NASCAR driver actually makes his own announcement

For once, fans got to hear a NASCAR driver announcement made by the team and driver themselves, not from an early report or leak.

Last month, Kaulig Racing announced that they would be making a 2023 NASCAR Cup Series driver announcement at their Kaulig Racing Fan Day on Wednesday, October 5.

While some believed at the time that they were the frontrunners to land Kyle Busch, the timing didn’t make much sense and it became obvious that this wasn’t going to happen. Busch went on to sign with Richard Childress Racing.

Before Kaulig Racing Fan Day, however, it was reported that A.J. Allmendinger was going to be announced by the team as the full-time driver of the #16 Chevrolet for the 2023 Cup Series season. Allmendinger, who is one of three drivers of the car, currently drives full-time for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series.

Indeed, the Matt Kaulig-owned team made this announcement, even after the news had already come out. They also announced that Justin Haley would be returning for another year behind the wheel of the #31 Chevrolet, which was also anticipated.

But this situation still managed to enter rare territory: a driver making his own announcement.

It is rare anymore that an announcement by a driver or a team is the actual source of news. In almost every scenario, much like we saw with Allmendinger, the move will be reported by at least one outlet ahead of time, effectively reducing the importance of the “major announcement” itself.

We even saw it with Busch. For months, nobody knew where he was going to sign, and there were five teams, at some point, which were seen as the favorites.

Yet a few days before the announcement was made — and even before his deal was done — it was reported that he was going to be joining Richard Childress Racing. The biggest free agent confirmation of the last decade and a half ended up being leaked ahead of time.

While Allmendinger’s confirmation was leaked ahead of time, it was also revealed on Wednesday who would be replacing him behind the wheel of the #16 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series, something that hadn’t yet been revealed.

Chandler Smith, who currently competes for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series, announced that he is set to switch from Toyota to Chevrolet and jump to NASCAR’s second highest level with Kaulig Racing.

Busch even commented, “Congrats! Someone that got to announce their own news” on Smith’s Instagram post announcing the future move.