NASCAR 101: Who Didn’t Return to NASCAR in 2024?

Another year, another group of drivers whose 2024 racing plans didn’t involve any of NASCAR’s national series.

But unlike some years, which see a handful of retiring racers among the ranks (which is to say: yes, of course this driver didn’t come back; they explicitly said they wouldn’t), just one — Kevin Harvick — stayed away from the sport in 2024.

The remainder is a diverse group of (currently) former NASCAR competitors, from a past Daytona 500 winner to a journeyman owner-driver who’d made at least one appearance every year since the mid-2000s, from former Formula 1 champions to drivers who simply didn’t have a place on the schedule with the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series removing dirt tracks from their 2024 programs.

Below, check out each driver who made at least one appearance in a national series in 2023 but did not in 2024, and click through each year to see past editions of this article on Frontstretch.

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

Trevor Bayne: Trevor Bayne‘s on-again-off-again NASCAR career was again dormant in 2024, following similarly inactive years in 2021 and 2019. He remained part of the sport as the driver optimization leader at Legacy Motor Club and as an analyst at FOX Sports.

Jenson Button: The 2009 Formula 1 champion didn’t make a return foray to NASCAR after a three-race Cup stint in 2023. Jenson Button‘s 2024 activity included a podium finish at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, plus starts in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Casey Carden: Though he didn’t make another attempt at his first NASCAR start, Casey Carden remained a presence in the ARCA Menards Series, making three appearances between Rise Motorsports and Clubb Racing Inc., with a best finish of 23rd for Rise at Michigan International Speedway.

Tyler Carpenter: Dirt phenom Tyler Carpenter was one of a handful of 2023 NASCAR competitors who had little use for the sport in 2024 with dirt racing off its schedule. He was the champion in the steel block late model division of the Dirt Track World Championship.

Tanner Carrick: Like Carpenter, Tanner Carrick returned to the dirt racing circuit in 2024, racking up multiple wins.

Parker Chase: Road course specialist Parker Chase didn’t make a NASCAR appearance in 2024 after three years of NASCAR Xfinity Series and Truck starts.

Chad Chastain: Ross Chastain‘s younger brother Chad snapped a three-year streak of competing part time in the Xfinity and Truck series.

Caleb Costner: Caleb Costner focused on his co-owned ARCA outfit, CW Motorsports, in 2024. He competed in the first four races of the main-series season before moving to a part-time schedule, though CW was able to field a full-season ARCA Menards Series East entry for DL Wilson.

Jonathan Davenport: Another dirt specialist who didn’t have much reason to return to NASCAR, Jonathan Davenport has remained a stalwart in America’s dirt racing ranks in 2024, including the XR Super Series.

Spencer Davis: Spencer Davis reemerged on the sorta-NASCAR circuit last month when he ran a one-off ARCA Menards Series West race at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway for Cook Racing Technologies, coming home 11th. He also ran the Whelen Modified Tour’s season opener at New Smyrna Speedway for the team and was the zMAX CARS Tour’s pro late model championship runner-up for his own team.

Jake Drew: 2022 ARCA West champion Jake Drew was nowhere to be found in both NASCAR and ARCA in 2024. Instead, he was rookie of the year in the Trans Am Series’ TA2 series for Silver Hare Racing.

Mason Filippi: Longtime IMSA competitor Mason Filippi did more of the same in 2024, albeit without a NASCAR foray like he had in 2022 and ’23.

Jessica Friesen: Truck regular Stewart Friesen‘s wife had run a second truck for the family team the last few years thanks to the series’ then-yearly dirt races, but neither Jessica nor the additional truck materialized in 2024 in the series.

Colin Garrett: Colin Garrett ran the Pirelli GT4 America class in 2024, but the 2023 TC America champion did not make a NASCAR start.

Gray Gaulding: Any prospective starts for Gray Gaulding were momentarily nixed in early April when he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence and indefinitely suspended by NASCAR. The charges were dropped in July. It’s the first year without at least one national series appearance for Gaulding since his Truck debut in 2014.

