NASCAR: 5 possible replacements for Kyle Busch
By Asher Fair
Kyle Busch replacements: No. 4 – Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell hasn’t spent much time competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since he was promoted from the Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series team to the Cup Series ahead of the 2020 season.
In fact, when he competed for the Joe Gibbs Racing-affiliated Leavine Family Racing in 2020, he did not make any starts at NASCAR’s second highest level.
But in 2021, in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing as the driver of the #20 Toyota, he made two starts in the Xfinity Series. He won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and finished in sixth place at Daytona International Speedway.
If this is any indication of things to come, then Bell could continue to expand his role in the Xfinity Series, and he, like Bubba Wallace, could be a direct replacement for Kyle Busch in the Xfinity Series by competing in a handful of races per season in the “star car”.
Of course, Bell’s focus should be on the Cup Series. He started his 2021 season strong, earning his first career win at the Daytona International Speedway road course in the second race of the year.
While he didn’t win throughout the rest of the year, he did qualify for the playoffs and advance to the round of 12, and he was far more consistent throughout the second half of the year. Improvement is quite clear and should only continue in 2022.
But additional seat time in the Xfinity Series wouldn’t hurt, especially since he is still in the early stages of his career.