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With Matt Kenseth on the sidelines pending Thursday’s appeal of his two-race suspension, a prime seat in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage is open. Though a clear front-runner exists, time to examine the top candidates to fill the vacancy in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota:
Erik Jones: The 19-year-old prodigy sits at the head of the class in Joe Gibbs Racing‘s talented farm system. With two high-profile Sprint Cup substitutions for JGR regulars Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin already under his belt, Jones has an elite opportunity for extra seasoning as his career arc continues upward. The odds-on favorite.
Daniel Suarez: Another star in the making in JGR’s developmental pipeline, Suarez has made strides in his first full season of NASCAR XFINITY Series competition. His lack of Sprint Cup competition is a clear hurdle to placing him in the No. 20 seat, but priming him with premier-series experience could be an enticing option, especially at Phoenix — in close proximity to a fervent fan base near his native Mexico.
David Ragan: The nine-year veteran filled in for nine races in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota for the injured Kyle Busch earlier this season, and participated in testing for the Gibbs organization at Atlanta last week and this week. Ragan jumped to JGR once before in an effort to showcase his skills; if given the opportunity, he’d likely do so again as his Michael Waltrip Racing team plays out the string before closing at season’s end.
Regan Smith: The XFINITY Series regular has already established a solid reputation as a super-sub in the Sprint Cup garage, with high-profile pinch-hitting roles for Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson in the last two years. He’s never driven anything other than a Chevrolet in his Sprint Cup career, but with his JR Motorsports tenure coming to an end, a ride in the No. 20 Toyota could be an eye-catching audition for 2016.