HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – After his most difficult season to date in the NASCAR Cup Series, two-time series champion Kyle Busch will have a new crew chief when the new season begins in February at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Ben Beshore, who previously served as an engineer on the No. 18 Toyota driven by Busch, has been promoted to crew chief. Busch’s former crew chief, Adam Stevens, has been assigned to the No. 20 Toyota that will be driven by Christopher Bell next year.
Chris Gabehart and James Small will continue to serve as crew chief for the No. 11 and No. 19 teams respectively.
“We go through a process at the conclusion of every season that includes evaluating each of our teams,” said Joe Gibbs, Owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We believe our crew chief lineup for 2021 will best position each team and driver for success across both series.”
In six seasons together, Busch and Stevens won 28 races and two NASCAR Cup Series championships. However, this year the pair struggled and were eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in the second round.
The pair managed just one victory, which came in the 34th race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway, along with 14 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. Busch finished the season eighth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after winning the series championship in 2019.
In addition, Joe Gibbs Racing officials also announced changes to the team’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program.
Jason Ratcliff will return to the organization as crew chief for the No. 20 Toyota Supra driven by Harrison Burton, while Dave Rogers will work with newly-named Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Hemric in the No. 18 Toyota Supra. Jeff Meendering will continue to serve as the crew chief with Brandon Jones, who returns behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota Supra.
The team also plans to field a fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series entry in 2021, appointing Chris Gayle to lead the No. 54 Toyota Supra team, which will be driven by a team of all-star caliber drivers. The driver lineup and race schedule for the No. 54 Toyota Supra will be announced at a later date.
“We take a lot of pride in our depth of talent across our entire organization,” Gibbs said. “All of our crew chiefs are proven winners. We are also looking forward to bringing the No. 54 Toyota Supra back to the track in 2021 with an exciting team of drivers.”