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Tag: 2021

  • Truex to remain at Joe Gibbs Racing following new contract extension

    Truex to remain at Joe Gibbs Racing following new contract extension

    With a new season of NASCAR competition underway, Martin Truex Jr. has inked an undisclosed extended contract agreement to continue to drive the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series.

    The 2017 Cup champion is coming off his 15th full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series, second with JGR, where he recorded a lone victory throughout the season at Martinsville Speedway in June. In addition, he achieved five stage wins, 14 top-five results, 23 top-10 results and a final points result of seventh place. It was also his first season with crew chief James Small, a former lead engineer for Truex who took over following the departure of Cole Pearn.

    “I’m happy to get this news out there so we can focus on this season and the future with Joe Gibbs Racing,” Truex said. “This is where I wanted to be and to continue building on the success we have had together the past two years. I appreciate Coach [Gibbs], my team, everyone at JGR and all of our partners like Bass Pro Shops, Auto-Owners Insurance, Reser’s Fine Foods, Stanley Black & Decker and Toyota for making this possible and I look forward to continuing those relationships as we move forward.”

    “Extending Martin’s agreement has been a big priority for us this off season,” Joe Gibbs, Owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, added. “Martin brings so much to our organization. Obviously he’s talented and shown he can win at any racetrack but his insights also helps to make all our teams better.”

    The 2021 Daytona 500 will mark Truex’s 17th attempt to win his first Harley J. Early Trophy. His best result in the 500 was a runner-up result in 2016, where he lost the battle against Denny Hamlin by a mere 0.010 seconds.

    In addition, Truex, who enters his 16th full-time season in the Cup circuit and third with JGR, will make his 550th Cup career start in this year’s Daytona 500. In his previous 549 starts, Truex has won 27 Cup races and one championship (2017). He has also achieved 19 poles, 116 top-five results and 228 top-10 results, all while competing for organizations that include Dale Earnhardt Inc., Michael Waltrip Racing, Furniture Row Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing.

  • Hamilton to remain with Mercedes in 2021

    Hamilton to remain with Mercedes in 2021

    The final piece to the 20-car roster for the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship season has been filled after it was announced that Sir Lewis Hamilton has inked a one-year contract extension with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team as he bids for a record-setting eighth World Championship.

    Hamilton is coming off an historic 2020 season, where he won 11 Grand Prix events and claimed his seventh World Championship, tying him with Michael Schumacher for the most F1 titles in history. Though he was absent from the Sakhir Grand Prix late in the season after testing positive for COVID-19 symptoms, he finished no lower than seventh place in 16 of 17 Grand Prix events in 2020 and he wrapped up the title by 124 points over teammate Valtteri Bottas, who will also remain at Mercedes for the 2021 season.

    In addition, Hamilton was knighted as part of the United Kingdom’s New Year’s Honours List, becoming the fourth Formula One competitor to receive a knighthood, (Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart).

    The 2021 season will mark Hamilton’s 15th full-time season in F1 competition, ninth with Mercedes. Since joining Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton won 74 races and six of his seven overall championships. He currently holds the most victories (95) and the most poles (98) in Formula One.

    “I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes teammates,” Hamilton said. “Our team has achieved incredible things together and we look forward to building on our success even further, while continuously looking to improve, both on and off the track.”

    While Hamilton raced his way to another dominating championship season in Formula One last season, he initially entered this off season with uncertainty and without an established contract for 2021 and beyond. Talks and negotiations regarding a new contract extension were put on hold highly due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and took time before the new deal was announced more than a month before the 2021 F1 season is due to start.

    “We have always been aligned with Lewis that we would continue, but the very unusual year we had in 2020 meant it took some time to finish the process,” Toto Wolff, Team Principal/CEO of Mercedes, said. “Together, we have decided to extend the sporting relationship for another season and to begin a longer-term project to take the next step in our shared commitment to greater diversity within our sport. Lewis’s competitive record stands alongside the best the sports world has ever seen, and he is a valued ambassador for our brand and our partners. The story of Mercedes and Lewis has written itself into the history books of our sport over the past eight seasons, and we are hungry to compete and to add more chapters to it.”

