NASCAR development leaves one charter car without a driver

NASCAR has refused to recognize the transfer of charters to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports after both teams were said to have acquired one from Stewart-Haas Racing to expand from two to three cars for the 2025 Cup Series season.

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports both refused to sign the new NASCAR charter agreement, which has led to ongoing antitrust litigation involving those two teams and the sanctioning body.

NASCAR has said that they are prepared to move forward with 32 charters in 2025 as opposed to the usual 36, given the fact that both teams were two-car teams at the time, but with two more Stewart-Haas Racing charters unaccounted for, it appears that the sport could be headed for a season with 30.

23XI Racing have already confirmed Riley Herbst as their third driver, alongside Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace.

Though Front Row Motorsports technically still have a seat open alongside Todd Gilliland and former Stewart-Haas Racing driver Noah Gragson, a seat likely to go to former Truck Series champion Zane Smith, this latest development indicates that there is actually only one chartered seat left without a driver for the 2025 season, even if both teams do indeed stick with their plans to run three cars each.

That seat is Rick Ware Racing's No. 51 Ford.

Rick Ware's team have downsized from two cars to one for the 2025 season, following the announcement that they will be leasing out one of their two charters to RFK Racing. RFK Racing, which formed a technical alliance with Rick Ware Racing ahead of the 2023 season, plan to expand from two to three cars.

Justin Haley had been in line to return to Rick Ware Racing in 2025, but an in-season driver swap resulted in him reuniting with Spire Motorsports. Corey LaJoie, who had been with Spire, took over in the No. 51 Ford for the remainder of the 2024 season.

The No. 15 Ford, which is not expected to be run as a non-chartered entry in 2025, was shared by Kaz Grala, Cody Ware, and Riley Herbst throughout the 2024 season.

Rick Ware Racing have generally run at least one of their full-time entries as a shared entry, so now with just one full-time entry, it will be interesting to see if they can commit to a single driver. The other 29 charter cars, plus the six 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports cars, are all set to be driven full-time by single drivers next year.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway with the 67th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 16, but the action is scheduled to commence with the Busch Light Clash preseason exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium two weeks prior on Sunday, February 2.