Joe Gibbs Racing hires Tab Boyd as Christopher Bell spotter after Hyak fired amid controversial comments

Tab Boyd was fired by Hyak Motorsports from his position as the spotter for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. following some controversial comments he made regarding NASCAR’s trip to Mexico City. Now, he’s resurfaced, and his new position is a little grander.

Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Toyota team has been looking for a spotter after his longtime partner Stevie Reeves shockingly quit on the team following his All-Star Race victory. Matt Philpott has been filling in, but Boyd will be taking over from here on out, according to Nick DeGroot of Motorsport.

“Rosters for this weekend’s race at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) show that JGR has changed (their spotters) up once again,” DeGroot wrote. “Enter [Tab] Boyd, who will spot for Bell for this weekend and beyond. The exact terms of the deal are not known, but the change has been confirmed by JGR.”

That’s a huge move for Bell. Many were surprised when Boyd was let go by Hyak, believing his comments didn’t demand a change. Evidently, the team believed so. Now, the spotter is landing on his feet with the No. 20 team.

“I’m ready to go home, screw this place, people can talk it up all they want… can’t even walk out the front door of the hotel without getting hustled and money snatched….in less than 5 minutes,” Boyd posted on X on June 14, which led to his release. “Good area my ass.”

Alas, Boyd had been Stenhouse Jr.’s spotter since the beginning of the 2023 season. The driver was disappointed with how it all shook out, calling it “an unfortunate deal,” as Hyak decided to move forward with Clayton Hughes as his spotter instead.

In the meantime, Boyd has since deleted his X account. Bell and company now don’t have to worry about another inflammatory post, at least. Perhaps the duo will be a good match, as the talented wheelman has been in a bit of a drought since winning three races in a row earlier this season.

This past weekend at Pocono was a bit of a surprising one for Bell. While his teammates in Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin celebrated a 1-2 finish, Bell came home P17. That’s far below the standard he’s set for himself in 2025.

As Tab Boyd comes into the fold, it’ll be at a track Christopher Bell knows and likes, as he was victorious in Atlanta earlier this season. It was the first of his aforementioned three consecutive wins, so we’ll see if he can kick off a new run in Georgia this weekend with his new spotter.