Erik Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Erik Jones |
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Jones at Sonoma Raceway in 2025
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| Born | Erik Benjamin Jones May 30, 1996 Byron, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Achievements | First driver ever to win Rookie of the Year in all three NASCAR national series 2019, 2022 Southern 500 Winner 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion 2011 CRA JEGS All-Star Tour Champion 2011 Florida Governor's Cup Winner 2012, 2013 Snowball Derby Winner 2013, 2014, 2015 Winchester 400 Winner 2014 Howie Lettow Memorial Winner 2015 Redbud 400 Winner 2020 Busch Clash Winner 2023 Money in the Bank 150 Winner |
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| Awards | 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 304 races run over 10 years | |||||||
| Car no., team | No. 43 (Legacy Motor Club) | ||||||
| 2024 position | 28th | ||||||
| Best finish | 15th (2018) | ||||||
| First race | 2015 SpongeBob SquarePants 400 (Kansas) | ||||||
| Last race | 2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| First win | 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last win | 2022 Cook Out Southern 500 (Darlington) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 79 races run over 6 years | |||||||
| 2021 position | 105th | ||||||
| Best finish | 4th (2016) | ||||||
| First race | 2014 EnjoyIllinois.com 300 (Chicagoland) | ||||||
| Last race | 2021 Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200 at The Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
| First win | 2015 O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 (Texas) | ||||||
| Last win | 2017 O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 (Texas) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 42 races run over 5 years | |||||||
| 2018 position | 93rd | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2015) | ||||||
| First race | 2013 Kroger 250 (Martinsville) | ||||||
| Last race | 2018 Gander Outdoors 150 (Pocono) | ||||||
| First win | 2013 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| Last win | 2015 WinStar World Casino & Resort 350 (Texas) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of June 8, 2025. | |||||||
Erik Benjamin Jones (born May 30, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Legacy Motor Club, driving the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE. People sometimes call him EJ (his initials) or That Jones Boy. Erik has won the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. He is also the first driver to win the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award in all three of NASCAR's top series!
Racing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Racing
Erik Jones started racing when he was just seven years old in small "quarter-midget" cars. By age 13, he was racing stock cars. In 2010, he became the youngest person to win the Oktoberfest race at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway.
In 2011, Erik won the championship in the CRA All-Star Tour in his first year. He also won the Governor's Cup 200 race, leading every single lap! He was the first driver not from Florida to win that race in over 30 years.
In 2012 and 2013, Erik won the famous Snowball Derby race. In 2012, he beat NASCAR star Kyle Busch. In 2013, he was named the winner after another driver was disqualified.
ARCA Racing Series
Erik started racing in the ARCA Racing Series in 2012 when he was 15. He was the first driver ever to race in the series at that young age. He finished third twice that year. In 2013, he got his first ARCA win at Berlin Raceway, leading most of the race.
NASCAR Truck Series Success
In 2013, Erik joined Kyle Busch Motorsports to race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. NASCAR changed the rules so that 16-year-olds could race on shorter tracks. Erik finished second in his third race.
On November 8, 2013, Erik made history! He won the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway when he was only 17 years old. This made him the youngest driver to win a NASCAR national series race at that time.
In 2014, Erik continued to race for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He won at Iowa Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He also won again at Phoenix, his fourth Truck Series win.
The 2015 season was a big one for Erik. He raced full-time for the championship in the Truck Series. He won three races that year, including at Iowa Speedway and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He battled against other top drivers and won the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship!
Erik returned for a few Truck Series races in 2016 and 2018, finishing fifth and second, respectively.
Xfinity Series Journey
In 2014, Erik started racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. He finished in the top ten in all three races he competed in that year.
In 2015, Erik raced in 25 Xfinity Series races. He got his first Xfinity win at Texas Motor Speedway. Later that year, he won at Chicagoland Speedway, completing a "weekend sweep" by also winning a Truck Series race.
Erik raced full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2016. He won four races that season, including at Bristol Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway. He made it to the championship round at Homestead, finishing fourth in the points standings.
In 2017, Erik raced part-time in the Xfinity Series while also racing in the Cup Series. He won two races in a row at Texas and Bristol.
NASCAR Cup Series Career
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Erik made his first unofficial start in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2015. He filled in for Denny Hamlin at Bristol. Later that year, he officially debuted at Kansas, filling in for Kyle Busch. He also raced in a few more races at the end of 2015.
Joining Furniture Row Racing
In 2017, Erik joined Furniture Row Racing to drive the No. 77 car full-time. He earned his first Cup Series pole position at Bristol and led many laps, finishing second in that race.
Moving to Joe Gibbs Racing
In 2018, Erik moved to Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 20 car. On July 7, 2018, he won his first Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway in the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400. This win secured his spot in the playoffs.
