NASCAR Cup rookie Christopher Bell will drive the No. 20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing next year, the team announced Monday. Bell is replacing Erik Jones, who is parting ways with his longtime JGR team next season.
Bell, 25, is a Toyota developmental driver racing the No. 95 for Leavine Family Racing. LFR will have new ownership in 2021 and Bell will transition to the No. 20.
"I'm so appreciative of the opportunity I have this year with LFR and I want to finish this season strong for Bob (Leavine) and everyone there," Bell said in a release from JGR. "At the same time, I'm extremely excited to return to Joe Gibbs Racing starting in 2021. It's an organization I'm very comfortable with and have had a lot of success with."
Bell was the 2017 Truck Series champion driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports. He advanced to a successful full-time Xfinity Series career the following year, notching 15 wins and 38 top-five finishes in there driving full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018 and 2019.
In his rookie Cup season with LFR, which has a technical alliance with JGR, Bell has earned one top-five finish at the first Pocono race and has 10 top-five finishes. Bell raced in the top-five to close the first two stages of Sunday's race at Michigan, and finished in 17th. He is ranked four positions below the 16-driver cutoff on the NASCAR points ladder, and is 86 points behind his Rookie of the Year competition Tyler Reddick.
"We are excited to bring Christopher into our Cup Series program starting in 2021," JGR owner Joe Gibbs said in a team release. "He obviously had tremendous success in the Xfinity Series with us and we look forward to his return to JGR."
Jones, who still doesn't have a ride announced for next year, told NBC's broadcast Sunday before the race at Michigan that he was "blindsided a little bit" by the team's decision to not extend his contract. Jones had secured two playoff berths for the No. 20 car in 2018 and 2019, and was searching for another extension with the team.
"I didn't expect it coming from our talks," Jones said. "I thought we were moving in a good direction."
Bell will be the fifth driver competing in the No. 20 Cup car for Gibbs, following Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth and Jones.
