The 2024 NASCAR season is slowly coming together, but not all dominoes have fallen yet.
We are still a long way out from the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, so there is still plenty of offseason left to decipher who is going where.
Here are the pieces to the puzzle of the 2024 season that we don’t quite know yet, as of Dec. 6.
Read all of Frontstretch‘s content looking back on 2023 here
Drivers With Multi-Series Schedules
Shane van Gisbergen is leaving his Australian V8 Supercars seat to come to America and begin his NASCAR career. He signed a development deal with Trackhouse Racing that includes part-time starts in all three series of NASCAR in 2024. However, where he will compete in any series has yet to be announced, and who he will drive for in the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck series is also unknown.
And even on the Cup front, it’s not known if his Cup starts will be with Trackhouse’s Project91 ride or a fourth car.
Similarly, William Sawalich told Frontstretch in July that he will have an expanded racing schedule in 2024. He will defend his ARCA Menards Series East title while still running part time in the ARCA Menards Series. He’ll also run more Truck races and is expected to run some or all of the remaining six Xfinity races after his 18th birthday on Oct. 3.
However, everything besides ARCA East is still ambiguous with regards to Sawalich’s racing schedule for 2024. He’s in the midst of a three-year deal with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota, so it’s expected he will drive a JGR Xfinity car and a TRICON Garage truck along with his JGR ARCA ride.
NASCAR Cup Series
Kaulig Racing remains silent on whether or not AJ Allmendinger will remain in the Cup Series or send him back to Xfinity. The ride had been linked to Ty Dillon for a while but it seems those rumors have gone quiet. So the driver of the No. 16 is still largely unknown. (Note: Allmendinger was indeed announced as the driver of the team’s No. 16 in Xfinity on Dec. 7.)
Even if Allmendinger ends up back in Xfinity, one wonders if Kaulig’s part-time No. 13 in Cup could be a landing place for him on road courses, especially given his Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL win in 2023.
Aric Almirola left Stewart-Haas Racing after 2023. His sponsor of 12 years, Smithfield, left NASCAR entirely. SHR has yet to announce a replacement. It will likely be Noah Gragson, who would seemingly bring sponsorship from Black Rifle Coffee Club and Wendy’s, who sponsored him at Legacy Motor Club but did not sponsor the team further after Gragson’s suspension and requested release.
Erebus Motorsport announced plans to field an entry for its 2023 Australian V8 Supercar champion Brodie Kostecki in 2024. Richard Childress Racing will help the team field the cars, as Kostecki made his Cup debut with RCR in 2023. Richard Childress said Kostecki will likely drive in up to five races in 2024, including an oval. Aside from that, further plans have not been revealed by Kostecki, Erebus or RCR.
23XI Racing hasn’t announced any plans for its part-time third entry, the No. 67. The entry was fielded twice in 2023 for Travis Pastrana and Kamui Kobayashi. Some view the No. 67 as 23XI’s iteration of Project91, but 23XI has been mum on the car’s future.
Similarly, RFK Racing introduced its own third part-time entry, labeled as Stage60, and will run it several races in 2024 — starting with the Daytona 500, in which it will reunite with David Ragan for the attempt. However the team has yet to announce further races or drivers.
The Money Team Racing only ran twice in 2023, both with Conor Daly, at the Daytona 500 and Circuit of the Americas. The team’s website greets viewers with the words “2024 loading,” signaling a hope to return in 2024.
3F Racing is slowly getting closer to making its NASCAR debut. The team finally received visas in May, but sponsorship issues further hindered the team from making its debut in 2023. The team told Frontstretch at the season finale at Phoenix Raceway that it will set its sights on a 2024 debut.
LMC co-owner Jimmie Johnson will return to the No. 84 part time in 2024 for at least three races: Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Whether he competes in more than those three races? To be determined.
In the midst of Spire Motorsports’ spending spree as if it were at a shopping mall, it acquired the charter of Live Fast Motorsports. Then-team co-owner Matt Tifft told Frontstretch that the team will operate as an open car, running a handful of races in 2024.
The team plans to field the car for team owner BJ McLeod at the Daytona 500 and will field it in the the five other superspeedways and superspeedway-like tracks in the case of Atlanta Motor Speedway, as well as the road courses if the team can find a suitable driver. McLeod driving Daytona is the only thing set in stone.
Rick Ware Racing has yet to confirm who will be teammates with its new driver Justin Haley. RWR typically runs two full-time cars, with at least one featuring a revolving door of drivers. Whether Haley will drive the No. 15 or 51 also remains to be seen.
Beard Motorsports typically competes at the superspeedways and perhaps other one-offs with its RCR-affiliated No. 62, Austin Hill taking the reins in 2023. Nothing announced for 2024, though it’d be a surprise if it didn’t come back.
The part-time No. 36 from Front Row Motorsports has not had any plans announced for 2024; no guarantee either that it would be back, though its sometimes-driver in 2023, Riley Herbst, does not have any announced Cup plans yet.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Author’s note: Only full-time entries are referenced except in rare circumstances.
Alpha Prime Racing will have two full-time entries in 2024, but the status of its third car, the No. 45, hasn’t been determined. The entry attempted every race in 2023 with a plethora of drivers.
DGM Racing has not announced whether or not it will replace Josh Williams in the No. 92 after Williams departed for Kaulig. Kyle Weatherman will drive the No. 91 full time, and so far that’s the only confirmed entry DGM has.
