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What seemed to be a quiet week for Silly Season turned into madness as multiple announcements were made last Friday and Saturday regarding new drivers in new rides. The third Stewart-Haas Racing charter finally has a home, and Kaulig Racing continues to fill out its 2025 driver lineup. This week of NASCAR Silly Season is filled with all these developments and more.
It’s official! The driver of the third Trackhouse car has finally been revealed. To no one’s surprise, it’s the winner of the inaugural Chicago Street Race, Shane van Gisbergen. After one year in the Xfinity Series and a handful of part-time starts in Cup, SVG will jump to the Cup Series full-time in 2025 to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse. The team will expand to three cars, purchasing one from the closing Stewart-Haas Racing. Stephen Doran, current crew chief for the No. 71, will move to the Trackhouse to crew chief SVG for his rookie season.
This is a big day in so many ways for Trackhouse Racing, Shane, Chevrolet and race fans around the world. This is an important step for our organization and it’s a credit to the men and women at Trackhouse Racing whose hard work and success the last few years has led to us expanding to three Cup teams in 2025.
-Justin Marks, Founder and Owner of Trackhouse Racing
The No. 88 will return to the Cup Series for the first time since 2021 when Alex Bowman drove the car for three seasons. SVG joins hall of famers like Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt Jr. as drivers of one of NASCAR’s most iconic numbers. SVG has impressed during his time in the sport. Aside from his win in his debut in 2023, he’s the winningest driver this year in the Xfinity Series, collecting three of the four road course races. What started as a one-off venture with Project 91 has now turned into a full-time ride for the New Zealand native, who will be a threat on the road courses for the foreseeable future.
On the other side of the SVG announcement was the news that Zane Smith, driver of the No. 71 Spire Chevrolet, and Trackhouse, will part ways at the end of the 2024 season. It was rumored that Smith could be the odd man out at Trackhouse, given their plethora of drivers, and with this news it makes it official. Both Trackhouse and Smith made posts on social media announcing the split.
It’s been an up-and-down rookie year for Smith. The team started slow but has picked up the pace in the last few races. Despite that, with Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and now SVG signed to contracts, and Michael McDowell already set to take over the No. 71 next year, it left Smith without a ride with the team he signed a contract with just one year ago. Smith is one of the front runners for the third Front Row Motorsports seat, so a reunion with the team he won the 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship with is not out of the question. His 2025 plans are not confirmed as of this writing.
Kaulig Racing announced three of its full-time Xfinity Series drivers for 2025. Josh Williams will continue to pilot the No. 11 Chevrolet, while Daniel Dye, driver of the No. 43 Chevrolet in the Craftsman Truck Series, will join the team for his rookie season in the No. 10 car. After locking up AJ Allmendinger to the No. 16 in the Cup Series for next year, Kaulig also announced that Christian Eckes will replace him on the Xfinity side of things in the number 16 Chevy.
Dye is in the middle of his first playoff appearance in the Craftsman Truck Series. He’s run a part-time schedule for Kaulig this season, finishing in the top 10 twice in seven starts. He’s shown competitiveness in the Craftsman Truck Series and will look to continue his path for his rookie season in 2025.
Williams has struggled in his first season with Kaulig. After making headlines last season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his debut year in the No. 11 has resulted in three top-10s, 14 laps led, and a 17th place standing in the points. Kaulig as a whole has struggled this year, and Williams will look for a bounce back as he heads into 2025.
Meanwhile, Christian Eckes has had a career year in 2024 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. So far this year, he has scored 3 wins, 11 top-5’s, and 16 top-10s out of 17 races. His success this year allowed him to win the regular season championship for 2024. The future seems to look bright for Mr. Eckes, and he be an asset for Kaulig in 2025.
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