In 2019, Erik won his second Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway in the 2019 Bojangles' Southern 500. This win also put him in the playoffs. He signed a new contract with Joe Gibbs Racing for 2020.
In 2020, Erik started the year by winning the 2020 Busch Clash race. However, later that year, Joe Gibbs Racing announced they would not continue with him after the season. He finished 17th in points that year.
Racing for Richard Petty Motorsports and Legacy Motor Club
In 2021, Erik joined Richard Petty Motorsports to drive the famous No. 43 car, replacing Bubba Wallace. He finished 24th in the points standings.
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In 2022, Erik stayed with the No. 43 car, which became part of Petty GMS Motorsports. He had a great third-place finish at Fontana. Even though he didn't make the playoffs, Erik won the 2022 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington. This was a huge win for his team and the 200th win for the No. 43 car! He finished 18th in points.
For the 2023 season, Erik's No. 43 car was sponsored by the band Guns N' Roses for the 2023 Daytona 500. He had several top-10 finishes, including an eighth place at Atlanta Motor Speedway and a third place at Kansas Speedway. He ended the season 27th in points.
In 2024, Erik started the season with an eighth-place finish at the 2024 Daytona 500. He had a tough crash at Talladega Superspeedway and missed a race due to a back injury. Despite challenges, he finished fifth at the fall Talladega race and signed a new multi-year contract with Legacy Motor Club.
The 2025 season started with a 12th-place finish at the 2025 Daytona 500. After a race at Martinsville, his car was disqualified for being too light.
Personal Life
Erik Jones was born on May 30, 1996, in Byron, Michigan. He graduated from Swartz Creek Academy. He even received his high school diploma at Texas Motor Speedway in 2014!
He lives in Cornelius, North Carolina, and has a younger sister named Lindsey. Erik loves to read! He started "Erik's Reading Circle" on Facebook in 2020, where he reads children's books. He also has a book club on his website.
Erik married fellow race car driver Holly Shelton on August 2, 2023.
Motorsports Career Results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Cup Series
| NASCAR Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | NCSC | Pts | Ref | ||
| 2015 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 11 | Toyota | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | MAR | TEX | BRI RL† |
RCH | TAL | 54th | 01 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | KAN 40 |
CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY | KEN | NHA | IND | POC | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | CHI | NHA | DOV | CLT | KAN | TAL | MAR | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | TEX 12 |
PHO 19 |
HOM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Furniture Row Racing | 77 | Toyota | DAY 39 |
ATL 14 |
LVS 15 |
PHO 8 |
CAL 12 |
MAR 12 |
TEX 22 |
BRI 17 |
RCH 38 |
TAL 33 |
KAN 22 |
CLT 7 |
DOV 15 |
POC 3 |
MCH 13 |
SON 25 |
DAY 9 |
KEN 6 |
NHA 39 |
IND 31 |
POC 8 |
GLN 10 |
MCH 3 |
BRI 2* |
DAR 5 |
RCH 6 |
CHI 33 |
NHA 6 |
DOV 12 |
CLT 17 |
TAL 36 |
KAN 35 |
MAR 26 |
TEX 10 |
PHO 4 |
HOM 21 |
19th | 863 | |||
| 2018 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 20 | Toyota | DAY 36 |
