Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch to exchange pit crews for NASCAR Texas race this weekend

On Monday, the Joe Gibbs Racing team announced that the pit crew of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch will be swapped for the rest of the season, beginning this weekend’s Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

The move comes after Busch, the driver of the #18 Toyota Camry, and his crew were eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in last weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. While Hamlin’s #11 Toyota remained alive in the battle for title contention, advancing into the Round of 12. He currently stands 6th in the points table.

NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass first reported the news, which was later confirmed by a Joe Gibbs Racing representative.

Pockrass tweeted:

“Joe Gibbs Racing is swapping the over-the-wall pit crews for Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin starting at Texas.”

Heading into last week’s race, the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew ranked second this season based on average four-tire stop times, compared to the #11 team’s pit crew, which ranked seventh, according to Racing Insights. The change, therefore, was not surprising because Busch’s team is the best in this statistic and Hamlin needs a better over-the-wall pit crew to win his first Cup championship.

Blake Houston (front tire changer), Jacob Holmes (tire carrier), Michael Hicks (rear tire changer), Derrell Edwards (jack), and Justin White (fueler) will move from #11 to #18 pit box.

Thomas Hatcher (front tire changer), Lee Cunningham (tire carrier), C.J. Bailey (rear tire changer), Kellen Mills (jack), and Matthew Tyrrell (fueler) will move from Busch to Hamlin's crew.

Exchanging the pit crew members was also not new this season for Joe Gibbs Racing as they made a pit crew change with Christopher Bell’s team and Bubba Wallace Jr.’s team in early July before the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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Kyle Busch eliminated from title hunt after engine issues ended his race at Bristol Motor Speedway

Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch had a disappointing NASCAR Cup Series playoff race as he faced an engine failure for the second time in the first three playoff races.

During Saturday's race on Lap 269 of the 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Busch lost an engine, ending his hopes of winning the third championship of his career, and was eliminated from the playoffs in the Round of 12 for the first time in his career.

The 37-year-old, who secured two victories this season, was one of the biggest contenders to challenge for the win in the 2022 playoffs but he was unfortunate in the playoffs.

Catch Kyle Busch for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500, the fourth playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 25, 2022.