UPDATE: Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern reports that contract extension talks are now going on between Joe Gibbs Racing and Erik Jones.
A critical part of those driver/team negotiations will be sponsorship and those discussions are also underway.
Preliminary contract extension talks between @Erik_Jones and @JoeGibbsRacing have begun, per his attorney Alan Miller.
➖ The other big possible extension related to the No. 20 after 2020 is @BlackAndDecker/@DewaltTough, and the team has seemed confident that it will earn one. pic.twitter.com/Dlnm7INVqk
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) June 18, 2020
ORIGINAL POST 6-18-2020: The president of Toyota Racing Development said Wednesday that “our desire” is to have both Erik Jones and Christopher Bell race for the manufacturer beyond this season but said “how we do it is yet to be determined.”
Jones’ one-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing expires after this season. Bell, a rookie for Leavine Family Racing, is in the first year of a multiyear contract. But Bell’s car owner, Bob Leavine, told The Athletic last month that “I’m walking that tightrope” to keep the team running beyond this season because of the economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
David Wilson, president of TRD, addressed both drivers’ status with Toyota beyond this year in a video conference with reporters Wednesday.
“We all know that Erik is at the end of his current contract,” Wilson said. “What’s the plan there? We don’t know. We’re working on that. (Car owner Joe Gibbs) and I are talking about that now every week. Our desire obviously is to keep both of those young men in our company. How we do it is yet to be determined.”
— NBC Sports —
AND:
The cash crunch of the coronavirus shutdown had @BLeavine considering all options for @LFR95's future including potentially bringing on new investors, per sources, but the hope is that resumption of the season can stabilize things.
➖ @CBellRacing’s future after 2020 is unclear. pic.twitter.com/8wqk7A4wfB
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) June 18, 2020