ATL 11 |
LVS 8 |
PHO 9 |
CAL 7 |
MAR 17 |
TEX 4 |
BRI 26 |
RCH 13 |
TAL 39 |
DOV 18 |
KAN 7 |
CLT 19 |
POC 29 |
MCH 15 |
SON 7 |
CHI 6 |
DAY 1 |
KEN 7 |
NHA 16 |
POC 5 |
GLN 5 |
MCH 13 |
BRI 5 |
DAR 8 |
IND 2 |
LVS 40 |
RCH 11 |
ROV 30 |
DOV 4 |
TAL 8 |
KAN 4 |
MAR 26 |
TEX 4 |
PHO 17 |
HOM 30 |
15th | 2220 | |||
| 2019 | DAY 3 |
ATL 7 |
LVS 13 |
PHO 29 |
CAL 19 |
MAR 30 |
TEX 4 |
BRI 24 |
RCH 14 |
TAL 19 |
DOV 6 |
KAN 3 |
CLT 40 |
POC 3 |
MCH 31 |
SON 8 |
CHI 7 |
DAY 23 |
KEN 3 |
NHA 3 |
POC 2 |
GLN 4 |
MCH 18 |
BRI 22 |
DAR 1 |
IND 39 |
LVS 36 |
RCH 38 |
ROV 40 |
DOV 15 |
TAL 34 |
KAN 7 |
MAR 20 |
TEX 10 |
PHO 7 |
HOM 3 |
16th | 2194 | ||||||
| 2020 | DAY 18 |
LVS 23 |
CAL 10 |
PHO 28 |
DAR 8 |
DAR 5 |
CLT 11 |
CLT 26 |
BRI 5 |
ATL 28 |
MAR 20 |
HOM 21 |
TAL 5 |
POC 38 |
POC 3 |
IND 33 |
KEN 22 |
TEX 6 |
KAN 5 |
NHA 24 |
MCH 11 |
MCH 27 |
DRC 11 |
DOV 12 |
DOV 22 |
DAY 35 |
DAR 4 |
RCH 22 |
BRI 3 |
LVS 8 |
TAL 2 |
ROV 3 |
KAN 20 |
TEX 21 |
MAR 12 |
PHO 22 |
17th | 873 | ||||||
| 2021 | Richard Petty Motorsports | 43 | Chevy | DAY 39 |
DRC 14 |
HOM 27 |
LVS 10 |
PHO 20 |
ATL 24 |
BRD 9 |
MAR 30 |
RCH 19 |
TAL 27 |
KAN 25 |
DAR 18 |
DOV 22 |
COA 16 |
CLT 16 |
SON 11 |
NSH 19 |
POC 22 |
POC 31 |
ROA 19 |
ATL 24 |
NHA 19 |
GLN 27 |
IRC 7 |
MCH 18 |
DAY 11 |
DAR 32 |
RCH 21 |
BRI 8 |
LVS 26 |
TAL 9 |
ROV 17 |
TEX 12 |
KAN 29 |
MAR 8 |
PHO 22 |
24th | 641 | |||
| 2022 | Petty GMS Motorsports | DAY 29 |
CAL 3 |
LVS 31 |
PHO 25 |
ATL 14 |
COA 9 |
RCH 23 |
MAR 13 |
BRD 24 |
TAL 6 |
DOV 10 |
DAR 25 |
KAN 32 |
CLT 14 |
GTW 7 |
SON 22 |
NSH 11 |
ROA 26 |
ATL 4 |
NHA 19 |
POC 9 |
IRC 15 |
MCH 8 |
RCH 35 |
GLN 10 |
DAY 17 |
DAR 1 |
KAN 29 |
BRI 21 |
TEX 6 |
TAL 6 |
ROV 11 |
LVS 8 |
HOM 30 |
MAR 18 |
PHO 14 |
18th | 831 | |||||
| 2023 | Legacy Motor Club | DAY 37 |
CAL 19 |
LVS 19 |
PHO 21 |
ATL 8 |
COA 23 |
RCH 31 |
BRD 14 |
MAR 31 |
TAL 6 |
DOV 16 |
KAN 21 |
DAR 25 |
CLT 32 |
GTW 18 |
SON 32 |
NSH 8 |
CSC 16 |
ATL 11 |
NHA 11 |
POC 9 |
RCH 23 |
MCH 10 |
IRC 36 |
GLN 29 |
DAY 18 |
DAR 10 |
KAN 3 |
BRI 24 |
TEX 30 |
TAL 26 |
ROV 36 |
LVS 28 |
HOM 14 |
MAR 21 |
PHO 20 |
27th | 578 | |||||
| 2024 | Toyota | DAY 8 |
ATL 25 |
LVS 14 |
PHO 31 |
BRI 20 |
COA 32 |
RCH 14 |
MAR 12 |
TEX 19 |
TAL 35 |
DOV | KAN | DAR 19 |
CLT 19 |
GTW 26 |
SON 19 |
IOW 32 |
NHA 13 |
NSH 34 |
CSC 29 |
POC 14 |
IND 28 |
RCH 29 |
MCH 16 |
DAY 17 |
DAR 24 |
ATL 26 |
GLN 33 |
BRI 30 |
KAN 35 |
TAL 5 |
ROV 33 |
LVS 25 |
HOM 22 |
MAR 19 |
PHO 22 |
28th | 516 | |||||
| 2025 | DAY 12 |
ATL 31 |
COA 27 |
PHO 18 |
LVS 27 |
HOM 15 |
MAR 38 |
DAR 17 |
BRI 26 |
TAL 18 |
TEX 5 |
KAN 32 |
CLT 13 |
NSH 7 |
MCH 11 |
MXC 17 |
POC 13 |
ATL 5 |
CSC 25 |
SON 29 |
DOV 27 |
IND 36 |
IOW |
GLN | RCH | DAY | DAR | GTW | BRI | NHA | KAN | ROV | LVS | TAL | MAR | PHO | -* | -* | ||||||
| † – Relieved Denny Hamlin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Daytona 500
| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 34 | 39 |
| 2018 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 | 36 |
| 2019 | 28 | 3 | ||
| 2020 | 14 | 18 | ||
| 2021 | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31 | 39 |
| 2022 | Petty GMS Motorsports | 13 | 29 | |
| 2023 | Legacy Motor Club | 25 | 37 | |
| 2024 | Toyota | 11 | 8 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 12 |
See also
In Spanish: Erik Jones para niños
