{"id":12821,"date":"2022-12-13T14:00:44","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T19:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=12821"},"modified":"2022-12-13T13:25:08","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T18:25:08","slug":"xfinity-series-driver-lineup-update-jgr-sage-karam-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2022\/12\/13\/xfinity-series-driver-lineup-update-jgr-sage-karam-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR Xfinity Series Driver Lineup Update: JGR, Sage Karam, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>More driver news this past week as the NASCAR Xfinity Series lineup begins to take shape for 2023.<\/h3>\n<p>Joe Gibbs Racing officially announced Sammy Smith and John Hunter Nemechek as their full-time drivers for 2023. Ryan Truex will race JGR&#8217;s &#8220;all-star&#8221; car for six races, Sage Karam returns to Alpha Prime, and Brett Moffitt has a full-time seat with AM Racing.<\/p>\n<h4>Joe Gibbs Racing locks up their lineup:<\/h4>\n<p>At the time of my <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2022\/12\/01\/nascar-xfinity-series-breaking-down-the-2023-lineup\/\" target=\"_self\">previous NASCAR Xfinity Series driver lineup article<\/a>, Joe Gibbs Racing had not revealed any concrete plans for their 2023 Xfinity Series team. That all changed this past week, with the announcement of <strong>Sammy Smith<\/strong> and <strong>John Hunter Nemechek<\/strong> to their full-time cars for 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Two of the highest-profile available seats on the Xfinity Series grid were filled with the guys generally everyone expected them to be filled by. Sammy Smith performed well in his gig in the JGR &#8220;all-star&#8221; part-time car, putting him in pole position for a drive. Smith will drive the #18 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSammy 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,&#8221; said Steve DeSouza, NASCAR Xfinity Series and Driver Development Executive Vice President. &#8220;We are excited to get him in the No. 18 full-time and know he will be competitive from the jump.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Nemechek gets promoted from the Truck Series back to a full-time ride in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Few drivers are more deserving of the seat than Nemechek. The winner of seven races across the Truck Series in 2021 and 2022 with Kyle Busch Motorsports, Nemechek was a full-time Cup Series driver for Front Row Motorsports in 2020. His last full-time Xfinity Series season was in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of taking the #54 used by Ty Gibbs, John Hunter will take the #20 Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. JGR even posted a video celebrating the #20 car in recent Xfinity Series history when announcing Nemechek would take the ride.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Coming in \ud835\udfee\ud835\udfec23\u2070\u2070The No. 20 has a strong history in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASCAR_Xfinity?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@NASCAR_Xfinity<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JHNemechek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JHNemechek<\/a> is ready to leave his legacy behind the wheel of the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/TeamToyota?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#TeamToyota<\/a> GR Supra next season! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3o5hu2H1gt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/3o5hu2H1gt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JoeGibbsRacing\/status\/1600837805508546560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 8, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>That leaves just the &#8220;all-star&#8221; #19, which will be <strong>Ryan Truex<\/strong>&#8216;s ride for at least six races in 2023. Truex ran five races for JGR in 2022, with three top-five finishes in those races. Truex is a long-time veteran of NASCAR&#8217;s national series and even raced for Joe Gibbs Racing more than a decade ago in both 2011 and 2012.<\/p>\n<h4>Sage Karam returns to Alpha Prime:<\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12828\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/12\/Sage20Karam20-20106th20Indianapolis2050020-20By_20Joe20Skibinski_LargeImageWithoutWatermark_m60270-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Sage Karam being introduced at the 2022 Indianapolis 500 (Joe Skibinski\/Penske Entertainment)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/12\/Sage20Karam20-20106th20Indianapolis2050020-20By_20Joe20Skibinski_LargeImageWithoutWatermark_m60270-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/12\/Sage20Karam20-20106th20Indianapolis2050020-20By_20Joe20Skibinski_LargeImageWithoutWatermark_m60270-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/12\/Sage20Karam20-20106th20Indianapolis2050020-20By_20Joe20Skibinski_LargeImageWithoutWatermark_m60270-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/12\/Sage20Karam20-20106th20Indianapolis2050020-20By_20Joe20Skibinski_LargeImageWithoutWatermark_m60270-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/12\/Sage20Karam20-20106th20Indianapolis2050020-20By_20Joe20Skibinski_LargeImageWithoutWatermark_m60270-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/12\/Sage20Karam20-20106th20Indianapolis2050020-20By_20Joe20Skibinski_LargeImageWithoutWatermark_m60270-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/12\/Sage20Karam20-20106th20Indianapolis2050020-20By_20Joe20Skibinski_LargeImageWithoutWatermark_m60270-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2022\/12\/Sage20Karam20-20106th20Indianapolis2050020-20By_20Joe20Skibinski_LargeImageWithoutWatermark_m60270-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sage Karam<\/strong> has been around the block as far as racing in the US goes, and he&#8217;ll return to the Alpha Prime Racing driver lineup for select races in 2023. Karam came up through the Indy ladder, racing open-wheel cars, and is a nine-time veteran of the Indianapolis 500. Karam has also competed in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, including a full-time season in 2018 with 3GT Racing, and even tried his hand at Rallycross in both the American Rallycross series and the standalone Nitro Rallycross series.