As first reported by The Charlotte Observer on April 24, Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed on Thursday that Truck and Xfinity series driver Erik Jones will fill in for the injured Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Toyota beginning with next weekend's race at Kansas. Jones, 18, is expected to remain with the team until Busch returns to action.
“I’m pretty excited and grateful for the opportunity to drive the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series and make my debut for Joe Gibbs Racing. This is a really good opportunity for me. We are going to try to manage our expectations and if we can go out and get a top-15 run and gain some experience, that would be a great day for us," Jones said.
At Kansas, Jones will be running a special paint scheme highlighting M&M’S support of Red Nose Day on the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota. Mars is proud to be a partner of Red Nose Day, a major charitable event that will be held on May 21.
With three races complete in the 2015 Truck season, Jones sits third in the series standings, six points out of the lead. In eight Xfinity Series starts this season, he has one win, three poles and five top-five finishes.