    Another key element that is included in Hamilton’s new contract with Mercedes is a joint charitable foundation with a purpose towards supporting greater diversity and inclusion in all its forms in motorsports. Last season, Hamilton was a leading advocate in vocalizing his support towards the Black Lives Matter movement and diversity in Formula One.

    “I’m equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue,” Hamilton added. “I’m proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. I am inspired by all that we can build together and can’t wait to get back on the track in March.”

    Hamilton’s quest for an eighth World Championship is set to begin on March 28 for the 2021 Formula One season-opening Grand Prix event at Bahrain International Circuit.

  • Haas F1 Team adds Mick Schumacher for 2021 season

    Haas F1 Team adds Mick Schumacher for 2021 season

    The Haas F1 Team completed its newly formed driver lineup for the 2021 Formula One season after the team announced the addition of Mick Schumacher, who will embark on his first full-time competition in F1 racing next year.

    Schumacher, a 21-year-old German from Vufflens-le-Château, Switzerland, is the son of Michael Schumacher, seven-time Formula One champion. He is also a Formula 2 competitor for Prema Racing, having achieved two victories and 10 podiums this season. He currently leading the championship standings by 14 points entering the series’ pair of final events of the 2020 season at the Bahrain International Circuit scheduled on December 5-6.

    The news comes a day after the Haas F1 Team announced that Nikita Mazepin, a Formula 2 competitor from Moscow, Russia, will join the organization as one of the team’s new competitors for the 2021 F1 season. Both Mazepin and Schumacher will replace Haas’ current lineup, featuring Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.

    “I’m very pleased that we’re able to confirm Mick Schumacher in our driver line-up for next season and I look forward to welcoming him into the team,” Guenther Steiner, Haas’ Team Principal, said. “The Formula 2 Championship has long served as a proving ground for talent to showcase their credentials and this year’s field has undoubtedly been one of the most competitive in recent seasons. Mick has won races, collected podiums and excelled against some pretty exceptional talent in 2020. I firmly believe he’s earned the opportunity to graduate into Formula 1 based on his performances. We have an opportunity ahead of us, as a team, to evaluate and nurture a new driver given our familiarity with our race package heading into 2021. We are putting in place our building blocks for the continued long-term growth of the team and I look forward to Mick’s contributions both on and off the track in that process.”

    Schumacher comes into Formula One Racing with an extensive background of racing, having competed in karting before competing in the 2015 ADAC Formula 4 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing. The following year, he competed in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship and the Italian Formula 4 Championship with Prema Powerteam before he campaigned in the 2016-17 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 for MRF Racing. In 2017, Schumacher raced in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship with Prema Powerteam before winning eight races and the championship the following season. In 2019, after joining the Ferrari Academy, he competed in the Formula 2 Championship with Prema Racing, where he achieved his first victory at Hungaroring in Hungary and finished in 12th place in the final standings.

    With Mick set to join Haas on a multi-year basis, he is set to become the third member of the Schumacher family to compete in F1, joining his father Michael and uncle Ralf. He will also experience his first laps with Haas in an FP1 at Abu Dhabi next week, where he will then participate in a rookie test a few days following the 2020 F1 finale event at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

    “The prospect of being on the Formula 1 grid next year makes me incredibly happy and I’m simply speechless,” Schumacher said. “I would like to thank Haas F1 Team, Scuderia Ferrari and the Ferrari Driver Academy for placing their trust in me. I also want to acknowledge and extend my love to my parents – I know that I owe them everything. I have always believed that I would realise my dream of Formula 1. A huge thank you must also go to all the great motorsport fans out there who have supported me throughout my career. I will give it my all, as I always do, and I look forward to going on this journey together with Haas F1 and them.”

    Mick Schumacher is set to make his Formula One debut in the 2021 season-opening event at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit for the Australian Grand Prix on March 21, 2021.

  • Nikita Mazepin named Haas F1 competitor for 2021 season

    Nikita Mazepin named Haas F1 competitor for 2021 season

    Haas F1 Team announced Nikita Mazepin has inked a multi-year contract to drive for America’s lone Formula One team for the 2021 season, which will mark Mazepin’s first competition in F1.

