Joe Gibbs Racing Turns To New Driver for Portland Race

Connor Mosack

Getty Ryan Truex (front) races at Texas Motor Speedway.

The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra will have a new driver to kick off the month of June. The team will bring in Connor Mosack, who currently competes in the TA2 division of the Trans Am Series.

The Xfinity Series team announced the news in a press release. JGR said that Mosack will make his series debut while driving the No. 18 Toyota Supra and he will have OpenEyes.net, a global impact ministry, as his primary partner as he takes on Portland International Raceway. He does not have experience at the track, but he will have both practice and qualifying to get up to speed.

“Our Xfinity Series program was designed to provide opportunities to racecar drivers like Connor who are looking to expand their careers by challenging themselves in a very competitive racing series,” said Steve deSouza, Executive Vice President, NASCAR Xfinity Series/Development, Joe Gibbs Racing. “Connor has accomplished quite a bit in a relatively short period of time in Trans Am and we’re proud to help further his development in NASCAR.”

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Mosack Has Experience in a Different Stock Car

The North Carolina native has not competed in the Xfinity Series, but he has experience in a different stock car. He has made some part-time starts in the ARCA Menards Series over the past two seasons.

Mosack started three races during the 2021 season. He joined Young’s Motorsports for races at Michigan International Speedway, Milwaukee Mile, and Kansas Speedway while posting a season-best finish of 11th. He has since started two other races in 2022 while posting a top-10 finish at Phoenix Raceway and a fifth-place finish at Kansas Speedway.

Mosack will continue his schedule with an ARCA Menards Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He will take on the 1.5-mile track before heading to Lime Rock Park for the Trans Am Series race, which will be his sixth of the season.

Mosack has achieved some success in his second Trans Am Series season. He has a podium finish during the March weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway and a fourth-place finish in the April weekend at Weather Tech Laguna Seca.


Another Driver Will First Control the No. 18

Trevor Bayne

GettyTrevor Bayne has made multiple starts for JGR.

Mosack will make his Xfinity Series debut on June 4 at Portland International Raceway, but there is still one more race that must take place. The Xfinity Series will first head to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Memorial Day Weekend where another driver will take over the No. 18 once again.

Trevor Bayne, who has made three starts in 2022 for JGR, will make his return for the Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28. He will continue to pursue his first win of the year, which could lead to future opportunities.

Bayne has made seven starts at the Concord track while competing in the Xfinity Series, and he has contended for strong finishes. He has five career top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile track. This includes a third-place run while driving for Roush in 2011. His only finishes outside of the top 10 are a pair of 17th-place finishes in 2010.

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