Erik Jones Bio
Erik Benjamin Jones (born May 30, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club. Known by the nicknames EJ and That Jones Boy, Jones has built a reputation as a versatile driver capable of winning on a wide range of tracks, from superspeedways to intermediates. He became the first driver in NASCAR history to win Rookie of the Year honors in all three of the sport’s national series.
Early Life and Background
Erik Jones was born on May 30, 1996, in Byron, Michigan, to parents Dave and Carol Jones. He began his racing career at the age of seven, competing in quarter-midget racing, before moving into stock cars at age thirteen. His early education included attendance at Swartz Creek Academy, where he later received his high school diploma in a unique ceremony held at Texas Motor Speedway before a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in June 2014.
Growing up in Michigan, Jones developed his skills on short tracks throughout the Midwest. In 2010, he became the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Oktoberfest late model race at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway. The following year, he moved to the Champion Racing Association’s CRA All-Star Tour and won the series championship in his rookie season, becoming the first driver not born in Florida to win the Governor’s Cup 200 at New Smyrna Speedway in more than three decades.
His family and local racing community supported his rapid rise through the short-track ranks. In December 2012, Jones held off NASCAR veteran Kyle Busch to win the prestigious Snowball Derby, signaling his arrival as a future star. He added a second Snowball Derby title in December 2013 after the original winner was disqualified in post-race inspection.
Path to NASCAR
Jones transitioned to the ARCA Racing Series in 2012, becoming the first driver ever to compete in the series at age fifteen. He posted a best finish of third at Winchester Speedway and Berlin Raceway that season, then captured his first ARCA victory at Berlin Raceway in 2013. His performances drew the attention of top NASCAR team owners and paved the way for his national series debut.
In March 2013, Kyle Busch Motorsports signed Jones to drive a partial Camping World Truck Series schedule in the No. 51 Toyota Tundra after NASCAR relaxed its minimum age rule. On November 8, 2013, he became the youngest driver ever to win in NASCAR’s top-level national competition at that time, capturing the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway at age seventeen. That win confirmed his status as one of the most promising young talents in the sport.
After a successful 2014 Truck Series campaign, Jones was announced as a full-time driver in the series for 2015, while also expanding his role with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series. That same year, he delivered one of the most dominant rookie seasons in Truck Series history, winning the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship and earning Rookie of the Year honors in the process.
Erik Jones Career
Early Career (2012-2014)
Jones’s early professional career was defined by record-breaking performances across multiple developmental series. In the ARCA Racing Series, he became the youngest-ever competitor at fifteen and quickly added a victory at Berlin Raceway in 2013. His late model accolades, including back-to-back Snowball Derby wins and the CRA All-Star Tour championship, established him as a premier short-track talent before he reached the national stage.
His entry into NASCAR’s national series came through Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series in 2013. Jones won at Phoenix International Raceway that November, making history as the youngest winner in the series’ top-level competition. He continued his strong form in 2014, earning his first longer track victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and adding a fourth Truck Series win at Phoenix before being announced as a championship contender for 2015.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2014-2016)
Jones made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2014 at Chicagoland Speedway, finishing in the top ten in all three of his age-eligible races for Joe Gibbs Racing. In 2015, he expanded to a 25-race schedule split between the No. 20 and No. 54 Toyotas, winning his first Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in April and adding a second victory at Chicagoland later that season.
Moving to the Xfinity Series full-time in 2016, Jones quickly established himself as a championship threat. He won four times during the season at Bristol, Dover, Iowa, and Chicagoland, claiming three Dash 4 Cash bonuses along the way. Entering the Chase as the number one seed, Jones advanced to the championship round at Homestead and finished fourth in points. His dominant 2016 campaign also earned him NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year honors.
NASCAR Cup Series Breakthrough (2015-2020)
Jones unofficially debuted in the NASCAR Cup Series during the 2015 Food City 500, relieving Denny Hamlin due to injury. After running limited Cup races in 2016, he was announced as the full-time driver of Furniture Row Racing’s No. 77 Toyota for 2017, where he captured his first Cup Series pole at Bristol and earned Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the first driver ever to win Rookie of the Year in all three national series.
In 2018, Jones moved to the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota full-time following Matt Kenseth’s departure. He captured his first Cup Series victory at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway in July 2018, a win that secured him a playoff spot. He added a second Cup win at Darlington Raceway in September 2019, earning another playoff berth. After winning the 2020 Busch Clash at the Daytona International Speedway, Jones parted ways with Joe Gibbs Racing at season’s end.
