NASCAR Xfinity Series: Harrison Burton to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2020

Harrison Burton is set to move from the NASCAR Truck Series to the Xfinity Series, as Joe Gibbs Racing have confirmed him as the replacement for Christopher Bell.

With Joe Gibbs Racing set to retain their entire four-driver lineup for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, they utilized their technical alliance with Leavine Family Racing — and actually enhanced that alliance — to promote Xfinity Series superstar Christopher Bell to the Cup Series next season.

That left the seat of the #20 Toyota Supra open in the Xfinity Series, the car that Bell has driven since he was promoted from the Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck Series team to the Xfinity Series after winning the 2017 Truck Series championship.

Now another driver is set to be promoted from the Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck Series team to the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Xfinity Series.

Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed that Harrison Burton is set to replace Bell in the 2020 season after just one year competing full-time for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series.

Here is what Burton had to say about this opportunity, according to NASCAR.

"“I want to finish this season strong, but I’m excited to get 2020 started. My time with JGR this season will really help me because I’ve already gotten to know so many people there and it’s such a great team and organization. They have a long history of helping to develop drivers and this is big for the next step in my career.”"

DEX Imaging is set to provide primary sponsorship for Burton’s #20 Toyota throughout the season.

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The 19-year-old Huntersville, North Carolina native has competed in six Xfinity Series races so far this season, and he is also slated to compete in this Saturday afternoon’s race at Kansas Speedway as well as November’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.

He has recorded three top 10 finishes, including a career-high fourth place finish in the race at Iowa Speedway, in these six races. His average starting position is 9.17 and his average finishing position is 16.67.

Retirements from the races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which he started in seventh place, and Dover International Speedway, which he started in fifth, prevented his average finishing position from being much higher. Other than those two races, he has only finished lower than he started on one occasion.

In 35 career Truck Series starts, including 20 so far this season in his first season as a full-time driver, Burton has recorded 11 top five finishes, 17 top 10 finishes and one pole position. He has led 88 of the 5,475 laps that he has completed. He has recorded seven of these 11 top five finishes and 10 of these top 10 finishes this season, and he has led 12 of the 2,721 laps that he has completed this year.

He did not qualify for this year’s playoffs and currently sits in 11th place in the championship standings, although he finished the regular season in sixth in points, only failing to qualify for the three-round, seven-race playoffs because multiple drivers below him in the standings won at least one race throughout the 16-race regular season.

Who will replace Harrison Burton behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports for the 2020 NASCAR Truck Series season? Will Todd Gilliland be back behind the wheel of the #4 Toyota for the team next year?