NASCAR: 5 seats still open for the 2023 season

Five of the 36 chartered entries, spread across three teams, still do not have any confirmed drivers for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Two more teams solidified their driver lineups for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season earlier in the offseason, with both Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing confirming driver number four in their respective rosters for next year.

Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed reigning Xfinity Series champion Ty Gibbs as the replacement for the Richard Childress Racing-bound Kyle Busch, albeit behind the wheel of a renumbered No. 54 Toyota as opposed to the iconic No. 18 Toyota.

Stewart-Haas Racing confirmed reserve driver Ryan Preece as the replacement for Cole Custer behind the wheel of the No. 41 Ford, with Custer set to drop back down to the Xfinity Series.

These announcements mean that 31 chartered entries have confirmed full-time drivers for the 2023 season, leaving five open at three teams. Let’s have a look at each of them.

Front Row Motorsports

No. 34 Ford

• 2022 driver: Michael McDowell
• 2023 prediction: McDowell will likely return for a sixth year behind the wheel of the No. 34 Ford. Front Row Motorsports generally don’t confirm their driver lineup until the offseason, so it’s no surprise that this hasn’t yet been confirmed, despite the fact that McDowell is coming off of a career year.

No. 38 Ford

• 2022 driver: Todd Gilliland
• 2023 prediction: Gilliland will also likely be back for a second season behind the wheel of the No. 38 Ford. There had been some chatter about reigning Truck Series champion Zane Smith potentially replacing him, but Smith is instead set to return to the Bob Jenkins-owned Truck team. He is, however, set to make compete in select Cup Series races in a third entry, including the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Rick Ware Racing

No. 15 Ford

• 2022 drivers: J.J. Yeley, Garrett Smithley, Joey Hand, David Ragan, Ryan Preece, Parker Kligerman
• 2023 prediction: Rick Ware Racing downsized from four cars to two following the 2021 season, and given the fact that the No. 15 team finished in the bottom three in the owner standings (among the 36 charter teams) in both 2021 and 2022, there have been rumors about another potential downsize, as a third straight bottom three finish could allow NASCAR to repossess the team’s charter. If the No. 15 Ford stays, don’t expect Rick Ware Racing to do what Spire Motorsports and Kaulig Racing have done, moving from one full-time driver and several part-time drivers to two full-time drivers. Expect it to be a rotational ride once again.

No. 51 Ford

• 2022 driver: Cody Ware
• 2023 prediction: Expect the son of team owner Rick Ware to be back for a second full season behind the wheel of the No. 51 Ford, regardless of what happens with the team’s other entry.

Live Fast Motorsports

No. 78 Chevrolet

• 2022 drivers: B.J. McLeod, Josh Williams, Kyle Tilley, Andy Lally, Scott Heckert
• 2023 prediction: The No. 78 team has also been brought up as a subject of potential charter movement following its 36th (last) place finish in the 2022 owner standings, but the 2022 season was only its first year outside the top 33. Expect the team to continue to field the No. 78 Ford-turned-Chevrolet for team co-owner B.J. McLeod in all the oval races, aside from the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway, while continuing to call upon others for the dirt race and the road course races.

Who will ultimately end up in these five seats for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season? The season is scheduled to get underway with the 65th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 19.