David Gilliland: TRICON Garage’s co-owner did not step into one of his own trucks as he often has the past few years. It’s not a huge surprise; since retiring from full-time competition, David Gilliland has also not raced at all in 2017, 2020 and 2022.

Andrew Gordon: Another casualty of the lack of dirt racing, Andrew Gordon competed on the dirt track circuit yet again in 2024, most recently at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s dirt course.

Alex Guenette: Canadian Alex Guenette, who has 10 national series starts between the Xfinity and Truck series, returned to part-time competition in the NASCAR Canada Series, earning four top fives in six starts.

Max Gutierrez: Like Guenette except south of the border instead of north of it, Max Gutierrez was a driver in the NASCAR Mexico Series this year, earning five top fives and eight top 10s.

Chris Hacker: In February, Chris Hacker was involved in a head-on collision with a semi-truck in South Carolina, suffering multiple injuries. He did not end up making it to the track as a driver in 2024.

Mike Harmon: Mike Harmon continues to own his own team, Mike Harmon Racing, with the part-time No. 74 in the Xfinity Series. But he didn’t get behind the wheel this year, the first time he didn’t at least attempt a national series event since 2006.

Kevin Harvick: The 2014 Cup champion was true to his word, enjoying retirement from NASCAR competition. Harvick still got behind the wheel in a one-off CARS event, though — and in May, he was a standby driver for Kyle Larson for the Cup All-Star Race, practicing and qualifying the No. 5 while Larson was in Indianapolis. He was also part of FOX’s broadcast booth.

Tyler Hill: Tyler Hill, younger brother of full-time Truck driver Timmy, didn’t make a national series start for the first time since his Xfinity debut in 2018. Nonetheless, he remained an active crew member for Hill Motorsports, the family’s Truck team.

Sean Hingorani: This weekend, Sean Hingorani will vie for his second straight ARCA West championship. But unlike 2023, when he contested a part-time Truck schedule alongside his ARCA program, the 18-year-old did not move up to NASCAR this year.

Jesse Iwuji: After a pair of seasons fielding his own team, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports, in the Xfinity Series, Jesse Iwuji was unable to find the backing to return to NASCAR competition in 2024. It’s Iwuji’s first time without at least one start since his Truck debut in 2018.

Chase Janes: Chase Janes returned to solely local rather than national competition in 2024 after two years of part-time Truck starts.

Devin Jones: Devin Jones‘ Martinsville Speedway start in the Xfinity Series last year came six years after his previous NASCAR appearance. He was back to the inactive list in 2024 as far as NASCAR was concerned, but he continued to operate his driver coaching business and made sporadic starts in other series.

Brodie Kostecki: Rumor at the beginning of the year was that Brodie Kostecki would follow fellow Supercars driver Shane van Gisbergen to America, albeit on a part-time basis, much like in 2023. Instead, he remained in Australia, running Supercars and even scoring the victory in the Bathurst 1000.

Andy Lally: 2011 Cup rookie of the year Andy Lally didn’t run a NASCAR race for the first time since 2019. Much of his 2024 activity came in the WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.

Cameron Lawrence: Cameron Lawrence competed both domestically and abroad in sports cars in 2024, but he chose not to avenge his DNQ in what would’ve been his maiden Xfinity race at Circuit of the Americas last year.

Sam LeComte: Texas’ Sam LeComte attempted to make the field in the Truck COTA race three straight years, failing to qualify each time. He opted not to try again in 2024, though he continued to operate racing team Concierge Motorsports.

Katherine Legge: Katherine Legge made seven NTT IndyCar Series starts this year, including the Indianapolis 500, for Dale Coyne Racing. Her best finish was 15th at The Milwaukee Mile.

Baltazar Leguizamon: Argentina’s Baltazar Leguizamon, who like Lawrence failed to qualify for his Xfinity debut at COTA last year, mostly raced in his home country in 2024.

