JGR NEWS

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (March 7, 2023) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announces today an agreement with GSK to feature SHINGRIX® (Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, Adjuvanted), over four races beginning in March. 

 

GSK’s SHINGRIX will be featured on Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota Camry TRD at Phoenix Raceway (March 12), Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 19), and Richmond Raceway (April 2). In addition, SHINGRIX will be featured on the No. 20 Toyota Camry TRD with driver Christopher Bell at Martinsville Speedway (April 16).

 

“We are excited to announce our agreement with GSK to feature SHINGRIX,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. GSK is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies that prioritize innovation in vaccines and specialty medicines, maximizing the increasing opportunities to prevent and treat disease.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (February 8, 2023) - Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced Wednesday that Myatt Snider will pilot the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for six races in 2023.  

 

Snider will kick off the season for JGR in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on February 18. The 28-year-old will be back in the car on the other side of the country as NXS travels to Portland Raceway in June. Snider will round out his schedule with four races in the NXS Playoffs – the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. 

 

“We’re looking forward to have Myatt on our No. 19 team for six races,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of NXS and Development. “Building out the driver lineup for this car is an opportunity for JGR to help drivers continue to develop in their racing career and we’re looking forward to seeing how Myatt continues to grow.” 

 

Snider has three years of full-time NXS experience under his belt after making his first start in the series in 2020. In his rookie season, he split time between Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Ryan Sieg Racing, collecting three poles, two top-five, and six top-10 finishes. 

 

In 2021, Snider won his first NXS race at Homestead-Miami Speedway with RCR, won one pole, and finished in the top-10, 11 times.  

 

For the 2022 season, Snider competed with Jordan Anderson Racing with a season-best finish at Portland Raceway with a second-place finish. He finished in the top-10 three other times last year.  

 

Snider claimed the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year honor during his full-time season in 2018. 

 

Making the transition to driving the No. 19 should come naturally for Snider as he is no stranger to working with JGR or the team’s crew chief, Jason Ratcliff. Snider worked in various departments at JGR from 2011-2015. He also worked under Ratcliff on JGR’s No. 20 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) car driven by Matt Kenseth in 2013.  

 

“With six races on our 2023 schedule, I’m looking forward to climbing into the No. 19 TreeTop Toyota GR Supra with Joe Gibbs Racing this year,” Snider said. “Having worked with JGR as a high schooler and a young racer, it’s an awesome full circle moment to return as a driver to the team that taught me so much about racing itself. It’s good to be reunited with Jason Ratcliff as we have an awesome history working together. With many memories and wins from 2013 and 2014 when I worked on the No. 20 Toyota Camry under Jason’s leadership, the team has always been more of a family relationship to me. I’m glad to be returning to the JGR family and looking forward to continuing to learn and grow as a driver.” 

 

"I'm excited to get to work with Myatt again,” Ratcliff said. “He's hardworking and it will be great to have him back in the shop as a driver. I'm looking forward to getting to the track with the No. 19 guys this year and seeing what we can do." 

 

Tree Top will be the primary partner for Snider and his NXS campaign with JGR in 2023. Headquartered in Selah, WA, Tree Top led the way in premium, quality juices and apple sauce and with its fruit expertise and trusted sources of fruit now produces the widest array of fruit-based products and solutions for consumers and for most of the world’s leading food and beverage manufacturers. While apple juice and apple sauce are the backbone of the product offerings, they also make a variety of blended fruit juices and a wide range of organic and flavored fruit and vegetable products. 

 

"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Myatt, especially with the move to one of the best teams in NASCAR at Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Tree Top Vice President of Marketing Brad Olsen.  “We look forward to building off some great finishes with the Tree Top car last year, including a 2nd at our home race, Portland.  Our growers and employees are excited to be a part of what we hope is Myatt getting back to victory lane in the NASCAR Xfinity Series." 

 

Ryan Truex, Joe Graf Jr, and Connor Mosack were previously announced as drivers of the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra combining for 14 races on the 33-race schedule. The remaining drivers and races they will compete in will be announced at a later date.  

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (February 3, 2023) – Monster Energy, which has partnered with Ty Gibbs since 2019, will be the sponsor for the majority of races during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season on the No. 54 Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs Racing.

 

Monster was behind Gibbs when he won the 2022 NASCAR Xfinitiy Series championship, the 2021 ARCA Menard’s Series title and the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Rookie of the Year.

