The team in August decided to replace Jones with Christopher Bell, another longtime Toyota development driver, a swap Jones said “blindsided” him because he believed he was working on a contract extension with Gibbs. Jones has not had the same overall Cup success of his Gibbs teammates, and he failed to make the playoffs this year. Both victories locked Jones into the playoffs. He won the July race at Daytona International Speedway in 2018 and the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway the next year. Jones' 18 national series victories include a pair of Cup Series wins at two of NASCAR's most storied tracks. Jones won rookie of the year in the Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series, as well as the Truck Series championship. Toyota helped Jones land a full-time ride in the Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports, then moved him through NASCAR's national ladder with Gibbs. He was a longtime developmental driver for the manufacturer and his career was fast-tracked when as a 16-year-old he beat Kyle Busch in a late model race. Jones begins a new journey outside of Toyota for the first time in his career. “Great choice to keep the needle moving! Awesome people to be around at track and away!" Wallace tweeted. Jerry Baxter will return as crew chief of the No. RPM will again field a Chevrolet next season in partnership with Richard Childress Racing. I think Erik gives us an opportunity to get back to our winning ways.” “It's a passion of the family and we want to keep things headed in the right direction. “We've been here since it started in 1948 and we plan to be involved for many, many years,” Moffitt told the AP. RPM chairman Brian Moffitt said there was “no fear at all” the organization would not survive splitting with Wallace. Instead, a volatile free-agent market helped RPM land Jones, a 24-year-old considered among the top young talent in NASCAR. The loss of Wallace could have crippled RPM, the cash-strapped team co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty. Wallace's recent prominence helped the driver sign millions of dollars in new sponsorship, but the funding will follow him next season when he moves to a new team formed by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. 43 and RPM adopted Wallace's “compassion, love, understanding” platform. He ran a Black Lives Matter paint scheme on the No. Wallace, NASCAR's only full-time Black driver, this season has been outspoken on racial inequality and injustice. It’s just a really clean slate, a chance to start from scratch and do something completely different." “We are both motivated to write a new chapter. “They still have something to prove and I have something to prove," Jones told The Associated Press. Wallace’s social activism this year became the defining characteristic of the storied Petty organization. Jones in August was dropped by megateam Joe Gibbs Racing after six seasons, while Bubba Wallace and RPM are splitting at the end of the year. 43 next season for Richard Petty Motorsports, a pairing of a driver and a team both in need of fresh starts. (AP) - Erik Jones will drive NASCAR's iconic No.
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