One of the rides open in the NASCAR Cup Series for 2027 was quickly filled, as Wood Brothers Racing announced on Wednesday (June 17) it signed Jesse Love to drive the famous No. 21.
The puzzle piece that was the 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion is now off the table, and the picture of what the field will look like next year is a little clearer. What was once hyped up as being one of the craziest Silly Seasons ever has turned out pretty bland so far, but there are still some dominoes that could fall. Or there’s the chance that everything else stays fairly status quo heading into next year.
Let’s take a look team by team to see what other changes might come down the pipeline, or if there are any at all.
Trackhouse Racing
The only change that could happen at Trackhouse is Connor Zilisch could leave after just one full-time Cup season. The Athletic reported that Hendrick Motorsports could buy out the rookie’s contract and put him in the No. 48 car. Zilisch has had a miserable year, and Trackhouse has lacked speed a lot of the season so far, so that could lead to a change. But Hendrick has a few options for the No. 48.
Should Zilisch leave, that would open up the No. 88, and there’s no telling who Justin Marks would turn to. Perhaps Josh Berry could land there or a driver from a lower series.
Team Penske/Wood Brothers Racing
As mentioned, Love is signed for the No. 21 after Berry got the boot. There were some rumors that Austin Cindric could be replaced, but that seems unlikely. Cindric currently holds the last spot in The Chase and is ahead of Penske teammate Joey Logano in points in a year where the Fords are lacking, so why replace him?
What I could see happening, though, is if Love impresses in the No. 21 to the point of doing better than Cindric then maybe in a year or two Penske brings him in-house to the No. 2.
Richard Childress Racing
Unfortunately, any plans RCR had for next year got thrown out the window with Kyle Busch‘s death. Austin Hill has drove the No. 33 in Cup ever since then, but it’s unknown if he will be the driver for that car next year. The picture is a little clearer now that Love, who drives for the team in NOAPS, is leaving Childress.
Hill deserves to get the No. 33 next year, as he’s shown to be a proven winner for the team in O’Reilly. But to quote Clint Eastwood in The Unforgiven, “deserve’s got nothing to do with it.” Also, Hill may want to be a NOAPS lifer.
A name that has been floated around for this ride is Noah Gragson. Dale Earnhardt Jr. mentioned him on the Dale Jr. Download this week, pointing out that Bass Pro Shops, which has a close relationship with Childress, wanted Gragson in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 last year.
Given the No. 33’s nicotine and alcohol sponsorships, don’t expect any driver under the age of 25 in the car next year.
There was a time when there was a yearly rumor that Austin Dillon could take a job within the team and open up the No. 3, but with the current status of the team, that rumor has died off.
Front Row Motorsports
If Gragson goes to RCR, then that would make the No. 4 at FRM available. Even if he doesn’t, Gragson is 29th in points while his teammates are tied for 24th, so the team could replace him anyway. Although, the team would struggle to find a more marketable and sponsor-friendly driver.
Earnhardt mentioned Berry as a replacement should Gragson and the team part ways. At some point the team has to consider promoting one of its NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers Layne Riggs and Chandler Smith, or else they’re going to end up somewhere else. FRM could replace Todd Gilliland with one of them, but that doesn’t feel likely.
Hendrick Motorsports
The only car to watch at Hendrick is the No. 48. Alex Bowman could return, he and the team could part ways or Bowman could retire after dealing with a string of health issues the past few years.
Should Bowman not return, then Zilisch is a player for this seat, as mentioned earlier. But the team could also promote its O’Reilly driver Corey Day, who has two wins this year. Whatever happens with Bowman could be the piece that really sets Silly Season in motion.
RFK Racing
With Chris Buescher signing an extension on Tuesday, it doesn’t appear any driver changes will happen at RFK. However, the charter that it currently leases from Rick Ware Racing will go to Legacy Motor Club next year. That means that RFK only has two charters for three cars.
The team has said it will run three cars next year whether it secures a third charter or not, running one car as an open entry. If it is able to acquire one, then it would likely be from RWR or Haas Factory Team.
Spire Motorsports
This was a prove-it year for Daniel Suarez, and he certainly has done that by winning the Coca-Cola 600 and sitting eighth in points. Spire is probably signing him to an extension, and no changes will happen to its lineup.
Kaulig Racing
Ty Dillon could be out the door, as he is 10 spots lower than Kaulig teammate AJ Allmendinger in points, or the team could head into next year with the exact same lineup. If Kaulig does elect for a new driver of the No. 10, then Berry could be appealing. It could also promote its Truck Series driver Justin Haley, who previously raced for the team in Cup.
Joe Gibbs Racing
There are zero questions about JGR’s Cup lineup for next season. Check back a year from now when Denny Hamlin is set to retire, if he actually goes through with it.
23XI Racing
Tyler Reddick signed an extension earlier this year, Bubba Wallace ain’t going anywhere and Corey Heim has been signed to replace Riley Herbst in the No. 35. 23XI’s lineup is set. As for what happens with Herbst, we’ll get to that in a second.
Haas Factory Team
As long as this team is around, I imagine Cole Custer will be the driver. But if Haas is looking to get out, then RFK could buy its charter.
Legacy Motor Club
LMC is adding a third full-time car in 2027, as it is acquiring a charter from RWR. Herbst is more than likely going to be the driver of it, with The Athletic reporting last month the two sides were “expected to eventually finalize a deal.” According to Jayski, both the other drivers are likely returning. So if/when Herbst signs with the team, its lineup will be set.
Hyak Motorsports
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. signed a multi-year extension with the team last month, so Hyak is good to go for a while.
Rick Ware Racing
This ride will be Cody Ware‘s as long as the team is around in Cup. It’s been a one-car team for a few years now, but now it truly is down to one charter, with the second going to Legacy. If the price is right, maybe RWR sells its last charter to RFK.
So there are definitely a few interesting moves that could still happen. Or, as mentioned at the start, a lot of these rides could stay exactly the same.
Michael Massie joined Frontstretch in 2017 and has served as the Content Director since 2020.
Massie, a Richmond, Va., native, has covered NASCAR, IndyCar, SRX and the CARS Tour. Outside of motorsports, the Virginia Tech grad and Green Bay Packers minority owner can be seen cheering on his beloved Hokies and Packers.
Thanks for choosing to comment on this article. A name and email address are required to post a comment. The email address is not publicly visible or shared. Please keep in mind that comments are moderated according to our comment policy.