NASCAR
Joe Gibbs Racing to Split Four Xfinity Series Rides Between Eight Drivers in 2024
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Announced Wednesday, Joe Gibbs Racing has solidified their driver and crew chief pairings for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series. The winningest team in series history will compete with four Toyota Supras. Two of them will be going for the driver’s championship, with the other two going for wins and the owner’s title.
The JGR gauntlet will be anchored by full-time competitors Sheldon Creed and Chandler Smith. After two years in the Richard Childress Racing No. 2, Creed moves to take over the famed No. 18. Smith will run in the No. 81 following his rookie season with Kaulig Racing.
Creed won recent championships in ARCA (2018) and the Craftsman Truck Series (2020). Creed has yet to earn an elusive Xfinity win, but he does boast seven runner-ups. This is an all-time Xfinity Series record for winless drivers.
Smith returns to the Toyota system in the wake of a year in Chevrolets. 2023 saw the Xfinity rookie win at Richmond in April, as well as earn 11 top-fives and 29 top-10s. Smith was also ninth in the final standings. Racing Toyota-powered Trucks, Smith went to victory lane five times between 2021 and 2022.
The No. 20 Toyota will be split between its most recent occupant and a veteran calling JGR home once again. John Hunter Nemechek will return to familiar territory, going for more victories in the team he won seven times with in 2023. JHN is scheduled for 10 starts in the 20, after a career-defining 2023 season in this seat. Aric Almirola will run the balance of races not slated for JHN. Almirola will make his first JGR start since 2007 after retiring from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition.
Lastly, the No. 19 will be split between veteran Ryan Truex, as well as young drivers William Sawalich, Joe Graf Jr., and Taylor Gray. Truex took this car to victory in April 2023 at Dover. Truex also earned two more top-three results last season.
Graf will pilot a JGR car again in 2024 as well. In six races last year, he saw a pair of top-10 finishes. Graf is an established Xfinity Series veteran, with 126 career starts over the past five years.
2024 will also see Gray make his Xfinity Series debut in the No. 19. Gray comes off a rookie Truck Series season with TRICON Garage, totaling three top-fives and six top-10s.
Following his 18th birthday on October 3, Sawalich will make his Xfinity Series debut at Homestead-Miami on October 26. The highly-touted Toyota prospect will also run at Martinsville (November 2) and Phoenix (November 9) to complete the season. Sawalich will also primarily run in the ARCA Menards Series No. 18 JGR Toyota Camry. Last season, the Eden Prairie, Minnesota native won the ARCA Menards Series East championship with four wins. He also won a pair of ARCA Menards Series races – Berlin Raceway and Toledo Speedway – and the ARCA Menards Series West season finale at Phoenix. 2023 was a very busy and success-filled season for the teenager.
“Over the last couple of months, we’ve been working diligently to put together our 2024 Xfinity program which will include the addition of a fourth team,” said Steve DeSouza, EVP NASCAR Xfinity Series/Development at JGR. “Our 2024 roster has a great balance of experience, youth, wisdom, and talent. We believe the veteran drivers will continually benchmark our program, compliment, and challenge each other. They will also assist our younger drivers to further develop their skill set. We are also excited about our crew chiefs and the teams they have assembled. We take a lot of pride in not only our program’s on-track success, but also in the opportunity to develop and promote our team members.”
JGR also adds three first-time crew chiefs to work alongside Jeff Meendering. The veteran returns for his sixth season atop the pit box. Tyler Allen, Seth Chavka, and Sam McAulay all join Xfinity Series teams after previously serving as Cup engineers for JGR. Allen will lead the No. 20, while Chavka is with the 19 and McAulay will be paired with Creed on the No. 18 team.
Crew chief Jeff Meendering will be paired with Smith for 2024. Meendering spent the 2023 season with Sammy Smith in the Xfinity Series, where they won at Phoenix in March and Rookie of the Year.
In addition to four Xfinity Series cars, JGR will continue to field an ARCA Menard Series Toyota Camry in 2024. This effort will be led by crew chief Matt Ross. Sawalich will also defend his 2023 ARCA Menards Series East championship. The 17-year-old is not yet old enough to run on some tracks, so the remaining six races of the ARCA schedule will be filled by Truck Series regular Tanner Gray. Gray’s limited ARCA appearances include Daytona (February 17), Talladega (April 20), Kansas (May 4 and September 27), Charlotte (May 24), and Michigan (August 16).
At the time of this writing, Joe Gibbs Racing is the standard bearer in Xfinity with 204 total wins and four championships. With this stacked field of drivers, both of these stat lines should be expected to grow in 2024.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Joe Gibbs Racing
