The NASCAR offseason is now upon us, and that means Silly Season takes center stage. Plenty of questions remain unanswered heading into NASCAR Silly Season, and we have all of them right here.
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Kaulig Racing remains one of the most prominent open seats in either Xfinity or Cup for 2024. We know that Chandler Smith will not be racing for the team in 2024, and we know that Daniel Hemric is moving up to Cup with the team with A.J. Allmendinger racing for the team in either Xfinity or Cup. Ty Dillon has recently been reported by Bob Pockrass as the favorite for the Cup Series ride, which would move Allmendinger to Xfinity, but, no official announcement has been made.
Aric Almirola finally officially announced prior to the Martinsville race that he would be stepping away from the #10 car. The recent favorite has been Noah Gragson, who was recently reinstated by NASCAR after his suspension. Sponsorship may be the major issue for Gragson with Almirola taking Smithfield with him, but, SHR brought in Josh Berry with no sponsorship as well.
Bob Pockrass recently reported that the likely plan for the second RWR car will be multiple drivers similar to how 2023 was. Plenty of interesting names from Jenson Button to Ryan Newman to Cole Custer have driven for the team this year, so, will those names pop up again in 2024? RWR was potentially in danger of losing this charter, but NASCAR let them hold onto it. That means this year could be a make or break for the second RWR team.
John Hunter Nemechek is moving up to the Cup Series for Legacy Motor Club, and Sammy Smith is moving on to JR Motorsports in the 8-car for 2024. Plenty of candidates are up for this ride with Austin Hill outright saying following Martinsville that Sheldon Creed is joining Gibbs, and Chandler Smith reportedly getting out of his Kaulig contract to go to Gibbs. However, Ryan Truex is a dark horse after he won at Dover earlier this year.
Zane Smith is moving up to the Cup Series for 2024, and that means Front Row Motorsports is looking for a new driver. One obvious candidate is Brett Moffitt, who won a Truck Series race with the team at Talladega this year. He is also a former Series Champion, so, he may have at least a chance at getting the ride.
The divorce between Matt DiBenedetto and Rackley W.A.R. was an ugly one, but, the team is moving on to another driver. They have used the likes of Trevor Bayne and Stefan Parsons to pilot the truck for the final races of 2023, so, they have a chance to maybe be with the team. However, Dawson Sutton may take some races for the team if they want him to move up to Trucks.
Rajah Caruth was left without a ride for 2024 as GMS Racing closed its’ doors. Not much has been said regarding his 2024 plans, but he is a candidate for pretty much any Truck Series ride available. One potential Xfinity Series landing spot is Alpha Prime, where Caruth has run some races this season.
Grant Enfinger narrowly missed out on the Truck Series Championship, but we know is 2024 plans are secure following his comments during media availability over the Championship weekend. The question is where? Places like ThorSport and Front Row jump out immediately, but, it could be a team out of left field such as Rackley W.A.R.
Matt DiBenedetto surprised many by announcing he would be leaving Rackley W.A.R. for 2024, and the divorce go uglier when the team cut ties with DiBenedetto with three races to go in the season. Time is running short for DiBenedetto, but, based on his most recent update, it seems something is in the works.
Frankie Muniz continues to be one of the most interesting drivers heading into 2024. There was a report that he would be joining RSS Racing in 2024, but, that was disputed by Muniz and the team. Still, he has had recent conversations with Ford, so, plans are definitely in the works.
Just because it is the offseason does not mean that the storylines in NASCAR stop flowing. These are all stories to watch as time goes on. Who will end up where?