Derek Lemke: Derek Lemke‘s wife Natalie Decker was a part-time NASCAR driver this year, but Lemke raced late models rather than compete in one of the national series.

Justin Marks: After a one-off Xfinity start last year, the semi-retired Justin Marks focused on his day job in 2024 as the co-owner of Trackhouse Racing.

Max McLaughlin: Max McLaughlin is a full-timer in the World of Outlaws Case Construction Late Model Series, earning a win, four top fives and nine top 10s this year.

Camden Murphy: The other job for Camden Murphy besides part-time NASCAR guy? Monster truck driver. He again competed in Monster Jam in 2024, driving the Bakugan Dragonoid.

Ryan Newman: 2023 was a surprise return for Ryan Newman, who after a year off from NASCAR in 2022 drove eight Cup races for Rick Ware Racing. Not so in 2024; Newman ran the SMART Modified Tour, finishing third in points, seven behind champion Luke Baldwin, and was also a part-timer in the Whelen Modified Tour.

Miguel Paludo: Miguel Paludo continued to compete in his home country of Brazil in 2024, again contesting the Porsche GT3 Carrera Cup Series.

Travis Pastrana: After returning to NASCAR in 2023 to run the Daytona 500 for 23XI Racing, Travis Pastrana was back to his old tricks — literally — as a stunt performer and host of Nitro Circus, which you may have recognized as a sponsor on Noah Gragson‘s Cup car this season.

Todd Peck: Part-time Truck driver Todd Peck did not show up with his family-owned No. 96 in 2024 after failing to qualify for the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in 2023.

Spencer Pumpelly: Similar to Lally, Spencer Pumpelly ran in WeatherTech this year, including a victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Pumpelly had made at least one Xfinity start every year since 2021.

Kimi Raikkonen: Not only did Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 F1 champion, opt to avoid running NASCAR in 2024 — the team for which he drove, Trackhouse’s Project 91, also didn’t make a Cup appearance this year, despite its big 2023 with van Gisbergen’s Chicago street course win.

Mike Rockenfeller: Road ringer Mike Rockenfeller was a full-time IMSA driver in 2024, with a best finish of second twice — at Virginia International Raceway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Will Rodgers: Though Will Rodgers was mostly a Trans Am competitor in 2024, he popped back up in NASCAR as a spotter at Watkins Glen International late in the Cup season for Erik Jones.

Christian Rose: AM Racing’s full-time ARCA driver Christian Rose stayed solely in ARCA in 2024, despite the team having a season-long presence in the Xfinity Series. He earned three top fives (a career high) and 10 top 10s.

Austin Wayne Self: Speaking of AM, the team’s longtime driver, Austin Wayne Self, did not make a national series appearance for the first time since he made his Truck debut in 2016. He does, however, remain an active dirt racer.

Jonathan Shafer: The CARS Tour was a common stop for Jonathan Shafer, who shared Walker Motorsports’ No. 15 in the pro late model division, among other series.

Brent Sherman: After 14 years away, Brent Sherman returned to NASCAR’s national series in 2023 to drive in the Xfinity race at Chicago. The 50-year-old didn’t make it 2-for-2 at the street course this year.

Dexter Stacey: The longtime NASCAR Canada Series competitor hopped back into the Xfinity Series last year for two races. In 2024, Dexter Stacey was back in the Canada Series, making five starts with a best finish of eighth at Autodrome Chaudiere.

Jordan Taylor: IMSA veteran Jordan Taylor focused on his usual digs in 2024, with a win coming at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Brian Weber: Brian Weber returned to the Xfinity Series in 2023 for what would’ve been his first start in the series in 20 years, before he was replaced after practice in MBM Motorsports’ No. 66. Weber continued to race in 2024, including in the SMART Modified Tour, but the NASCAR national series were not in the cards.

Jason White: The American-born Jason White (to differentiate with the Canadian Jason White, who did race in NASCAR in 2024) was arrested for a DWI in 2023 and was suspended by NASCAR.