Legacy Motor Club Era (2021-Present)
Jones joined Richard Petty Motorsports in 2021 to drive the iconic No. 43 Chevrolet, replacing Bubba Wallace. In 2022, he delivered one of the signature wins of his career by capturing the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway over Denny Hamlin, giving the No. 43 its first victory since 2014 and Petty GMS its first win as an organization. Following the 2022 season, Legacy Motor Club switched its manufacturer allegiance back to Toyota, reuniting Jones with the brand he had driven for throughout most of his career.
In 2023, Jones began his tenure with Legacy Motor Club’s No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE, posting seven top-ten finishes including a third-place run at Kansas Speedway that marked the team’s first top-five as an organization. The 2024 season proved more challenging, as a compression fracture in a lower vertebra suffered at Talladega forced him to miss a race, and the team struggled to find consistent speed. Despite the difficulties, Jones signed a multi-year contract extension with Legacy Motor Club.
Driving Style and Strengths
Erik Jones is widely recognized for his smooth, calculated driving style and his ability to excel on both intermediate tracks and high-banked superspeedways. His short-track background gives him strong race craft in close-quarter battles, while his superspeedway instincts were evident in his dramatic overtime wins at Daytona and Darlington. Jones’s consistency and mechanical sympathy have made him a respected teammate and a steady contender across all three NASCAR national series.
Notable Races and Milestones
Among Jones’s most memorable performances are his historic 2013 Truck Series win at Phoenix, which made him the youngest winner in NASCAR national series history at the time. His 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 victory at Daytona and his 2022 Southern 500 triumph at Darlington stand out as crown jewel wins, the latter giving the No. 43 its 200th career victory. He also earned a place in the record books as the only driver to win Rookie of the Year in the Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and Cup Series.
Erik Jones Career Wins
Erik Jones has recorded victories across all three of NASCAR’s national series, establishing himself as one of the most accomplished drivers of his generation. His win total includes a Truck Series championship, multiple Xfinity Series victories, and signature Cup Series wins at Daytona and Darlington.
Cup Series Highlights
Jones’s NASCAR Cup Series victory list is highlighted by his 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 win at Daytona International Speedway and his emotional 2022 Southern 500 victory at Darlington Raceway. His most recent Cup win came at one of NASCAR’s most prestigious events, the Southern 500, where he held off Denny Hamlin to give the No. 43 its first victory in nearly a decade.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his Cup success, Jones captured the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with Kyle Busch Motorsports and earned multiple victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His developmental series wins included races at Texas, Iowa, Chicagoland, Bristol, and Dover, demonstrating his versatility across track types. He also collected numerous ARCA Racing Series wins and short-track late model championships earlier in his career.
Erik Jones Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Erik Jones was raised in Byron, Michigan, by his parents, Dave and Carol Jones. He has a younger sister, Lindsey. His family’s support played a key role in his early racing development, helping him travel the Midwest short-track circuit as a child before his career expanded nationally. Jones’s roots in the Michigan racing community remain a defining part of his identity as a driver.
Personal Life
Jones married race car driver Holly Shelton on August 2, 2023, after the couple began dating in 2018. The couple has a son, David Wayne Jones. An avid reader, Jones launched a Facebook series in April 2020 called Erik’s Reading Circle, in which he reads children’s books and takes suggestions from fans. He hosts a corresponding book club on his official website. The Jones family resides in Cornelius, North Carolina.
2025 Season Performance
Erik Jones entered the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continuing his tenure with Legacy Motor Club and the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE. He opened the year with a twelfth-place finish at the 2025 Daytona 500, a solid start given the unpredictability of superspeedway racing. The team looked to build momentum through the early spring races as it worked to improve on a difficult 2024 campaign.
Following the spring Martinsville race, Jones was disqualified after his car failed to meet minimum weight requirements in post-race inspection. The setback added to the challenges facing Legacy Motor Club as it seeks to climb out of the lower tier of the Cup Series standings. Despite the disappointment, Jones and the team remained focused on extracting performance from the new Toyota Camry XSE.
Looking ahead, Jones’s multi-year contract with Legacy Motor Club provides stability as the organization invests in its technical alliance with Toyota. The partnership reunites Jones with the manufacturer where he won his Truck Series championship and developed as a young driver. With new personnel and improved preparation, Jones aims to return to playoff contention and add to his list of Cup Series victories.
