This might actually warrant being bumped up a notch from rumor since it came from the mouth of the Coach himself.
Erik Jones might need to grow accustomed to tool brands on his car for the entire 2019 NASCAR season.
The second-year Joe Gibbs Racing driver has primary sponsorship from DeWalt and Craftsman this year, so he’s already in good with parent company Stanley Black & Decker. But while his teammate Daniel Suarez races under the Stanley colors, it sounds like Jones might sport them next year.
So says a man who would know, Joe Gibbs himself. While addressing the media after Kyle Busch’s Pocono win on Sunday, Gibbs was commenting on how he was proud of all his drivers in the race and slipped in this nugget when discussing talking to the sponsors.
"Stanley, I had a chance to call them, Stanley Black & Decker, had a chance to call Jim Loree. Great partners. They’re going to be taking a whole car next year for us, which is going to be a huge deal."
Stanley was on the hood of Suarez’s No. 19 Toyota at Pocono, but when asked to clarify, Gibbs hinted that might not be the case next season.
"Well, right now it’s probably going to be with Erik."
Especially in this day and age, “taking a whole car” might not mean all 36 races, but there’s reason to think it might in this case. Through its Stanley, DeWalt and Craftsman brands, Stanley Black & Decker will appear on the hoods of Joe Gibbs Racing cars in more than half the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series events, split between Suarez and Jones. It’s not out of the question to think the company might just say, “let’s do the whole year” and then focus on just one driver while rotating its brands on his car. It would be akin to what Mars does with its candy brands on Kyle Busch’s Toyota, and not coincidentally, he’s a JGR driver too (though even he has Interstate Batteries on his car for a few races each year).
In any case, it’s something to keep in mind as Silly Season approaches. Sponsor deals aren’t nearly as exciting as drivers switching teams, but they’re a vital part of the sport, and it sounds like Jones may have that as one less worry headed into his third full year in the Cup Series.