NASCAR: 3 teams with no drivers announced for 2023

NASCAR teams without drivers announced: No. 2 – Rick Ware Racing

After downsizing from four cars to two for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, Rick Ware Racing have fielded one car for team owner Rick Ware’s son Cody and another for a rotation of drivers, including J.J. Yeley, David Ragan, Garrett Smithley, Joey Hand, Ryan Preece, and Parker Kligerman.

While we have seen Kaulig Racing and Spire Motorsports both go from this two-car model of one full-time driver and a rotation of part-time drivers to two full-time drivers, it is unlikely that Rick Ware Racing will do the same.

Expect Ware to be back behind the wheel of the #51 Ford next year, and if the #15 Ford does return, expect a rotation of drivers.

With that being said, is there a chance that the #15 Ford doesn’t come back?

There is a performance standard among the 36 charter teams which allows NASCAR to repossess a team’s charter if that team finishes outside of the top 33 in the owner standings for three consecutive seasons.

Both Rick Ware Racing teams finished outside of the top 33 in 2022, and this was the #15 team’s second consecutive season in the bottom three. No other team can make that claim.

One thing worth mentioning is that Richard Childress Racing might have actually secured a third charter for the car that they had stated Tyler Reddick was going to drive, even though Reddick is now set to move to 23XI Racing a year early. If they did, could Rick Ware Racing have been the team from which they secured that charter?