NASCAR: Joe Gibbs Racing swaps Nos. 11, 18 pit-crew personnel

Joe Gibbs Racing indicated Monday that its Nos. 11 and 18 teams will swap pit crews, starting with Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Driver Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota team remain alive in the Cup Series Playoffs, which continue with Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM) at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth track. Kyle Busch, driver of Coach Joe Gibbs’ No. 18 Camry, was eliminated from title contention after last weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The move was first reported by FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, and later independently confirmed by NASCAR.com through a JGR representative.

As of Monday afternoon, NASCAR’s team roster portal did not yet reflect the change. At Bristol, the listed over-the-wall personnel were:

• No. 11: Blake Houston (front tire changer), Jacob Holmes (tire carrier), Michael Hicks (rear tire changer), Derrell Edwards (jack), Justin White (fueler).
• No. 18: Thomas Hatcher (front tire changer), Lee Cunningham (tire carrier), C.J. Bailey (rear tire changer), Kellen Mills (jack), Matthew Tyrrell (fueler).