RELATED: Truex inks two-year extension deal with Furniture Row
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Not only did Furniture Row Racing President Joe Garone formally confirm driver Martin Truex Jr.'s contract extension Friday at Watkins Glen International, he said the team was moving to add a second car to its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable.
Multiple sources say the team will name last year's Camping World Truck Series champion Erik Jones, 20, as the driver for a second Toyota entry. The formal announcement could come as soon as this weekend.
"I'm not able to really confirm anything," Jones said Friday on NBCSN prior to NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying. "I've been waiting (this year) to see what comes up. … I'm focused here today on getting this XFINITY car a good starting spot."
It's been a big week for the Denver-based team securing Truex for two more years in a new contract that picks up starting with the 2017 season. Additionally Truex's No. 78 Toyota will receive an important sponsorship boost next year as Bass Pro Shops, per the new contract, will serve as primary sponsor for 16 races, including the 2017 Daytona 500. Team owner Barney Visser's company, Furniture Row, has provided the bulk of sponsorship since the team's inception.
Most consider Jones, a championship contender and three-time winner in the XFINITY Series this year, to be a natural turn for the team given its ties with Joe Gibbs Racing.
"Over this journey, we started off and Barney's company funded our team all along," Garone said. "Bass Pro Shops coming on board has really opened the door for other sponsorships. We're getting strong enough now to support another effort and we'll see where that takes us.
"If we can get it all pulled together it will be '17.
"The support we have right now with (Joe) Gibbs (Racing) and Toyota is really strong. You want to go into something like that when you're on your high spot and everything hitting on all eight cylinders and just feel like right now would be a very good time for that."
Certainly Truex and his performance has given the team reason to be optimistic.
His dominating win at Charlotte in May punched his ticket into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He's currently eighth in the points standings with nine top-10 finishes and he was fastest in opening Sprint Cup practice and second-fastest in the final Friday round at Watkins Glen.
Last year, he qualified for the Championship 4 at Homestead, Florida.
"The final four was a big deal to us and we look forward to building on the success we've had as a group," Truex said. "I think we have the best team in the garage in my opinion. No doubt.
"We kind of got brought together by fate and it's interesting it worked out that way. I'm very thankful. Barney has continued to deliver and give us the tools we need to be successful. It's a continuing trend of getting better and better and better."
Truex said re-signing with the team was certainly his right path.
"I've been in the series 10 years and it's taken that long to get to this position where I can win races consistently and be a championship contender," Truex said. "To throw that away would be silly. We were able to work everything out and couldn't be happier working with these guys."