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cSage has managed the learning curve from open wheel to stock car racing extremely well given his limited starts in the series,\u201d said Tommy Joe Martins, Alpha Prime Racing&#8217;s co-owner and General Manager. \u201cHe continues to grow and show more and more speed and discipline each time he hits the track. Sage puts us in a great position to contend for our first win, and our team couldn\u2019t be more excited to have him back for 2023.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Notably, for the first time in a decade, Sage Karam has no plans to find an IndyCar seat for the Indy 500 in May. In an interview on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio on December 8, Karam confirmed that his main racing focus for 2023 will be his part-time schedule with Alpha Prime, and he&#8217;ll make his debut for the team at the Atlanta Xfinity Series race in March.<\/p>\n<h4>Brett Moffitt joins AM Racing on a full-time basis:<\/h4>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8\ud83d\udea8 FUTURE FOCUSED! \ud83d\udea8\ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n<p>NEWS: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Brett_Moffitt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Brett_Moffitt<\/a> joins <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AMRacingNASCAR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@AMRacingNASCAR<\/a> for full 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NASCAR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NASCAR<\/a> Xfinity Series season with new technical alliance with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StewartHaasRcng?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@StewartHaasRcng<\/a> and relationship with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FordPerformance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@FordPerformance<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>More: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vUL1beCljF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/vUL1beCljF<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NASCAR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NASCAR<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AMR25?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AMR25<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/A2qv31hPY2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/A2qv31hPY2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; AM Racing (@AMRacingNASCAR) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AMRacingNASCAR\/status\/1602332607026454528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 12, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Brett Moffitt<\/strong>, who ran most of the 2022 season in the #02 Our Motorsports Chevy, will be joining AM Racing for a full-time ride in 2023. As the above tweet mentions, AM will switch from Chevy to Ford to form a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford Performance. It&#8217;s AM Racing&#8217;s first full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThis is an integral move for AM Racing and our future in NASCAR,\u201d said AM Racing team principal Kevin Cywinski. \u201cAM Racing is committed to ensuring that we are taking the necessary measures to not only give our team but Brett (Moffitt) the opportunity to be competitive from the time we show up to Daytona in February \u2013 which is something this group deserves.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are also grateful to have formed a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford Performance. With their leadership and direction \u2013 it should offer the opportunity for our team to contend for a spot in the Xfinity Series Playoffs in our inaugural season.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Brett Moffitt was the 2015 Cup Series Rookie of the Year but has mostly raced in Xfinity and the Truck Series since. He has previous experience with AM Racing, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk\/2022\/06\/brett-moffitt-todd-gilliland-enter-knoxville-trucks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">running the Knoxville dirt race with the team<\/a> in the Truck Series for the past two seasons.<\/p>\n<h3>Current Confirmed 2032 Lineup:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>JR Motorsports:\u00a0<\/strong>Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry, Brandon Jones, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two races)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Joe Gibbs Racing:\u00a0<\/strong>Sammy Smith, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Truex (six races)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kaulig Racing:\u00a0<\/strong>Landon Cassill, Daniel Hemric, Chandler Smith<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stewart-Haas Racing:\u00a0<\/strong>Cole Custer, Riley Herbst<\/li>\n<li><strong>Richard Childress Racing:\u00a0<\/strong>Sheldon Creed<\/li>\n<li><strong>Big Machine Racing:\u00a0<\/strong>Parker Kligerman<\/li>\n<li><strong>JD Motorsports:\u00a0<\/strong>Bayley Currey<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jesse Iwuji Motorsports:\u00a0<\/strong>Jesse Iwuji, Kyle Weatherman<\/li>\n<li><strong>RSS Racing:\u00a0<\/strong>Ryan Sieg<\/li>\n<li><strong>AM Racing:\u00a0<\/strong>Austin Wayne Self, Brett Moffitt<\/li>\n<li><strong>BJ McLeod Motorsports:\u00a0<\/strong>Garrett Smithley<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jeremy Clements Racing:\u00a0<\/strong>Jeremy Clements<\/li>\n<li><strong>Alpha Prime Racing:\u00a0<\/strong>Ryan Ellis, Sage Karam (part-time)<\/li>\n<li><strong>ACG Motorsports (part-time):\u00a0<\/strong>Chris Cockrum<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hendrick Motorsports (<\/strong><strong>part-time):\u00a0<\/strong>Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>Featured Image Credit: Emilee Chinn\/Getty Images<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More driver news this past week as the NASCAR Xfinity Series lineup begins to take shape for 2023. Joe Gibbs Racing officially announced Sammy Smith and John Hunter Nemechek as their full-time drivers for 2023. Ryan Truex will race JGR&#8217;s &#8220;all-star&#8221; car for six races, Sage Karam returns to Alpha Prime, and Brett Moffitt has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4341,"featured_media":12829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,1665],"tags":[991,333,282,929,1945],"class_list":["post-12821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-nascar","category-nascar-xfinity-series","tag-brett-moffitt","tag-joe-gibbs-racing","tag-john-hunter-nemechek","tag-sage-karam","tag-sammy-smith"],"modified_by":"Nathan Reynolds","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4341"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}