 

“Monster Energy has been a great partner for me and Joe Gibbs Racing, and we’re stoked to have them on board for the majority of the races in 2023,” Gibbs said. “I can’t thank the Monster Energy team enough, especially Rodney Sacks, (Chairman and Co-CEO), Hilton Schlosberg (Vice Chairman and Co-CEO) Mitch Covington (Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing), Dave Gowland (Vice President of Motorsport Marketing), Tom Norwood (Director of NASCAR Marketing) and Eldena Nawrocki (Marketing) for all their support. They are behind me 100 percent and I love representing them.”

 

Gibbs is in his first full Cup season but did compete in 15 events last year for 23XI Racing, with a best finish of 10th at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

 

In just 51 career Xfinity Series starts, he won 11 races (21 percent), scored 33 top-10 finishes (64 percent) and led 1,234 laps.

 

“Monster is honored and excited to announce our partnership with JGR and Ty Gibbs,” Covington said. “We have enjoyed a great relationship over the years and this season with Ty will be fun. Ty has a tremendous work ethic and has proven his talent over the past few years, and we have all the confidence in the world he will continue his growth and success.”

 

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season begins on Feb. 5, 2023, with the non-points paying “Clash at the LA Coliseum.” The 65th Daytona 500, the first points-paying race, is on Feb. 19.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 2, 2023) – With 20 NASCAR Xfinity Series races for Sam Hunt Racing already on his 2023 schedule, Connor Mosack is augmenting that lineup with an additional slate of races driving for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR).

 

The 23-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, will pilot JGR’s No. 19 Toyota GR Supra in three Xfinity Series races – July 1 at the Chicago Street Course, July 22 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and July 29 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin – while also competing for JGR in six ARCA Menards Series races. Mosack’s ARCA schedule begins Feb. 18 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and then continues May 6 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, May 26 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, July 21 at Pocono, Aug. 4 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and Sept. 8 in the series’ second trip to Kansas.

 

Mosack ran the full CARS Tour in 2020 and promptly won its rookie-of-the-year title. He then augmented his Late Model schedule that year with four Trans Am races before committing to the full TA2 schedule in 2021 and 2022. In those two seasons with TeamSLR, Mosack never finished outside of the top-four in the championship standings, scoring two wins and earning five poles. When he wasn’t turning left and right in Trans Am, Mosack was getting more oval experience in ARCA. In 13 career ARCA starts, Mosack scored nine top-10s, eight of which were on ovals. His best finishes came on successive weekends last June – second on June 4 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (road course) and third on June 11 at Iowa Speedway in Newton (oval).

 

“I made my Xfinity Series debut with JGR last June at Portland and from the moment I made my first lap in their racecar, I realized why they’ve been so successful,” Mosack said. “Their equipment was second to none and the resources they had in terms of people and their knowledge was incredible.

 

“Jason Ratcliff was my crew chief at Portland and he’s got a ton of experience. I was able to learn from him before we even went to the track. Just in our time in the simulator, we made some great changes. So, to be back with him for three Xfinity races is going to be really valuable.

 

“And when it comes to JGR’s ARCA program, it’s the class of the field. After having to race against JGR cars, I’m really looking forward to racing with a JGR car. No matter what track they were on, they were always up front competing for wins. To have that chance in 2023 is pretty special, and I aim to make the most of it.”

 

When the 2023 racing season concludes, Mosack will have competed in more than 40 races, with 23 of them being in the Xfinity Series, the stepping-stone division to the elite NASCAR Cup Series.

 

“I’ve learned the more seat time you can get, the more you learn and the faster you learn,” Mosack said. “I’ve spent the last two years racing fulltime in Trans Am and running a decent amount of ARCA and Late Model races. It got me prepared to make my NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series debuts last summer, and that’s led to these opportunities with Sam Hunt Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. It’ll be the most racing I’ve ever done in a single season, and I’m genuinely stoked about it. This is what I want and NASCAR is where I want to be.”

 

You could say Mosack is making up for lost time. His didn’t start racing until he was 18, bucking the trend of drivers who begin their careers at age four or five in go-karts. Instead, Mosack enjoyed a well-rounded and worldly childhood. He played football and lacrosse in middle school and high school, and volunteered with Open Eyes on a mission trip to Rwanda and Uganda in 2017. It wasn’t until his senior year in high school that Mosack was introduced to Legends cars. As soon as he sat behind the wheel, Mosack knew it was where he belonged. After winning five Legends car championships, Mosack transitioned to Late Model stock cars in 2019. All the while, Mosack balanced racing with school, graduating from High Point (N.C.) University in 2021 with a degree in business entrepreneurship. This past November, Mosack was honored with the university's Ten Under Ten Young Alumni Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in a graduate’s chosen profession.

