Erik Jones Is Proving His Worth for JGR

By Jared Turner

Some have questioned why Joe Gibbs Racing is dismissing Matt Kenseth to make room for Erik Jones in 2018. With all due respect to Kenseth, one of the sport’s top drivers of past two decades, it’s obvious why JGR isn’t willing to keep the 45-year-old veteran at the risk of 21-year-old Jones getting scooped up by another team. To get an idea of Jones’ talent, look no further than the past two races. He finished third at Michigan two weekends ago and then followed that up with a career-best second-place finish on Saturday night at Bristol, where he led a race-high 260 laps and kept race winner Kyle Busch looking in his rear-view over the final laps. Had it not been for six DNFs, Jones — the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion — would likely be in position to make the playoffs.