NASCAR: Joe Gibbs Racing announcing new driver for No. 19 car?
By Asher Fair
With Trevor Bayne set to run three NASCAR Xfinity Series races for the team, Joe Gibbs Racing still need to confirm the No. 19 Toyota’s driver for two more events.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced earlier this week that Trevor Bayne is set to return to the team for three NASCAR Xfinity Series races over the next few weeks, starting with this Friday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway.
Bayne, who competed for the team in nine races last season, is set to become the sixth driver to spend time behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota — the “star car” — this year.
The 32-year-old Knoxville, Tennessee native is also set to compete at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday, September 15 and at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 23.
The other five drivers who have driven Joe Gibbs Racing’s star car throughout the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season include Ty Gibbs, Ryan Truex, Myatt Snider, Joe Graf Jr., and Connor Mosack.
But even with the confirmation of Bayne for three races, there are still two races for which Joe Gibbs Racing have not yet announced the driver of the No. 19 Toyota.
Those two races are scheduled to take place at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, September 2 and at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, October 21.
Given the fact that Denny Hamlin usually drives for the team at Darlington, though he didn’t last year to prevent further injury after his wreck the previous weekend at Daytona, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make his one annual Xfinity Series start behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota next weekend.
But that still leaves the team with a seat to fill for the race at Homestead-Miami. Will they turn to one of the drivers already a part of the No. 19 team’s roster, or will they add a seventh (or eighth) different driver for this round of 8 playoff event?
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