 

“Growing up, I’ve always been into cars, but I never really thought racing was something realistic for me. I didn’t know anybody in the sport, and nobody in my family had ever raced. I didn’t know that anybody could just show up at a local racetrack and rent somebody’s car, or buy their own racecar and go out there and run it. So when that was introduced to me, I thought it was really cool and I got a little taste of it, and that’s when I really fell in love with it. Once we knew that was an option, we decided to pursue it to see where it could go,” Mosack said.

 

“The first year I ever drove something was really just a blur, and I really didn’t know much. Year two, we started to kind of get the hang of things and understand where we could go and what it would take. We’ve been kind of building on that ever since.”

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (February 1, 2023) - Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced Wednesday that Joe Graf Jr. will run five races throughout the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) season in the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra. 

 

Graf will make his JGR debut in the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra at Auto Club Speedway on February 25th. He’ll be back in the car the next week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4th and run the third race of his JGR schedule at Richmond Raceway on April 1st.  

 

The former ARCA Menards Series winner will return to JGR at the Magic Mile of New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 15 and finish up his JGR schedule in the Midwest at Kansas Speedway on September 9.  

 

“Joe (Graf) is committed to success, which is something we are looking for in all of our drivers,” said Steve DeSouza ,Executive Vice President of NXS and Development. “We are anticipating a solid season from the No. 19 team and Joe’s addition to the driver lineup will help that team be competitive for the owner’s championship this season.”  

 

The 2023 season will be Graf’s fourth season in Xfinity Series competition. Graf also announced a 28-race schedule with RSS Racing that keeps him in a Xfinity ride for the totality of the 2023 season. Graf posted a career-best finish of eighth in 2022 at Talladega Superspeedway in April. The 24-year-old ran well in his years in the ARCA Menards Series (AMS) with one win and consistent top-10 finishes.  

 

“Running five races with JGR is a fantastic opportunity for myself and for my marketing partners,” added Graf Jr., “I think I can learn a lot from JGR and showcase my skills I’ve been growing in the series in the past three years. 2023 is shaping up to be a great year and I’m pumped to get started with the No. 19 group.” 

 

CoverSeal® and G-Coin will continue their partnerships with Graf in his new endeavor at JGR this season.  

 

Based in Los Gatos, California, CoverSeal® (getcoverseal.com) protects vehicles, grills, and furniture with innovative patented design. Each weatherproof CoverSeal® product offers a 360-degree weighted bottom, sealing it effortlessly to the ground and prevents rodents from getting inside. This patented innovation also keeps the cover on in high winds. 

CoverSeal® solves several issues not addressed by other products. We keep things out that would degrade your investment in your prized car, patio furniture, barbecue or many other things you can choose to store under our covers. 

G-Coin® (gcoin.com) is a digital title to real physical gold, where one G-Coin® is 1 gram of a 99.99% pure, sustainably sourced Responsible Gold™ kilobar.  

G-Coin® allows for easy savings and sending of real gold with zero transaction fees and near real-time settlement. With G-Coin® you now can buy, sell and track the value of your gold from the convenience of your smartphone.  

Gtechniq and JACOB Companies will also serve as additional associate partners for Graf’s endeavor.  

Jason Ratcliff will be crew chief for the No. 19 team throughout the 2023 NXS owner’s championship campaign. Ryan Truex was previously announced as a driver of the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for six races. The remaining drivers and races they will compete in will be announced at a later date.  

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 1, 2023) – Interstate Batteries, one of the most tenured team sponsors in NASCAR history, begins its 32nd season as the founding sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) with an expanded presence that will feature the brand’s iconic green livery across all four of JGR’s NASCAR Cup Series entries.

 

The introduction of Team Interstate more than doubles the Dallas-based company’s visibility with JGR, as Interstate Batteries will have 13 primary sponsorships in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023, up from the six primaries it has typically had each year since 2008.

 

Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry for JGR, kicks off the Team Interstate effort in the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Feb. 5 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It marks the first time in Bell’s seven-year history with JGR, which dates back to his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2017, that Bell will carry the green-and-white colors of Interstate Batteries, joining such marquee names as Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte and Kyle Busch.

