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The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Circuit of the Americas for the first road course race of the year next weekend, and, like many road course races, it attracts open entries. Open entries have become less and less common in the Next-Gen era, but, we asked the question, how have these teams performed? Today, we break down the performance of all Open teams in the Next-Gen era.
Beard Motorsports has made occasional starts in the Cup Series primarily on superspeedways since 2017. They have occasionally had some modest success, with their best finish coming in 2022 with Noah Gragson at Daytona in July
Front Row Motorsports started fielding the #36 car in 2023 primarily to get Zane Smith some much-needed Cup Series reps. However, Riley Herbst got the best finish for the team at Talladega in the fall of 2023.
Kaulig Racing made 4 starts with their No. 13 car in 2023. Chandler Smith took three starts with dirt track ace Jonathan Davenport behind the wheel at Bristol Dirt. Smith took home the best finish for this car with an 11th-place finish at Talladega in the fall.
When Jimmie Johnson took over as an owner at Legacy Motor Club, they began fielding a third open entry for his races. While Johnson has failed to have a solid result for the team, he will continue to make starts for the team this season.
With Live Fast Motorsports selling its charter at the end of 2023, it became an open entry for 2024. B.J. McLeod has entered two races, qualifying for one. They should make appearances on superspeedways and road courses this season.
MBM Motorsports returns this weekend at COTA. They have not made a Cup Series start since 2022, when they had a tough season. Both MBM entries failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, but, J.J. Yeley did notch a top-25 for the team in 2022 at Talladega.
NY Racing made a return to the Cup Series this season after not making a start in 2023. The team has struggled in their brief time in Cup Series, but, Gref Biffle did give the team a top-20 at Atlanta in 2022.
In response to “Project 91”, David Regan made a one-off start for RFK Racing in the 2024 Daytona 500. Regan spent some time in the top 10 before falling back to 20th. RFK Racing’s Stage 60 will be one to watch this season.
Richard Childress Racing rarely fields a third car anymore, but, their second instance was fascinating. Brodie Kostecki saw fellow Australian Supercars star, Shane Van Gisbergen, win the Chicago Street Race. Kostecki qualified well, but, he did not end up having the same success as SVG.
Team Hezeberg made a few appearances with foreign drivers in 2022. Most prominently, 1997 Formula One World Champion, Jacques Villeneuve. Villeneuve got the team’s best finish of 22nd at Daytona.
The Money Team had an interesting time in the Cup Series. They will perhaps be best known for making the 2023 Daytona 500 despite multiple mechanical issues in qualifying and the Duels. Aside from that, this team did not do much.
Trackhouse’s Project 91 is by far the most successful “Open” entry of the Next-Gen era. It brought SVG over to NASCAR with his win in the Chicago Street Race. It also brought 2007 Formula One World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen, over for a pair of starts.
23XI Racing’s third entry has become Toyota’s version of Project 91. Sports car star Kamui Kobayashi returns to the team at COTA, but, Travis Pastrana got the extra entry their best result, an 11th in the 2023 Daytona 500.
“Open” entries have yielded mixed results in the Next-Gen era. Which one was your favorite?