    Mazepin, a 21-year-old native from Moscow, Russia, currently competes in the FIA Formula 2 Championship for Hitech Racing. He won his first two F2 career races this season in featured events (Silverstone Circuit and Mugello Circuit), he has achieved six podium results and he is ranked in third place in the Drivers’ standings with the series entering its pair of final races of the season at the Bahrian International Circuit on December 5-6.

    The announcement of Mazepin joining Haas is all part of Haas’ new driver roster for the 2021 season after the team announced in late October that Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will not be returning next season.

    “I’m delighted that Nikita Mazepin will be driving for Haas F1 Team next season,” Guenther Steiner, Haas’ Team Principal, said. “Nikita has underlined his credentials in Formula 2 this year with a brace of victories and a handful of podiums in what’s been a strong sophomore season for him. He’s developed into a mature racer moving up through the junior ranks – notably most recently in the GP3 Series, where he finished runner-up in 2018, and obviously in Formula 2 over the past two seasons. I’m excited to see what Nikita can achieve in Formula 1 and we look forward to giving him the opportunity to compete at the highest level of world motorsport. With a record-setting 23 race schedule set for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, he’s going to get plenty of track action to learn all the nuances of Grand Prix racing.”

    Mazepin comes into Formula One racing with an extensive background in racing, having competed in the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC for Josef Kaufmann Racing and the Toyota Racing Series for ETEC Motorsport in 2015 before racing in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship the following two seasons for Hitech GP. He then competed in the GP3 Series for ART Grand Prix in 2018, where he won four races and finished in second place in the final standings. The following season, he competed in the FIA Formula 2 Championship season for ART Grand Prix, where he claimed two poles and finished in 18th place in the final standings. He also competed in the 2019-20 F3 Asian Championship with Hitech Grand Prix, where he finished in third place in the final standings.

    Mazepin is also a former F1 test competitor for Force India and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. He is set to become the fourth Russian to compete in Formula One, joining Vitaly Petrov, Sergey Sirotkin and Daniil Kvyat.

    “Becoming a Formula 1 driver is a lifelong dream come true for me,” Mazepin said. “I really appreciate the trust being put in me by Gene Haas, Guenther Steiner, and the whole of the team. They’re giving a young driver an opportunity and I thank them for that. I’m looking forward to starting our relationship together, both on and off the track, and I’m naturally keen to continue to demonstrate my abilities after a strong Formula 2 season. The team will be looking to me for feedback and inputs in order to refine its package for 2021 and beyond. I will take that responsibility on and can’t wait to get started.”

    An announcement of Haas’ second competitor for the 2021 F1 season will be announced at a later date.

  • Joe Gibbs Racing announces 2021 crew chief lineup

    Joe Gibbs Racing announces 2021 crew chief lineup

    Joe Gibbs Racing revealed its crew chief lineup for the 2021 NASCAR season, featuring a handful of changes to the organization’s powerhouse stable between the Cup and Xfinity Series.

    Adam Stevens, two-time Cup Series championship crew chief, will move to JGR’s No. 20 Toyota Camry team and serve as crew chief for Christopher Bell, who is to embark on his first full-time season with JGR in NASCAR’s premier series. Ben Beshore, a former engineer for JGR’s No. 18 team, will become a full-time Cup Series crew chief for the No. 18 Toyota team and be paired with two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch.

    Stevens is coming off his sixth full-time season as crew chief for the No. 18 Toyota team in the Cup circuit, having won two championships and 28 races with Kyle Busch. Beshore is coming off his second full-time season in the Xfinity Series as a crew chief, where he led Harrison Burton to four victories and the 2020 Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year title. He won four Xfinity races with Kyle Busch in 2019.

    Chris Gabehart, reigning two-time Daytona 500 winning crew chief, will remain atop the pit box of the No. 11 Toyota Camry team driven by reigning three-time Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin while James Small, coming off his first full-time season as a Cup crew chief, will also return as crew chief for the No. 19 Toyota Camry team driven by former Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. for the 2021 Cup season.

    In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, veteran Jason Ratcliff will return to JGR and serve as crew chief for Harrison Burton and the No. 20 Toyota Supra team. Ratcliff is coming off a full-time Cup Series season as crew chief for Christopher Bell and Leavine Family Racing, which ceased operations following the 2020 season.