 

Then, for the first time since 2007, Interstate Batteries returns as a co-primary sponsor in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19 when it adorns the sides of Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota Camry in the Great American Race. The Daytona 500 will always hold a special place in the respective histories of Interstate Batteries and JGR, as they won their first race together 30 years ago in the 1993 Daytona 500 with Jarrett.

 

Bell and Ty Gibbs will run the majority of Interstate Batteries’ races, but veteran racers Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., will each carry a primary Interstate Batteries sponsorship. Hamlin, a winner of 48 NASCAR Cup Series races, will drive the No. 11 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry March 26 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Truex, the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion, will pilot the No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry July 23 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

 

“One of the great strengths of our partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing over the last 31 years is the way the sponsorship with them has evolved and changed as our needs as a company and brand have evolved. The expansion of Team Interstate on all four JGR cars during 2023 is the next step in the evolution of our sponsorship,” said Norm Miller, Chairman, Interstate Batteries.

 

“Working together, we always find new ways to use the JGR and NASCAR assets to set up new accounts and sell more batteries. We believe in our partnership and the sport of NASCAR, so when we saw the opportunity to double the amount of races as a primary sponsor – and be a part of such crown-jewel races as the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 again – we knew it made a lot of sense. Since we’ve been with Joe Gibbs and JGR from the beginning, we really feel like all four teams are part of our family, so it’s very exciting for the stars to align and be a primary sponsor with all the JGR teams for the first time ever.”

 

After racing at the L.A. Coliseum, Bell returns to Interstate Batteries colors for the NASCAR All-Star Race May 21 at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. The four-time Cup Series race winner keeps his Interstate Batteries livery for a second straight week when he competes in the Coca-Cola 600 May 28 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Bell’s final two Interstate Batteries races are Sept. 24 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and Oct. 29 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

 

Ty Gibbs continues his slate of Interstate Batteries races with the Food City Dirt Race April 9 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, June 25 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, July 2 in the inaugural Chicago Street Race, Sept. 24 at Texas and Oct. 8 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

 

“Our motto at Interstate Batteries is ‘Outrageously Dependable,’ and this expanded partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing drives home that point. We’re incredibly proud of our association with JGR. It’s a program that for more than three decades has resonated with our dealers, distributors and customers,” said Lain Hancock, Chief Operating Officer, Interstate Batteries.

 

“It’s a winning combination galvanized by the personalities we’ve been associated with at JGR, and it begins with Joe Gibbs. His vision and his ability to put the right people in the right places have made his team and our program a massive success. Expanding our presence with JGR allows us to reap the benefits of the organization’s entire effort, and we’re blessed to have such a talented group of racers represent Interstate Batteries.”

 

Interstate Batteries helped launch JGR in 1992. In the 31 years that have followed, JGR has scored 200 Cup Series victories – a number that includes four Daytona 500s – and five Cup Series championships. All of JGR’s firsts – win (Jarrett, 1992 Daytona 500, pole (Bobby Labonte, April 21, 1995 at Martinsville) and championship (Labonte, 2000 Cup Series title) have come with Interstate Batteries as the primary sponsor. When all of JGR’s successes are added up across each of the NASCAR series in which it competes, its race victories total more than doubles to 413 (200 in the Cup Series, 193 in the Xfinity Series and 20 in the ARCA Menards Series) with 12 total championships (five in Cup, six in Xfinity and one in ARCA).

 

“We’re extremely proud of our partnership with our founding sponsor, Interstate Batteries,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “They have been such an important part of our team for over three decades now, and it’s exciting to have them on board all four of our cars this season. The best part of our partnership is the relationships we’ve built with everyone there over the years. It all started, of course, with Norm and Tommy Miller, and now includes Lain (Hancock) and his entire team. It’s going to be a great season.”

 

Gibbs, along with three of the drivers who have raced for JGR since its inception in 1992, have been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Jarrett was ushered into the Hall in 2014 while Gibbs, Labonte and Tony Stewart were enshrined together as part of the Class of 2020.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (December 9, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today that young up-and-coming driver William Sawalich has signed a multi-year agreement to drive for the team. Sawalich will run the No. 18 Starkey Toyota Camry in the ARCA Menards Series (AMS) in 2023.

 

Sawalich, 16, hails from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He started racing at the age of nine and found success in quarter midgets and legend cars early on. He currently competes in Pro and Super Late Model, Late Model Stock, and TA2 racing series. He saw success in 2022 with six wins in CARS Tour Pro Late Model Series, three late model stock wins, two Southern Super Series wins, two ARCA/CRA wins, and two additional pro late model wins, a third-place finish in the Winchester 400earlier this mon, and a second-place finish in the Redbud 400 at Anderson Motor Speedway in Indiana.

