It's official: Josh Berry, whose Wood Brothers Racing departure was confirmed by in June, is set to replace John Hunter Nemechek behind the wheel of the No. 42 Toyota for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season, following Nemechek's own surprise departure after he had long been expected to return to Legacy Motor Club next year.
But as far as surprise driver moves for next year go, this one might well have been the last of them, unless, of course, Denny Hamlin wins the 2026 championship and actually does decide to go out on top and retire before letting the remainder of his Joe Gibbs Racing contract expire in 2027.
All full-time drivers who have not yet been formally confirmed for the 2027 season are considered highly likely (if not complete locks) to return to their current seats, meaning that the lineup for next year is just about set following yet another relatively quiet (until recently) silly season.
Still, there was far more movement this year than there was a year ago, when only one new driver was added, one driver switched teams, and one driver left the series.
Don't expect any further movement, however, even with these 12 drivers not yet formally confirmed for 2027.
12 NASCAR Cup drivers whose 2027 deals haven't been solidified
No. 2 Team Penske Ford, Austin Cindric
Austin Cindric has said that fans can expect to see him back with Team Penske next year, and there's no reason to believe he's bluffing. For the longest time, he was considered a "win and in" merchant. This year, he ended up being the only driver who actually qualified for the playoffs because "win and in" was removed. He's safe.
No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Austin Dillon
Austin Dillon retiring and taking on more of a leadership role at Richard Childress Racing is something that's been discussed annually for a few years now. And it will probably be discussed again during silly season next year, as he runs yet another year in the No. 3 car.
No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski has said he has no plans to retire anytime soon, and there's no reason to believe otherwise. This situation is a bit iffy simply because of their loss of a charter, meaning Ryan Preece is set to run a non-chartered (open) car full-time, but don't expect any changes here either.
No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Daniel Suarez
This one is a formality. The Coca-Cola 600 winner isn't going anywhere after proving everybody wrong and qualifiying for the postseason in his first year post-Trackhouse departure. How did that work out for Justin Marks' team?
No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, Ty Dillon
As usual, there are far better options to put in the No. 10 car than Ty Dillon. As usual, that won't matter.
No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, A.J. Allmendinger
On the flip side, A.J. Allmendinger was a dark-horse playoff contender for much of the 2026 season, despite Kaulig Racing losing all Chevrolet factory support, and we should expect the same thing in 2027, as he is said to be locked in with Matt Kaulig's team for as long as he wants to compete.
No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Chase Briscoe
Chase Briscoe is in the second year of a multi-year deal with Joe Gibbs Racing. I honestly don't even know why we've included him here, because he's not going anywhere after his strong start in the No. 19 car.
No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota, Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace is in an option year at 23XI Racing, but both sides are in a good place. There may be some added pressure in 2027 with fellow Brickyard 400 winner Corey Heim joining the team to replace Riley Herbst, but Wallace had a strong enough 2026 regular season to get to the playoffs on points.
No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet, Cole Custer
Cole Custer has quietly pieced together some strong runs after returning to the NASCAR Cup Series with Haas Factory Team, which his father Joe runs as team president.
No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet, Cody Ware
As long as Rick Ware Racing keeps their last charter, after selling the other to Legacy Motor Club following two years of leasing it out to RFK Racing, expect Cody Ware to be their full-time driver.
No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Ty Gibbs
Yet another driver only included because his contract status isn't publicly available, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs isn't going anywhere after a breakout season.
No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Michael McDowell
This one is actually somewhat interesting. Michael McDowell is the only Spire Motorsports driver who didn't qualify for this year's playoffs, but it appears the team are content with keeping the veteran around for at least another year. It also appears he has no immediate desire to retire, having mentioned that he wants development driver Tristan McKee to replace him, although whether he sticks around that long remains TBD. Corey Day is also a candidate to replace him, potentially as early as 2028.
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