    Jeff Meendering will remain as crew chief for Brandon Jones and the No. 19 Toyota Supra team while veteran Dave Rogers will also return as crew chief for the No. 18 Toyota Supra team set to be driven by Daniel Hemric, JGR’s newest competitor, in 2021.

    Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images.

    “We go through a process at the conclusion of every season that includes evaluating each of our teams,” Joe Gibbs, Owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, said. “We believe our crew chief lineup for 2021 will best position each team and driver for success across both series.”

    JGR also announced plans to field a fourth entry, the No. 54 Toyota Supra, for the 2021 Xfinity Series season led by crew chief Chris Gayle. Gayle is coming off his fourth full-time season as a Cup crew chief, where he worked with Erik Jones, who transitioned to Richard Petty Motorsports for the 2021 season. The driver lineup and schedule of the No. 54 operation will be announced at a later date.

    “We take a lot of pride in our depth of talent across our entire organization,” Gibbs added. “All of our crew chiefs are proven winners. We are also looking forward to bringing the No. 54 Toyota Supra back to the track in 2021 with an exciting team of drivers.”

    Joe Gibbs Racing’s new driver-crew chief pairings will debut at Daytona International Speedway in February 2021.

  • Harrison Burton to remain at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021

    Harrison Burton to remain at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021

    Following an impressive performance in his rookie season, Harrison Burton will be returning to Joe Gibbs Racing and compete in his second full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series season in 2021.

    A 20-year-old native from Huntersville, North Carolina, and the son of former NASCAR veteran Jeff Burton, Harrison is coming off a strong first full-time season in the Xfinity Series, where he drove the No. 20 Dex Imaging Toyota Supra for JGR and after spending the 2019 season as a full-time NASCAR Truck Series competitor for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    Throughout the 33-race schedule, Burton achieved his first four career victories (Auto Club Speedway in February, Homestead-Miami Speedway in June, Texas Motor Speedway in October and Martinsville Speedway in November). He also led the series standings for two weeks early in the season, following his first series victory at Auto Club Speedway and a runner-up result at Phoenix Raceway the following week. In addition, Harrison Burton broke Carl Edwards’ previous rookie record of achieving top-10 results in nine races after he achieved top-10 results during the first 10 consecutive races of the season, an achievement that was made in June following the series’ doubleheader feature at Homestead.

    Along with his first four victories, Burton achieved 15 top-five results, 22 top-10 results and an average result of 10.0. He also made the 2020 Xfinity Playoffs until he was eliminated from title contention in October following the first round. Despite his early exit from the Playoffs, Burton went on to win back-to-back races in the Playoffs before he concluded the season in eighth place in the final standings. When the season concluded, he achieved the 2020 Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year title.

    Burton’s return to JGR completes the team’s full-time lineup for the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, where he will be a teammate to veteran Brandon Jones and the team’s newcomer Daniel Hemric.

    Catch the beginning of Harrison Burton’s sophomore season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2021.

  • Travis Mack named crew chief for Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021

    Travis Mack named crew chief for Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021

    Trackhouse Racing Team announced that Travis Mack will be serving as crew chief for the team’s No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team and driver Daniel Suarez for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

    The announcement comes approximately a week after the 2020 NASCAR season concluded, where Mack is coming off his second full-time season as an Xfinity Series crew chief for Michael Annett and the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro team.

    Mack, a native from Louisville, Kentucky, joins Trackhouse Racing with an extensive resume of working on race cars and for racing teams. Starting his career working as a car chief for 10-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel in the early 2000s, Mack joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2005 and worked as a shock specialist. From there, his career blossomed as he was also a member of Hendrick Motorsports’ Nos. 24 and 88 teams before becoming a car chief for JR Motorsports and HMS in 2012-2017, working with names like Regan Smith, Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Mack made his first two appearances as a crew chief late in the 2017 Cup Series season for Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Chevrolet SS team before being announced as a full-time crew chief for Kasey Kahne and the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team for the 2018 Cup season. Midway through the 2018 season, Mack returned to JR Motorsports to serve as crew chief for Michael Annett and the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro team.

