LAS VEGAS, NV – NASCAR rule states that no organization can field more than four cars in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. That’s the max. While that’s a good thing, it does put a team like Joe Gibbs Racing in a dilemma.

Denny Hamlin signed a contract extension with the organization just last February. The length of the deal wasn’t announced but Hamlin said then that he will be much “grayer” by time the deal ends. Plus, Hamlin just won the Daytona 500 and has been with the team since 2005.

Translation?

He’s not going anywhere.

In the offseason, Martin Truex Jr. signed a deal to replace Daniel Suarez with JGR. The 2017 series champion will pilot the No. 19 Toyota. I can’t see this deal being a one-year contract, so expect Truex to return to the team in 2020.

On Thursday, it was announced that Kyle Busch signed a “multi year” extension to remain with JGR. He’s been with them since 2008 and has won 46 races including the 2015 championship.

So, with Christopher Bell needing to move up to the Cup Series in 2020, where does that leave Erik Jones?

Three of the four spots are filled for the foreseeable future. Is Jones in a lame duck spot? Does that make the 2019 season pressure packed?

Jones, doesn’t think so.

“I’m pretty comfortable in my spot at JGR,” said Jones on Friday from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway media center. “I feel like we’re going to be together for a long time. We’ve spent the last two years making good progress on the Cup Series getting better and better. I don’t envision myself going anywhere.”

Jones, started his Cup career as a rookie with Furniture Row Racing in 2017. He was solid in scoring five top five finishes and 14 top 10’s. He also led 310 laps too. See, he was only with FRR because he was under contract with JGR but had no where to go in Cup. FRR was a satellite team of JGR and under the Toyota umbrella. The team though decided in July of that year to let Matt Kenseth’s contract expire at seasons end and bring Jones back for 2018.

Last year, Jones won his first Cup race in the July race at Daytona which qualified him for the playoffs. The Michigan native had one win, nine top fives and 18 top 10’s in a successful 2018.

This year, he’s off to a hot start. Jones, finished third in the season opening Daytona 500 and seventh last weekend in Atlanta.

But, the conundrum is that Bell is a championship contender in the XFINITY Series again. He won last weekend in Atlanta for his ninth career win. Last season, he won seven times which was a rookie record. He doesn’t need another year in the XFINITY Series in 2020. He needs a Cup ride.

He’s in a situation like Jones was for 2017 though. Where does he go? JGR certainly isn’t going to let him walk. Toyota isn’t either. With only one other Toyota team (Leavine Family Racing) does he or Jones end up there?

This is going to be a big domino in the upcoming Silly Season.