NASCAR: Who headlines the 2024 free agent class?

NASCAR Cup Series silly season was quite chaotic during the 2022 season, and it has all the makings to be just as interesting next year with so many notable free agents.

Several drivers are on the move this offseason, having signed contracts with new teams for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, and several of the moves which took place were moves that would have been considered surprising at this point last year.

Who would have guessed that Tyler Reddick, who was under contract with Richard Childress Racing through 2023, would be leaving the team and joining 23XI Racing, switching from Chevrolet to Toyota? Who would have guessed that Kyle Busch would end a 15-year relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota to be his replacement?

Who would have guessed that Aric Almirola’s retirement announcement would end up being just as much of a “retirement announcement” as Tom Brady’s?

There were several other moves which made headlines, but those were the ones that stood out among the least expected.

And silly season next year is setting up to be just as crazy.

Next year’s free agent class is absolutely stacked, and uncertainty abounds at a number of the sport’s top teams.

Alex Bowman is the only Hendrick Motorsports without a contract through at least 2025, and he doesn’t even have a deal for 2024. Will he and primary sponsor Ally re-sign with the team? If not, who will replace him behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet, and where will he end up?

During the 2022 season, Daniel Suarez re-signed with Trackhouse Racing Team, but his extension was only a one-year extension. Following a career year in 2022, what does he need to do in 2023 to be back behind the wheel of the No. 99 Chevrolet in 2024?

Things are even more uncertain for Stewart-Haas Racing. While Almirola did ultimately decide to change his mind and not retire, there is reportedly still an option in his new multi-year agreement which could allow him to retire after the 2023 season, which would leave the No. 10 Ford without a confirmed driver.

Driver changes have been common at Stewart-Haas Racing in recent years, with the team having made a change after six of the last seven seasons, but they did not make more than one change during any of those six offseasons.

If Almirola retires, they might have to do so, because Kevin Harvick is without a deal to compete beyond 2023.

Harvick, the sport’s oldest driver, admitted last offseason that his original plan was to retire after the 2021 season, but he ended up signing an extension with Stewart-Haas Racing to continue driving the No. 4 Ford through 2023. Will the 2023 season be his final season?

Things are arguably just as uncertain at Joe Gibbs Racing. Martin Truex Jr. hinted that retirement was a possibility after the 2022 season before ultimately deciding to return for another year behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota in 2023. Who will replace him if it ends up being his last?

Then there is Denny Hamlin, who is in a situation similar to that of Busch in that nobody really gives much thought to the idea of him competing for any team other than Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin has been with the team for his entire Cup Series career, going all the way back to 2005.

But what happens if, like M&M’s with Busch, FedEx decides not to sign a new deal with Joe Gibbs Racing? Could Joe Gibbs Racing be forced to find a new driver for the No. 11 Toyota? While he has been adamant that he wants to retire with Joe Gibbs’s team, could Hamlin end up driving a third car for his own team, 23XI Racing, in 2024?

There are other drivers to keep an eye on as well, as there is always a surprise or two, but these are the big names to watch as NASCAR silly season progresses.