    In February 2019, Mack achieved his first win as a crew chief when Annett also achieved his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Daytona International Speedway in February after leading a race-high/final 45 laps of the race. They went on to achieve a total of six top-five results and 19 top-10 results along with a pole as they made the Playoffs, where they concluded the season in ninth place in the final standings.

    This past season, Annett and Mack achieved four top-five results and 22 top-10 results as they made the Playoffs before concluding the season in ninth place in the final standings.

    The move to Trackhouse Racing will mark Mack’s return to the Cup Series as a crew chief since June 2018 when he was with Kasey Kahne and Leavine Family Racing.

    Trackhouse Racing Team is a newly formed NASCAR Cup Series team created by Justin Marks, an entrepreneur and former competitor, that announced its entrance into the sport in October. During the announcement, the team revealed that Daniel Suarez, the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and Cup Series veteran from Monterrey, Mexico, will be serving as their driver for the 2021 season. The team will be technically aligned with Richard Childress Racing and operate in Welcome, North Carolina. The team is also guaranteed an entry for every Cup race next season after being leased a charter from Spire Motorsports.

    Catch Mack’s return and Trackhouse Racing Team’s debut at Daytona International Speedway for the 63rd running of the Daytona 500 on February 14, 2021.

  • Moffitt to compete full 2021 Xfinity schedule with Our Motorsports

    Moffitt to compete full 2021 Xfinity schedule with Our Motorsports

    Following a productive 2020 season, Brett Moffitt will be moving up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and drive a Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time basis with Our Motorsports for the 2021 season.

    Moffitt, a 28-year-old native from Grimes, Iowa, is coming off his second full-time season in the NASCAR Truck Series with GMS Racing, where he recorded a single victory (Kansas Speedway in October), 10 top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an average result of 9.7. He was one of four competitors to make the Championship 4 round at Phoenix Raceway, where he finished in fourth place in the final standings.

    In addition, Moffitt competed in 29 Xfinity Series races with Our Motorsports in 2020, where he recorded one top-five result, seven top-10 results and an average result of 18.3, with a best on-track result of fifth place at Talladega Superspeedway in June. He contributed to the team’s final owners’ points result of 15th place.

    The 2021 season will mark Moffitt’s first full-time campaign in the Xfinity Series after spending the last three seasons as a Truck Series competitor, where he won the 2018 championship with Hattori Racing Enterprises and made the Championship 4 round in his last two seasons with GMS Racing.

    Moffitt’s move to full-time racing with Our Motorsports means that he will not be returning to GMS Racing next season.

    “[Year] 2020 was a learning year for the entire Our Motorsports operation and the program is now ready to step up to another level,” Moffitt said. “I’m thankful for the last two seasons with GMS Racing and the support Maury Gallagher, Spencer Gallagher, Ron Booth, Mike Beam and the entire team gave me.”

    “Brett has been instrumental in helping us build this team from scratch and be competitive,” Chris Our, Owner of Our Motorsports, said. “We’ve challenged each other to turn Our Motorsports into a race-winning organization and we have some exciting things in the works that will help us accomplish that goal together.”

    With Moffitt confirmed as a full-time driver for Our Motorsports, Joe Williams will also remain as crew chief for the organization in 2021.

    “Our Motorsports has made great strides in 2020 and I’m really excited to carry that momentum into 2021 with Brett Moffitt behind the wheel,” Williams said. “Brett is the kind of driver that makes us better as an organization and I am confident in what we can accomplish together next year.”

    Additional details regarding Moffitt’s sponsors and the organization for next season will be announced at a later date.

  • Hemric lands full-time ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021

    Hemric lands full-time ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021

    Daniel Hemric has a team to call home for the 2021 NASCAR season. That team is Joe Gibbs Racing after it was announced that Hemric will be joining the organization and drive the No. 18 Toyota Supra on a full-time basis in next year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

    Hemric, a 29-year-old native from Kannapolis, North Carolina, is coming off a part-time season with JR Motorsports, where he recorded seven top-five results, 12 top-10 results and an average result of 16.2 in 21 starts throughout the 33-race schedule. He also earned a pair of runner-up finishes last season and contributed to JRM’s No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro team finishing in ninth place in the 2020 Xfinity Owners’ standings.

