NASCAR: What remains unknown about the 2021 driver lineup
By Asher Fair
A lot has been confirmed about the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series driver lineup, but there are still several things we don’t know.
Many of the seats in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series driver lineup have been filled, including most of the top-tier rides.
But there are still several unknowns that remain regarding the full-time lineup as we head into the first full month of the offseason between the 2020 and 2021 campaigns following Chase Elliott’s maiden championship.
First and foremost, Front Row Motorsports have not yet confirmed either one of their two drivers for next year.
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Michael McDowell has driven the #34 Ford in each of the last three years and is expected to return, while John Hunter Nemechek is set to leave the team after just one year behind the wheel of the #38 Ford.
Spire Motorsports, which entered the Cup Series ahead of the 2019 season, have never run a full-time driver despite running the #77 Chevrolet full-time in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. They are set to run Corey LaJoie full-time behind the wheel of the #7 Chevrolet, and they have the ability to run a second full-time car as a result of their ownership of an additional charter, but no drivers of the #77 Chevrolet have been confirmed.
Additionally, Rick Ware Racing have four charters for the 2021 season, but they have not confirmed any of their drivers for next year. Like in recent years, they will likely run multiple drivers in each car.
They are set to run the #15 car, which had been run by Premium Motorsports before it was acquired by the team after the first four races of the 2020 season, as well as the #27 car, the #51 car and the #53 car. The #51 car is run with a charter from Richard Petty Motorsports and is classified as a Petty Ware Racing entry.
The futures of Gaunt Brothers Racing and MBM Motorsports, two teams without charters that ran the full 2020 schedule, also remain unknown.
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The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to begin in roughly two and a half months with the 63rd annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 14.