NASCAR: 3 possible Joe Gibbs Racing drivers for 2023
By Asher Fair
Possible Joe Gibbs Racing drivers: No. 2 – Trevor Bayne
Another great addition to Joe Gibbs Racing’s full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series lineup would be Trevor Bayne, who, like Sammy Smith, ran nine races behind the wheel of the “star car” during the 2022 season.
Bayne was responsible for the other two runner-up finishes recorded by the No. 18 Toyota in 2022, and his success played a big role in its advancement to the round of 8 of the owner playoffs. He also recorded finishes of third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and ninth place.
The 31-year-old Knoxville, Tennessee native hasn’t competed full-time in any NASCAR series since 2017 when he competed for Roush Fenway Racing in the Cup Series. He last competed full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2014 when he competed for the same organization.
But prior to 2022, the 2011 Daytona 500 champion hadn’t competed in any NASCAR races since 2018, and he hadn’t competed in any Xfinity Series races since 2016. Yet aside from Joe Gibbs Racing’s two full-time Xfinity Series drivers, nobody competed in more races for the team this past season.
On multiple occasions during the 2022 season, the team expanded Bayne’s schedule. They clearly know what he has to offer, and he clearly elevated the team’s performance throughout the year.
The only slight knock on him is that he didn’t truly capitalize on what was arguably the best opportunity of his career, failing to win a race in his nine starts. However, factoring in the fact that the “star car” went winless throughout the entire 33-race season, this isn’t much of a knock, and it is highly unlikely that Bayne would go winless in a full season in top-tier equipment.