NASCAR: 3 cars that still need drivers for 2023
By Asher Fair
Three chartered entries still need drivers for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, with two currently lacking any confirmations.
There are 33 confirmed full-time drivers for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, all in chartered entries.
Three chartered entries still need additional confirmations for the upcoming 36-race campaign, including two which don’t have drivers confirmed for any races on the schedule.
While there are other part-time entries which don’t have fully confirmed schedules as well, let’s have a brief look at the three chartered entries without confirmed driver lineups.
Rick Ware Racing – No. 15 Ford
It is expected that the No. 15 Ford will once again be a rotational ride. In the 2022 season, six drivers spent time behind the wheel of the car, with J.J. Yeley leading all drivers with 17 starts. Garrett Smithley and Joey Hand each competed in six races while David Ragan competed in four, Ryan Preece competed in two, and Parker Kligerman competed in one.
Rick Ware Racing – No. 51 Ford
Cody Ware, son of team owner Rick Ware, drove the No. 51 Ford full-time during the 2022 season. He missed only the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, when Yeley filled in as a result of an ankle injury Ware suffered in a crash at Texas Motor Speedway. He is expected to return to the team in some capacity in 2023, potentially as the sport’s 34th and final full-time driver.
Live Fast Motorsports – No. 78 Chevrolet
In addition to confirming a manufacturer switch from Ford to Chevrolet after their first two seasons in the Cup Series, Live Fast Motorsports announced that Josh Bilicki is set to drive the No. 78 Chevrolet in four races on the 2023 calendar.
As of now, he is set to compete in the races at Circuit of the Americas, the Chicago Street Course, Michigan International Speedway, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Team co-owner B.J. McLeod is also set to drive the car, as he did in both 2021 and 2022, but his schedule hasn’t been confirmed.
With Bilicki set to compete in the race at Michigan International Speedway, McLeod won’t have the exact same role as he had in the team’s first two seasons, when he drove the car in all of the oval races except for the dirt races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
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The 2023 season is scheduled to begin on Sunday, February 19 with the 65th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Fox is set to broadcast the race live beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.