Bubba Wallace Jr. and Christopher Bell’s teams have made significant pit crew changes ahead of Sunday’s Cup Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Based on the changes that were confirmed by Joe Gibbs Racing and also updated on Cup’s team roaster, Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing will swap some of the crew members in Wallace Jr. and Christopher Bell’s cars.
Jackson Gibbs, a front-tier changer, and Nick McBeath, a tire carrier, will head to Bell’s team. Apart from the two crew members from Wallace Jr.'s team, Bell’s team will also welcome AJ Rosini, who will serve as the rear tire changer, replacing Daniel Olszowy. Jackson Gibbs has been with Wallace Jr.'s team since the start of the season, while McBeath joined the team in May during the Kansas race.
Bubba Wallace Jr.’s team will welcome Houston Stamper, a front tire changer, and Joe Crossen, a tire carrier. The two crew members have been working with Bell’s #20 Toyota Camry TRD for a while now. Houston joined the team in May during the Kansas race, while Crossen has been with Bell since the start of the season.
Bubba Wallace Jr. expressed his displeasure with his crew team at Nashville Superspeedway
The switch comes two weeks after Wallace Jr. expressed his dissatisfaction with his crew team following a pit-road mistake at Nashville Superspeedway that stretched him behind.
During the Nashville event, Bubba Wallace Jr. had a solid day running in the top ten before his crew chief Bootie Barker asked him to stop since he had left the pit road with a loose wheel.
As he tried to make a stop Tyler Reddick’s car hit him from behind, and as a result, Wallace was furious with his crew chief and told Barker not to talk to him the entire race, though Barker still maintained communication.
The Nashville race wasn’t the first time Wallace Jr. had an issue with his crew team; during the COTA race, his crew chief and other crew members were handed a four-week suspension after he lost his tire.
At Kansas Speedway, Wallace Jr. was among the fastest drivers, but he ended up being penalized twice due to pit road mistakes. During the event, Bubba Wallace Jr. was penalized for a tire violation and a crew member was hopping over the wall too early.
With the swap of crew members, Wallace Jr. is hoping to end the season on a good note.