 

“We take a lot of pride in our development program with Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing and we think William has shown tremendous potential to become a great driver in our sport,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Driver Development. “He has already shown the desire and dedication it takes to be successful at his young age and we’re excited to watch his progress through ARCA and ultimately NASCAR ranks.”

 

The Toyota development driver’s No. 18 will be sponsored by Starkey featuring their SoundGear product line for the 2023 AMS season. SoundGear products provide both hearing protection and enhancement products ideal for hunting, competitive shooting, law enforcement, and motorsport teams, its fans, and much more. Engineered and manufactured by Starkey, SoundGear products provide 100% digital sound enhancement to deliver superior environmental awareness, while still protecting your hearing. Starkey is a global leader in hearing technology and premier provider in hearing health care headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

 

“I am thankful for the opportunity with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota and am humbled to be in the presence of a great leader like Coach Gibbs,” Sawalich said. “I know that he has put together a great team and the results show with the drivers that have come before me. My goal is to learn from their expertise, work hard and represent JGR well. I think together, we are capable of great things in the coming years.”

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (December 8, 2023) - Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced Thursday that Ryan Truex will run six races behind the wheel of the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) No. 19 Toyota GR Supra in 2023.   

 

Truex is well acquainted with the championship-winning team after running five races for JGR in 2022, finishing in the top five in three of those races. His best finish was a strong third-place run at Atlanta. Truex ran 13 NXS races with JGR over two seasons in 2011 and 2012. 

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“We are looking forward to having Ryan back in our lineup in 2023 to run the No. 19,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series/Development. “He has done well in the races he has run at JGR. His previous experience and driving ability will be assets as the No. 19 competes for an owner’s championship next year.” 

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Truex has over 175 starts across NASCAR’s top three touring series combining for 17 top-five finishes and 49 top-10 finishes.  

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“I am thrilled to be behind the wheel of the No. 19 for a few races next season,” said Truex. “It was fun to run well with the team this past year. I appreciate the opportunity to race for JGR again next year. I think we can build from what we learned this year and get some solid runs in.” 

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Jason Ratcliff will work with Truex as the crew chief of the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra. 

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The races Truex will run and the remaining 2023 lineup for the No. 19 will be announced at a later date.  

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (December 8, 2023) - Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced Thursday that John Hunter Nemechek will join the team to run the full NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) schedule and compete for a championship in 2023. Nemechek will be climbing behind the wheel of the No. 20 Toyota GR Supra which makes its return to JGR and NXS after a one-year hiatus.

 

The Toyota development driver has more than 250 starts in NASCAR’s national touring series displaying talent at all three levels. His resume includes 13 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series wins (NCTS), two NXS wins, and a full season in the NASCAR Cup. Nemechek is no stranger to JGR as he won at Texas Motor Speedway with the team in 2021 and ran three races behind the wheel of the No. 18 in 2022 with a best finish of second at Richmond.

 

The 25-year-old ran full time in the NCWTS in 2022 winning two races and seven pole awards making it to the Round of Eight in the NASCAR Playoffs. Nemechek was the 2021 NCTS regular season champion.

 

“I’m appreciative of the opportunity to get back to competing full time in the Xfinity Series,” said Nemechek. “JGR is a group that I know I can win with after getting that win at Texas in 2021. I’m excited to get to work on the 2023 season so we can go out and win some races and compete for a championship.”

 

Mobil 1 will be the primary sponsor for the year on the No. 20. Nemechek will also be backed by his long-standing partners Berry’s Bullets, Pye Barker Fire and Safety, Romco Equipment and his Grocery Store Brands throughout the 2023 NXS season.

 

“John Hunter has shown the dedication it takes to be a successful racecar driver,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President, Xfinity Series and Driver Development. “He has experience at all levels of NASCAR that will be valuable to the team in 2023. We are excited to add him to our driver lineup for the year and look forward to the success the No. 20 team will see.”

 

Ben Beshore will serve as crew chief of the No. 20 NXS team in 2023.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (December 6, 2022) - Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced Tuesday that Sammy Smith will run the full 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) schedule in the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra.

 

Smith drove in nine NXS races for JGR in 2022. He ran competitively throughout his schedule with one top-five finish and three top-10 finishes. His best result was a third-place finish at Watkins Glen International in August. Smith’s best qualifying effort came at Phoenix Raceway with a second place starting position.  

