NASCAR: 5 teams with no drivers announced for 2023
By Asher Fair
NASCAR teams without plans announced: No. 2 – Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports generally don’t announce their Cup Series plans until later in the season or even in the offseason, so it’s no surprise to see them here. However, this season is perhaps a little bit more interesting than most.
Michael McDowell has been with the team as the driver of the #34 Ford since the 2018 season, and despite a 100-point penalty following the race at Pocono Raceway, he has had a career year. An impressive 2022 season follows an impressive 2021 campaign which saw him win the Daytona 500 and secure his first career playoff berth.
Todd Gilliland currently drives the #38 Ford as a rookie and could be considered on the hot seat, but it is believed that the team have no desire to replace him after only one year.
But since entering the Cup Series in 2005, the team have never gone from one season to the next with the exact same driver lineup.
It was thought that this could very well be the case again in 2023, with Zane Smith emerging as a star for their Truck Series program.
Smith is in his first season with the team at NASCAR’s third highest level, but he is in his third season in the series, having finished runner-up in the championship standings with GMS Racing in both 2020 and 2021.
However, it was recently announced that he is set to return to the organization’s Truck Series team next year. Will both McDowell and Gilliland be back in their respective rides for 2023 as well?