    Hemric’s move to JGR next season will mark the third different team he has driven for in the past three seasons. It will also mark his first full-time season in NASCAR since the 2019 Cup Series, where he captured the Rookie-of-the-Year title, and first in the Xfinity Series since 2018.

    In two previous full-time seasons in the Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing (2017 and 2018), Hemric earned a combined 23 top-five results and 39 top-10 results. He also made the Championship 4 round in both seasons, finishing fourth in the 2017 final standings and third in the 2018 final standings.

    With a combined 175 starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series (50 in the Truck Series, 87 in the Xfinity Series and 38 in the Cup Series), Hemric is still pursuing his first victory.

    “It’s been quite a roller coaster ride for me over the last few years, but I can’t say how thankful I am for the opportunity to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing,” Hemric said. “Their reputation speaks for itself. I know they have high expectations for me, as I do as well, and I could not be more excited to chase the Xfinity Series championship with them next season.”

    With Hemric set to join JGR, he will be a teammate to Brandon Jones, a three-time race winner of the 2020 Xfinity Series season, and Harrison Burton, the 2020 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year who won his first four races this past season. This also completes JGR’s full-time Xfinity Series lineup for the 2021 season.

    We’re excited to have Daniel join our Xfinity Series team,” Steve de Souza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for Joe Gibbs Racing, said. “He has proven the ability to run up front and we believe his experience and consistency will be a benefit to our overall program. We look forward to him competing with Brandon [Jones] and Harrison [Burton] for wins and contending for a championship.”

    Riley Herbst, who drove the No. 18 Toyota full-time in 2020, will be departing the organization and pursue another opportunity in racing to be announced.

    Sponsorship and crew chief details for Hemric will be announced at a later date.

  • Brandon Jones to remain at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021

    Brandon Jones to remain at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021

    Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Brandon Jones will be remaining as a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor for the organization and in the No. 19 Toyota Supra in 2021.

    The 23-year-old native from Atlanta, Georgia, is currently in his third season competing with JGR in the Xfinity circuit. Through 29 Xfinity races this season, Jones has achieved three victories (Phoenix Raceway in March, Kansas Speedway in July and at Darlington Raceway in September). He has also recorded one pole, a career-high nine top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an average result of 13.0. He is still in contention for this year’s Xfinity Series championship after advancing to the Round of 8 in the Xfinity Playoffs following last weekend’s event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

    “This has been a dream season so far and I couldn’t be prouder of our 19 team,” Jones said. “It’s been great to have Jeff Meendering as my crew chief for the second consecutive year and his leadership along with the consistency is exactly what this team needed. I also realize how fortunate I am to have partners like Menards and Toyota; their support means the world to me. This has been a phenomenal year and I couldn’t be more excited about being back at Joe Gibbs Racing next season. Right now, I remain focused on our championship run and making it to Phoenix where I won earlier this year for a shot at the Xfinity Series title.”

    Through mid-October 2020, Jones has made 166 career starts in the Xfinity Series. He competed with Richard Childress Racing from 2015 through 2017 before joining JGR in 2018. He has achieved four career wins in the Xfinity circuit along with three poles, 18 top-five results and 66 top-10 results. He has made the Xfinity Playoffs four times, including this season.

    Jones has also made 48 career starts in the NASCAR Truck Series, from 2013 through this year. He captured his first elusive victory in the series at Pocono Raceway in June while driving the No. 51 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    “It has been a real thrill to watch Brandon’s development over the past few years with us in the Xfinity Series,” Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, added. “He is a Championship contender of course and his veteran leadership has been a real asset to our overall program. We’re excited about the opportunity he has the rest of this year and that he will return next season and continue to build upon that success.”

    While Jones is set to remain at JGR next season, the remainder of the team’s driver lineup in the Xfinity Series will be announced at a later date.

    Jones is set to return for the next NASCAR Xfinity Series event on the schedule this weekend at Kansas Speedway, a track where he has won at the last two visits for the series. The Xfinity event at Kansas will occur on Saturday, October 17, at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.