 

“Sammy is a fantastic addition to our 2023 Xfinity lineup. He proved to have the passion and the talent to necessary to compete for wins in the races he ran for us in 2022,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Driver Development. “We are excited to get him in the No. 18 full time and know he will be competitive from the jump.”

 

The Toyota development driver made a name for himself in 2022 in the ARCA Menards Series (AMS) winning the ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) Championship for the second consecutive year and the Sioux Chief Showdown. Smith won six AMS races, five AMSE races, 12 AMS/AMSE pole awards, and finished in the top-five in 15 of the 16 races he entered.

 

“This is an opportunity I have been working towards,” Smith said. “I can’t wait to get behind the wheel full-time and am looking forward to a great season. I learned a lot in 2022 that will really help me to be competitive and run up front in the Xfinity Series. Thank you to Pilot Flying J, TMC Transportation, Allstate Peterbilt Group, and Toyota Racing Development for supporting me in my racing career. I am excited for next year and appreciate the opportunity.”

 

Pilot Flying J will continue their primary partnership with the No. 18 and Smith in 2023 after supporting the driver throughout his 2022 NXS stint.

 

“We’re thrilled to continue our support of Sammy and look forward to seeing him on the track representing Pilot Flying J and the transportation industry,” said David Hughes, Senior Vice President of Sales for Pilot Flying J.

 

TMC Transportation saw success with Smith as his primary partner during the 2022 AMS/AMSE seasons. The driver/sponsor pair hope to continue their winning ways as Smith moves up to participate in the full NXS schedule.

 

“TMC is proud to continue its support of Sammy Smith as he takes on the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series, said Jason Webb, Executive Vice President of Asset Management at TMC. “Sammy has been a great ambassador for TMC – on and off the track. His growth as a driver is remarkable and we are very impressed with his accomplishments. We can’t wait to see what he will do in the upcoming year.”

Allstate Peterbilt will also return to the team as a primary partner in 2023. Renda Group, Sinclair Tractor, and Mobil 1 are among other sponsors that will support Smith throughout the season.  

 

Jeff Meendering will serve as the crew chief for the No. 18 in 2023. Smith will be eligible to run for the series championship by running the full 2023 schedule.

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (November 15, 2022) – Ty Gibbs will compete full time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series behind the wheel of the No. 54 Toyota Camry TRD. 

 

Gibbs won the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity title with seven wins and 23 top-10 finishes. In just 51 career Xfinity starts, he’s won 11 races (21 percent), scored 33 top-10 finishes (64 percent) and led 1,234 laps. He also won the 2021 ARCA Menard Series championship. 

 

Chris Gayle, who served as crew chief during his NASCAR Xfinity Championship season, will move with Gibbs to serve as crew chief in the Cup Series.

 

JGR intends to utilize the No. 18 in the NASCAR Cup Series in future years.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (September 29, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today that Rheem has signed a contract extension to continue serving as a primary sponsor of Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Toyota Camry TRD in the NASCAR Cup Series.

 

“We are thrilled to have Rheem continue their partnership with Christopher and our No. 20 team,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “They have been a long-time supporter of not only our race team, but really to our entire sport of NASCAR. They are a tremendous model of how to build a successful program and we are thrilled to continue to help them reach their goals.”

 

Rheem has been a partner at JGR with Bell since 2018 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and was the primary sponsor on his No. 20 Toyota Camry TRD for his first NCS career victory at the Daytona Road Course in 2021 and most recently his win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July of 2022.

 

“Rheem has been a huge supporter of mine both on and off the track, I’m proud of the relationship we’ve built and the customers and guests I’ve been able meet over the years,” said Bell. “I’m looking forward to finishing 2022 strong and kicking off 2023 with Rheem on the car.”

 

Rheem is the largest manufacturer of water heating products in North America and is currently celebrating their 15th anniversary as a NASCAR national series sponsor. Rheem is an industry leader in activation and has hosted around 40,000 guests at events over their 15-years in NASCAR.  

 

“It has been an absolute pleasure for Rheem to be a part of Christopher Bell’s growth and success in the NASCAR Xfinity and Cup series as well as to be a part of a championship organization like Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Chris Peel, President and CEO of Rheem Manufacturing. “The entire Rheem team sends our best to everyone at JGR during this season’s playoffs and we look forward to another great year in 2023.”