Erik Jones gets multi-year contract extension; silly season outlook

STATESVILLE, N.C. — Legacy Motor Club announced Tuesday that Erik Jones has signed a multi-year contract extension.

Jones will drive the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season and beyond.

2024 is the first season of LMC’s partnership with Toyota. There was hope that the switch Toyota to would elevate the team but statistics indicate it hasn’t come to fruition like they would’ve hoped.

Currently, Jones sits 28th in points while teammate John Hunter Nemechek is 32nd. Jones also has fewer Top-10 finishes (one vs. five) and a worse average finish (22.5 vs. 19.2) after 23 races this season.

It’s worth noting that Jones was 20th in points 12 races ago after Talladega. However, a wreck in that race left him injured and sidelined for two races, arguably derailing his season.

Last season, Jones was also 28th in points. However, he would’ve been 23rd in points, if not for a 60-point penalty at Gateway for a parts infraction.

Jones has been through a lot in his career and with LMC. After getting booted from his Joe Gibbs Racing ride after missing the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, he joined LMC when it was known as Richard Petty Motorsports.

While the 2021 season was quiet, 2022 was much better. Jones took advantage of the NextGen/Gen 7 car and new investment from Maury Gallagher to get the No. 43 car its first full-length Cup Series win since Martinsville in 1999 with John Andretti. After 23 races, Jones was also 14th in points. That was the best for a driver of the No. 43 car after 23 races since Andretti in 2000.

Jones has the 2022 Southern 500 win and two other NASCAR Cup Series wins to his name. While with Joe Gibbs Racing, he won at Daytona in July 2018 and the Southern 500 at Darlington in 2019. Each win helped boost him to his only two playoff appearances to date.

With that in mind, new veteran personnel, like co-owner Jimmie Johnson and CEO Cal Wells III, have faith in Jones.

“Erik is one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR. I’ve had the chance to race against him and have had a chance to watch him drive for other teams and the Club,” Johnson said. “I admire his talent and am glad we will have him race for us for the upcoming years. Erik will be a key to helping us turn our program around. And we look forward to giving him the tools he needs to go out on Sundays and race for wins and eventually a championship someday.”

“He’s a proven champion that, surrounded with the right team powered by Toyota, can and will compete for race wins against the very best on any given Sunday. Having personally known Erik for close to 14 years, I feel blessed he’s chosen to remain with the Club. And I’m looking forward to winning races with him at the helm of the iconic No. 43,” Wells said.

Jones is up for the task.

“I’m looking forward to what we can build at LMC. I’ve been with the No. 43 car for a handful of years and feel like I’m coming into some of the best years of my career. I am hoping to grow alongside LMC in the seasons to come,” Jones stated.

Teammate John Hunter Nemechek is likely to return to Legacy Motor Club next season.

Silly season outlook

Here is how the NASCAR Cup Series field is shaping up to be next season:

• No. 1 Ross Chastain
• No. 2 Austin Cindric
• No. 3 Austin Dillon
• No. 5 Kyle Larson
• No. 6 Brad Keselowski
• No. 7 Justin Haley (was Corey LaJoie)
• No. 8 Kyle Busch (likely)
• No. 9 Chase Elliott
• No. 10 Ty Dillon (was No. 10, Daniel Hemric)
• No. 11 Denny Hamlin
• No. 12 Ryan Blaney
• No. 15 ?
• No. 16 AJ Allmendinger
• No. 17 Chris Buescher
• No. 19 Chase Briscoe (was Martin Truex Jr.)
• No. 20 Christopher Bell
• No. 21 Josh Berry (was Harrison Burton)
• No. 22 Joey Logano
• No. 23 Bubba Wallace
• No. 24 William Byron
• No. 34 Todd Gilliland
• No. 35 Riley Herbst (23XI; charter purchasing agreement up in the air w/SHR)
• No. ? Noah Gragson (FRM; was Michael McDowell)
• No. 38 Zane Smith (SHR sold charter to FRM)
• No. 41 Cole Custer (now Haas Factory Team; was Ryan Preece/SHR)
• No. 42 John Hunter Nemechek (likely)
• No. 43 Erik Jones
• No. 45 Tyler Reddick
• No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
• No. 48 Alex Bowman
• No. 51 ? (was Justin Haley)
• No. 54 Ty Gibbs
• No. 60 Ryan Preece (RFK, leased charter from RWR)
• No. 71 Michael McDowell (was Zane Smith)
• No. 77 Carson Hocevar
• No. 88 Shane van Gisbergen
• No. 99 Daniel Suarez