Press Updates
April 12th, 2019
Richmond Spring Race Qualifying Report
Determined for a strong run at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia this week, Erik Jones and the No. 20 DEWALT Toyota team tackled the short track right out of the gate. The Joe Gibbs Racing team knew they had a fast car with top 15 speeds in the first practice. The second practice session was canceled due to weather, so the next attempt to showcase their Toyota effort was the qualifying session. On Friday night they easily moved through the first two rounds of Cup race qualifying efforts and were on task to target a pole-qualifying run in round three. As suspected, the No. 20 car was fast and Jones drove a lap at 124.081mph which placed him on row one, a second-place qualifying run. He will begin next to pole sitter Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 car for Saturday night’s Toyota Owner’s 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event. Check out the fast action and Jones’ drive for the lead at 7:30pm EST on the FOX broadcast.
Read MoreApril 5th, 2019
Spring Bristol Qualifying Report
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returned to the “World’s Fastest Colosseum” in Bristol, Tennessee on an overcast Friday night and tackled the half-mile bowl with qualifying for the Sunday race starting lineup. Erik Jones sported a new Craftsman paint scheme on his No. 20 Toyota, in support for the nearby Niswonger Children’s Hospital and a partnership to support kids through their ‘Racing for a Miracle’ program with partner Stanley Black & Decker. Jones handily qualified through two rounds of speed qualifying and entered the final round to go for the pole-qualifying position. In round three, the No. 20 Craftsman machine was fast but had a small tight-handling condition that prohibited Jones from capturing more speed. Still, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver earned a fourth-place starting spot with a recorded speed of 131.057mph. The row-two starting spot would benefit the young driver for fast short-track racing on Sunday, April 7, 2019 broadcast on the FOX television network.
Read MoreMarch 29th, 2019
Texas Motor Speedway Cup Qualifying Report
On Friday night from Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Erik Jones and the No. 20 Craftsman Toyota team tackled another 1.5-mile track qualifier, this time with an amended rule from NASCAR. The addition of a middle lane on pit road for qualifying access made the competition better, but the session was not without it’s “hurry up and wait” antics by the various NASCAR teams. The No. 20 team qualified with ease into the second round session then moved into the third round with a 12th place speed. Knowing their competitors would play the clock in round three qualifying, crew chief Chris Gayle and his driver Jones worked a plan to post speed early, then circle back onto pit road to cool down the motor and attempt another lap to remain close to the top of the board. An initial qualifying run in round three put Jones and the No. 20 team in the second-place position, but before many of the other top-12 cars had qualified. As time clicked away the other teams began their final runs, while the No. 20 team worked to cool down their Craftsman Toyota for one final qualifying attempt. Ultimately the team didn’t have enough time left on the clock to fulfill their gamble, and their qualifying time moved down on the board to the 11th-place position. Jones and his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 team will start Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 from row six, in 11th place. Tune in at 3:00pm ET on FOX for more race action from the Lone Star State!
Read MoreMarch 23rd, 2019
Martinsville Qualifying Report
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series drivers took to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Saturday, to tackle the first short track of the 2019 schedule. After two initial practice rounds Erik Jones and the No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry qualified into the second round of pole position qualifying sessions then locked in his 19th place speed for Sunday’s row-10 start on the famed “paper clip.” With an abbreviated NASCAR race weekend schedule the young 22-year old and his Joe Gibbs Racing team will go straight to race start on Sunday for 500 laps of fast race action. Of the full field at Martinsville Speedway, Jones is recorded as NASCAR’s fifth highest in green flag passes so the action is sure to be exciting. Tune in at 2:00pm EST Sunday for more notes from Martinsville Speedway airing on FS1.
Read MoreMarch 15th, 2019
Auto Club Speedway Qualifying Report
Erik Jones and the No. 20 Craftsman Toyota Camry team took to the track at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California for the third race of NASCAR’s west-coast swing. Another 1.5-mile track and the teams continued to battle the new racing aero package which made the qualifying sessions very interesting. Jones and the 20 team advanced to round two but did not continue to round three, amid may-lay with final competitors not reaching the checkered flag to post a qualifying speed before time expired. NASCAR will take a look at the qualifying structure moving forward and have already announced they will make updates to the process before the next 1.5-mile track appears on the schedule at Texas Motor Speedway in late March. The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Craftsman Toyota qualified 18th for the Auto Club Speedway Sunday event.
Read MoreGet Updates As They Happen
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