NASCAR: No more driver changes for 2023?

There are a number of seats still open for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, but don’t expect any more groundbreaking signings.

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series silly season was one filled with chaos and signings that would have once been considered shocking.

Nearly a month into the offseason between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, 31 of the 36 chartered entries have confirmed full-time drivers for next year. Just 24 of those 31 cars have seen no changes from this past season.

Two seats that had several part-time drivers during the 2022 season each have a full-time driver for the 2023 season, and five seats saw straight-up driver changes.

Even with five seats still open for next year, are we done with driver changes?

Here is a list of the 31 chartered entries with confirmed drivers for 2023.

NOTE: No change unless otherwise noted.

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

• No. 5 – Kyle Larson
• No. 9 – Chase Elliott
• No. 24 – William Byron
• No. 48 – Alex Bowman

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota

• No. 11 – Denny Hamlin
• No. 19 – Martin Truex Jr.
• No. 20 – Christopher Bell
• No. 54 – Ty Gibbs
  • replacing Kyle Busch (No. 18 Toyota)

JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet

• No. 47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet

• No. 16 – A.J. Allmendinger
  • car did not have a full-time driver in 2022
• No. 31 – Justin Haley

Petty GMS Motorsports, Chevrolet

• No. 42 – Noah Gragson
  • replacing Ty Dillon
• No. 43 – Erik Jones

Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet

• No. 3 – Austin Dillon
• No. 8 – Kyle Busch
  • replacing Tyler Reddick

RFK Racing, Ford

• No. 6 – Brad Keselowski
• No. 17 – Chris Buescher

Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet

• No. 7 – Corey LaJoie
• No. 77 – Ty Dillon
  • car did not have a full-time driver in 2022

Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford

• No. 4 – Kevin Harvick
• No. 10 – Aric Almirola
• No. 14 – Chase Briscoe
• No. 41 – Ryan Preece
  • replacing Cole Custer

Team Penske, Ford

• No. 2 – Austin Cindric
• No. 12 – Ryan Blaney
• No. 22 – Joey Logano

Trackhouse Racing Team, Chevrolet

• No. 1 – Ross Chastain
• No. 99 – Daniel Suarez

23XI Racing, Toyota

• No. 23 – Bubba Wallace
• No. 45 – Tyler Reddick
  • replacing Kurt Busch

Wood Brothers Racing, Ford

• No. 21 – Harrison Burton

The three teams that still need drivers for next year are Front Row Motorsports, Live Fast Motorsports, and Rick Ware Racing. None of these teams have confirmed anybody for 2023, leaving a total of five seats open.

Three drivers competed full-time in these five seats in 2022. Michael McDowell drove the #34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, Todd Gilliland drove the #38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, and Cody Ware drove the #51 Ford for Rick Ware Racing. There will more than likely be no changes at these three entries for next year.

The other two entries, the #78 Ford at Live Fast Motorsports and the #15 Ford at Rick Ware Racing, saw multiple drivers in 2022.

Team co-owner B.J. McLeod was the primary driver of the #78 Ford, and that is expected to continue for a third straight year. Since the team joined the Cup Series in 2021, he has driven the car in all of the oval races except for the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The team have brought in other drivers for the dirt race and the road course races.

It is unlikely that the #15 Ford will see the exact same driver lineup in 2023, as six drivers spent time behind the wheel in 2022. However, it is also unlikely that Rick Ware Racing will do what Kaulig Racing and Spire Motorsports did and bring in a second full-time driver after running one entry for a full-time driver and another for a part-time driver.

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway with the 65th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 19.