NASCAR: 5 possible replacements for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022
By Asher Fair
Possible Joe Gibbs Racing drivers for 2022: No. 3 – Chandler Smith
Chandler Smith also competed for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the 2021 NASCAR Truck Series season, and he is set to return for another year behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota in 2022.
Unlike John Hunter Nemechek, Smith did not get the opportunity to compete in any Xfinity Series races for Joe Gibbs Racing last year, though with a return to Kyle Busch’s Truck Series team, that could very well change in 2022.
On his way to being promoted to the Truck Series as a full-time driver for 2021, the 19-year-old Talking Rock, Georgia native was arguably the most impressive young driver in the Toyota camp.
Smith’s 2021 season did not get off to the best start, but he proved why he was so highly touted coming into the year by advancing to the second round of the playoffs and earning the first two victories of his career, including one in the season finale ahead of all four remaining title contenders.
Naturally, another year with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series could present an opportunity to run select Xfinity Series races, and given the aforementioned increased availability in the Joe Gibbs Racing “star car” due to Ty Gibbs’s presumed promotion to full-time driver and Kyle Busch’s retirement from the Xfinity Series, this would only be logical.