN Toyota Camry Preview (MENCS) – Charlotte Motor Speedway All-Star Race
No. 20 CRAFTSMAN Toyota Camry News and Notes:
Jones 2019 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
From the Driver’s Seat:
Erik Jones: What does it mean to compete for a million dollars in the All-Star race?
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s finally my first year that I get to run it. I missed it the last two years so it’s nice to actually be in it this year and have a shot to race for it. I’m excited for that. I’ve been sitting on my couch back home watching it. It’s great. I love this month coming up just being at home for a couple weeks and not having to get on a plane and travel. You get a lot of friends and family that come and stay in town and that’s always fun. A million bucks, who doesn’t want to win that? It’s a great race. You look at the history of it and some of the shows that have been put on at that race and it’s something that I think we all look forward to as a driver to have an opportunity to go and compete in.”
From the Pit Box:
Chris Gayle: “It’s good to be home for a couple weeks, and back racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It’s pretty cool to be participating in the All-Star race for the first time with Erik and this 20 team. It’s good knowing you’re locked in to the event, and allows you to focus more on the All-Star race format and the unique qualifying format for the cars locked into the event. Normally you could use the All-Star event as a tune up for the Coca-Cola 600, but with some of the rule changes for this weekend, it doesn’t make it quite as useful. It’s still a good momentum builder and we’ll do what we can to gleam a little bit of info from this weekend to apply to the 600 the next weekend. Charlotte has been a really good track for Erik and the 20 team in the past, and I expect to carry the momentum from the last few weeks to both All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. I really feel like we can go compete for our first win in 2019 over the next two weeks at this race track. Just excited to get to the track and continue the progress we’ve been making this 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 CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ALL-STAR RACE: With his win last season at Daytona International Speedway in July, Erik Jones and the No. 20 Toyota Camry team qualified for the 2019 Monster Energy All-Star race. This will mark the first year for Jones to compete in the event after narrowly missing qualifying his way in to the event the last two seasons. In 2017 Jones was attempting a late-race pass that took him out of contention and last season he was runner up in his qualifying race, missing the main event both seasons.
- JGR AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ALL-STAR RACE: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has won the Monster Energy All-Star race on two occasions. Denny Hamlin won for the team in 2015 and most recently, Kyle Busch took home the million dollar payout in 2017.
- THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 CAMRY: This week CRAFTSMAN returns to the No. 20 Toyota Camry with Jones and the No. 20 team racing for their chance to win $1 million.
- KANSAS RECAP: Jones started the race at Kansas Speedway from the sixth position and had an eventful stage one that saw the No. 20 Camry receive damage to the right front fender. Following repairs to the car, Jones was able to battle his way back to the top 10 and with speed on his side, finished the race with a solid third-place finish.
- RACE INFO: The Monster Energy All Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, May 18, 2019. Coverage of the star-studded event will kick off at 6:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, MRN and SIRIUS XM Channel 90.
Jones 2019 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 12 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 44 | 17.1 | 14.2 |
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 87 | 1 | 17 | 27 | 2 | 454 | 13.1 | 15.6 |
From the Driver’s Seat:
Erik Jones: What does it mean to compete for a million dollars in the All-Star race?
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s finally my first year that I get to run it. I missed it the last two years so it’s nice to actually be in it this year and have a shot to race for it. I’m excited for that. I’ve been sitting on my couch back home watching it. It’s great. I love this month coming up just being at home for a couple weeks and not having to get on a plane and travel. You get a lot of friends and family that come and stay in town and that’s always fun. A million bucks, who doesn’t want to win that? It’s a great race. You look at the history of it and some of the shows that have been put on at that race and it’s something that I think we all look forward to as a driver to have an opportunity to go and compete in.”
From the Pit Box:
Chris Gayle: “It’s good to be home for a couple weeks, and back racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It’s pretty cool to be participating in the All-Star race for the first time with Erik and this 20 team. It’s good knowing you’re locked in to the event, and allows you to focus more on the All-Star race format and the unique qualifying format for the cars locked into the event. Normally you could use the All-Star event as a tune up for the Coca-Cola 600, but with some of the rule changes for this weekend, it doesn’t make it quite as useful. It’s still a good momentum builder and we’ll do what we can to gleam a little bit of info from this weekend to apply to the 600 the next weekend. Charlotte has been a really good track for Erik and the 20 team in the past, and I expect to carry the momentum from the last few weeks to both All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. I really feel like we can go compete for our first win in 2019 over the next two weeks at this race track. Just excited to get to the track and continue the progress we’ve been making this 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.
