NASCAR: 5 possible Joe Gibbs Racing replacements for 2023
By Asher Fair
Possible Joe Gibbs Racing 2023 replacements: No. 5 – Ryan Truex
Ryan Truex may not have the appeal that some of these other younger drivers do, but he is a solid veteran option who would give Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR Xfinity Series some valuable experience in a season where they need to replace multiple drivers, including one who had been with the team in each of the last five years.
The experienced 30-year-old Mayetta, New Jersey native, who is the brother of Joe Gibbs Racing Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr., hasn’t competed full-time in the Xfinity Series since 2018, but he has stayed busy in NASCAR since then, competing part-time in the Xfinity Series in 2019, part-time in the Truck Series in 2020, and full-time in the Truck Series in 2021.
In 2022, he competed part-time in the Xfinity Series again, and he ran five races behind the wheel of Joe Gibbs Racing’s “star car”. He did a respectable job during those five starts, recording three top seven finishes, including a season-high third place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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While five starts may not seem like much, only two drivers drove the #18 Toyota in more races throughout the 33-race 2022 season: Trevor Bayne (nine) and Sammy Smith (nine). Can he use his 2022 success to earn himself a full-time ride with the team in 2023, or at the very least, an expanded role in the “star car”?