Christopher Bell all but confirmed who will replace Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 car next year at Joe Gibbs Racing when he had a slip of the tongue in a media session Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Asked if will take on a greater leadership role next year, Bell said: " ... Every time we go into our Monday meetings, it could be whoever has a good race that week. Plenty of times it has been Ty (Gibbs), plenty of times it has been Martin (Truex) or me or Denny (Hamlin). I don’t think there really is a leadership role in that aspect, and whenever Chase comes into the car ... whenever ... whenever ... I don’t know what to say.”
Reports have stated that Chase Briscoe is expected to replace Truex in the No. 19 car next year. That announcement is expected soon.
Kyle Larson had fun with Bell saying Chase’s name and jokingly congratulated teammate Chase Elliott.
Man totally blind sided by this news! Wishing @chaseelliott the best on his new adventure at @JoeGibbsRacing. Have enjoyed you as a teammate! 😂 Good Luck #d19 https://t.co/MLNUG7Qyim
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) June 21, 2024
Truex announced last week that he will not run full-time in NASCAR after this season, creating the opening at JGR.
Briscoe is looking for a ride with the announcement that Stewart-Haas Racing will cease operations after this season. Three of the team’s four charters will be sold. Front Row Motorsports has purchased one of those charters.
This week, Gene Haas announced that will retain one of the four SHR charters and field a Cup team. He also will have a two-car Xfinity operation. Those teams will be under the banner of Haas Factory Team.
