There are two seats open in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series driver lineup which are likely to go to full-time drivers, and drivers have been linked to both seats.
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series may be in the books, but silly season has yet to wrap up, with three of the 36 chartered entries still lacking driver confirmations for the 2024 season.
Stewart-Haas Racing, Kaulig Racing, and Rick Ware Racing each have an empty seat, despite the fact that all have already confirmed one driver change.
Josh Berry is set to replace Kevin Harvick behind the wheel of the No. 4 Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing, Daniel Hemric is set to replace Justin Haley behind the wheel of the No. 31 Chevrolet at Kaulig Racing, and Haley is set to move to Rick Ware Racing, presumably as the driver of the No. 51 Ford that had been driven full-time by Cody Ware prior to his arrest.
But Stewart-Haas Racing still need a driver for the No. 10 Ford with Aric Almirola leaving the team, and Kaulig Racing have yet to confirm who will be behind the wheel of the No. 16 Chevrolet, which was driven by A.J. Allmendinger in 2023.
Rick Ware Racing’s No. 15 Ford will likely be split among multiple part-time drivers, leaving 35 drivers to battle for the championship instead of 36.
But full-time drivers have been linked to the other two available entries for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Ironically, both drivers are the two most recent drivers released by Legacy Motor Club. Noah Gragson, who was rumored to lose his ride with the team after the 2023 season even before being suspended and ultimately released after “liking” an inappropriate meme on social media, is the favorite to drive the No. 10 Ford next year.
Ty Dillon, who lost his ride with the team (then known as Petty GMS Motorsports) after the 2022 season, is rumored to be replacing Allmendinger, even though Allmendinger won a race in 2023 and Dillon has been statistically the worst full-time driver in each of the last two seasons.
There are three seats currently open in Cup – Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 (favorite: Noah Gragson), Kaulig Racing No. 16 (favorite: Ty Dillon) and Rick Ware Racing No. 15 (TBD, likely more than one driver). https://t.co/SEE1XV4T3B
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 25, 2023
The 2023 season, which he spent with Spire Motorsports, marked the fourth straight season after which Dillon lost his ride. He ironically lost his 2022 ride to Gragson.
As for Allmendinger, he will likely move back to Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity Series team, as they need drivers with Hemric being promoted and Chandler Smith leaving, likely for Joe Gibbs Racing.
With both Gragson and Dillon having competed full-time (if you want to call it that, in Gragson’s case) in 2023, it looks as though there will not be any more new drivers competing for next year’s championship. Berry and Spire Motorsports teammates Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar are set to battle it out for the 2024 Rookie of the Year honors.