Joe Gibbs Racing announced today that longtime partner GameStop will sponsor Erik Jones for 10 races in the No. 20 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. This season will mark GameStop’s eighth season partnering with the Joe Gibbs Racing organization.
Matt Kenseth piloted the No. 20 GameStop Toyota in 2013 and 2014, finishing his two-year stint with a win at the season finale XFINITY Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kenseth now hands the reins over to 18-year-old Jones who will drive the No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry for 10 races this season, starting with the XFINITY Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway.
“As a gamer, I’ve always followed the cars GameStop puts on the track each year,” Jones said. “It’s so cool that they change their paint scheme for every race, and they’ve featured many of my favorite games. It’s exciting to have the opportunity to combine my love for gaming with my career as a NASCAR driver. I know we’ll be competitive each week with the GameStop Toyota, and I’m confident we’ll be able to get us a win, or a few, this season.”
The 2015 season will mark the second season that Jones has competed in the XFINITY Series with Joe Gibbs Racing. The Byron, Mich.-native wheeled the No. 20 Toyota in three races in 2014, and represented GameStop at Phoenix International Raceway in November where he started third and locked in a sixth-place finish. Jones’ three XFINITY starts in 2014 earned him an average start of 4.3 and average finish of 7.0.
“We welcome the opportunity to have Erik driving for us this season,” said Bob Puzon, senior vice president of merchandising for GameStop. “We’ve never shied away from talented young drivers like Erik. He has a winning track record in the truck series, and we believe he will continue his trips to Victory Lane in our car this year. We also think Erik will be a great brand ambassador for us, because he clearly represents our core customer. He is an avid gamer and has been a GameStop shopper for quite a while.”
“We’re thrilled to have Erik Jones back in the No. 20 Camry this season in the XFINITY Series,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “Erik is a great addition to our program and will be a great representative of GameStop. We also have Mike Wheeler stepping up to lead the No. 20 Toyota team as crew chief. It will be exciting to watch those two together as they run up front and contend for wins each time Erik is in the No. 20 Camry.”
Mike Wheeler assumes the role of crew chief for the No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry team this year, his first season as crew chief. Wheeler has been with JGR since December 2002 and served as the race engineer on the No. 11 Cup team since the team’s formation in 2005.
