NASCAR: 5 possible Joe Gibbs Racing replacements for 2023
By Asher Fair
Possible Joe Gibbs Racing 2023 replacements: No. 2 – Trevor Bayne
While it’s hard to fully say that Trevor Bayne has made the most of his first NASCAR driving opportunity since 2018, since he didn’t manage to find victory lane in nine starts with Joe Gibbs Racing during the 2022 Xfinity Series season, he showed what he is capable of in a competitive car.
Nobody made more starts behind the wheel of the #18 Toyota during the 2022 season than Bayne did. He was responsible for two of its three season-high runner-up finishes, and his success played a key role in the #18 team advancing to the round of 8 of the owner playoffs.
That success goes to show that in a full-time ride with Toyota’s top Xfinity Series team, Bayne would undoubtedly be a championship contender.
Bayne hasn’t competed full-time in any NASCAR series since the 2017 season when he competed for Roush Fenway Racing in the Cup Series.
Whether he can secure the funding to take over full-time for the departing Ty Gibbs or Brandon Jones remains to be seen, but like John Hunter Nemechek, Bayne brings plenty of experience and should not be overlooked as one of the top candidates to do so.
Despite the Xfinity Series idea that “names are made here”, we have seen a number of older drivers have success in the series in recent years, including but not limited to A.J. Allmendinger and Justin Allgaier. Like Bayne, both drivers found themselves in the Xfinity Series after relatively unsuccessful Cup Series stints, yet both have thrived.