Speaking of Kaulig, Williams is the team’s only confirmed entry thus far in 2024. The No. 16 has no driver after Chandler Smith left at 2023’s end, and the No. 10, which served as the team’s all-star car in 2023 before Daniel Hemric switched to it during the playoffs, is still in question as well. Some of these answers could come once Kaulig announces its plans for Allmendinger.
AM Racing is expanding to two cars in 2024. While Hailie Deegan will drive the second entry, the No. 15, the team has remained mum on the driver of the No. 25. Brett Moffitt piloted the car in 2023 but neither he nor the team has mentioned a return for 2024.
RSS Racing will feature both Sieg brothers, Ryan and Kyle, in 2024. Meanwhile, the status of its third full-time entry is expected to go to Frankie Muniz, though the team has not confirmed this.
JGR has not announced its 2024 driver lineup. It has been reported that Smith was bought out of his Kaulig contract to join the team, and Hill spilled the beans that then-teammate Sheldon Creed will join JGR as well. Even with the cat out of the bag on both, their numbers are not yet known.
Its All-Star car is expected to look a little different in 2024 as well. Ryan Truex is likely to return, and Cup drivers Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin are always a posibility. Almirola was seen at a Washington Commanders game with Christopher Bell and team owner (and former Washington head coach) Joe Gibbs, who was heard introducing Almirola as one of his 2024 drivers as well, so he’ll likely fill the seat for a few races. And then there’s the aforementioned Sawalich.
Sam Hunt Racing has not announced a 2024 plan. It has no full-time drivers at the moment but fielded two full-time entries in 2023, one for Kaz Grala, who will not return, and the other for a rotation of drivers, mainly Connor Mosack.
BJ McLeod Motorsports, MBM Motorsports and Mike Harmon Racing have not announced their 2024 plans (outside of MHR expecting a full-time season for its No. 74), but the former could move to a part-time schedule rather than compete full time.
JD Motorsports will have Dawson Cram in its No. 4 in 2024, but the status of its No. 6 is not known. Its former driver, Brennan Poole, moved to APR.
After fielding multiple cars before 2023, Our Motorsports downsized to just the No. 02 in 2023, with Blaine Perkins its main driver. Neither have announced plans for next year.
Both SS-Green Light Racing and Emerling-Gase Motorsports operated a pair of Xfinity entries from their stables in 2023, each with a rotating list of drivers. It’s certainly possible the status quo could remain for 2024, but there’s been nothing from either team just yet.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Author’s note: Only full-time entries will be referenced except in rare circumstances.
While Kyle Busch will still drive five races with Spire after selling Kyle Busch Motorsports, nothing else has been confirmed for the other 18 races, nor if Spire will field more trucks beyond that and Chase Purdy‘s full-time ride. van Gisbergen, Marco Andretti and Rajah Caruth have also been linked to Spire part or full time for 2024.
Jack Wood will drive a part-time schedule with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the No. 91. Twelve of his 14-race schedule still needs to be determined, and it’s also not known if the No. 91 will be a full-time effort.
Meanwhile, Jake Garcia left MHR to join ThorSport Racing in 2024. While his number has yet to be announced, it seems possible he will take over the No. 13 that was piloted by Deegan this season. In fact, ThorSport’s lineup in general is in theory in flux outside of the explicitly announced Garcia, though it seems unlikely defending champion Ben Rhodes would depart, and Matt Crafton and Ty Majeski seem unlikely to leave as well.
Colby Howard will not return to CR7 Motorsports in 2024. CR7 has not named a replacement, but Grant Enfinger has been linked to the truck due to his previous ties with the team.
TRICON Garage’s full-time lineup will remain the same for 2024, however its fifth truck, the All-Star No. 1, is still up in the air for 2024, aside from maybe Sawalich. The truck ran a nearly full-time schedule in 2023.
Niece Motorsports has not confirmed whether Lawless Alan will return to the team in the No. 45. Alan’s crew chief Wally Rogers announced his retirement at the end of 2023. So with Alan’s plans currently unknown, it’s largely unknown if Niece will keep a third full-time team even if Alan doesn’t return.
Front Row Motorsports needs a new driver for its championship-winning No. 38 with Smith’s Cup promotion. Moffitt has been linked to the ride.
Likewise, Rackley WAR has not given any leads as to who could be behind the wheel of its No. 25 in 2024 after splitting with Matt DiBenedetto.
Hattori Racing Enterprises has not released its 2024 plans, with Tyler Ankrum moving to MHR.
Young’s Motorsports again fielded three full-time trucks in the Nos. 02, 12 and 20 in 2023. A longtime mainstay in the series, one would expect the team to be back in some capacity next year, whether it’s with the same amount of entries or not.
Reaume Brothers Racing has one driver announced to its lineup so far for 2024: Keith McGee, who will contest six races. Nothing else — including whether or not it’ll have more than one truck — but team owner and driver Josh Reaume also tends to figure into RBR’s plans.
Hill Motorsports downsized to one truck in 2023, the full-time No. 56 split between Timmy and Tyler Hill. The team has announced it’ll share its 2024 plans soon, but it’s not known what those will be.
About the author
Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and secondary short track writer. He also serves as an at-track reporter and assists with social media when he can. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight-choreographer-in-training in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.
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