NASCAR: 3 possible replacements for Kyle Busch in 2023
By Asher Fair
Possible Kyle Busch replacements for 2023: No. 2 – John Hunter Nemechek
While Ty Gibbs has been the driver who has generated most of the headlines, there might not be a Toyota driver who is more Cup Series-ready than John Hunter Nemechek.
After spending several seasons competing in the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series, Nemechek ended up with Front Row Motorsports in the Cup Series for the 2020 season. Despite a solid season in relatively noncompetitive equipment, he made the decision to leave the team after 2020 and drop down to the Truck Series.
He returned to Toyota Racing Development and joined Kyle Busch Motorsports, and he was an immediate championship contender in competitive equipment. In fact, he won five races in 2021, and in three of those five wins, he finished ahead of Kyle Busch himself in second place.
Unsurprisingly, following a Championship 4 appearance last year, the 24-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina native has established himself as a championship frontrunner again in 2022.
At this point, what is another Truck Series season — or even another Xfinity Series season — going to do for him, especially if he has the chance to land a competitive Cup seat?
It makes far more sense to keep Ty Gibbs in the lower series to gain more experience than it does to keep Nemechek there. The potential of landing an opportunity such as the one this situation could present is exactly why he made the move he did and left the Cup Series after just one season post-2020. Could this be that opportunity?
What is interesting to note, however, is that Nemechek, not Gibbs, was the driver whom 23XI Racing had originally lined up as a potential replacement driver. With Gibbs ultimately getting the nod, could this signal that Nemechek isn’t in consideration any longer?
Unfortunately, that might well be the case. Will he remain with Kyle Busch Motorsports once they switch to Chevrolet? Could he stay with Toyota by replacing Ty Gibbs at Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity Series team?