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The 2024 NASCAR season finally gets underway this weekend, but, the sport will look quite a bit different in 2024. For those of you who have either not kept up with or lost track of off-season news, here is a brief recap of everything you missed throughout the off-season.
Noah Gragson replaces Aric Almirola in the #10 car for 2024. Gragson had a difficult 2023 season, but, 2024 gives him a great opportunity for a reset. He has a multi-year deal with the team, so, they are building around him for the future. He joins Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Preece at SHR, who struggled in 2024.
SHR also struggled in 2023 with 0 wins, but, they bring in Gragson alongside Josh Berry to join returners Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece. Both Gragson and SHR are in rebuilding mode in 2024, so, expectations are not necessarily high.
Legacy Motor Club made sweeping changes throughout 2023 and into the offseason. They switched manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford, brought in new employees, brought in a myriad of sponsors, and John Hunter Nemechek joined the team to drive alongside Eric Jones. This team is going to look at lot different in 2024.
Will they actually perform better? At some point, this team will likely improve, but, there will likely be a huge transition. They will be intriguing to watch in 2024.
Spire Motorsports has completely reinvented themselves. They brought in Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar for 2024, and they bought out Kyle Busch Motorsports, giving them new shop space. While Smith is at the team just for 2024 on loan from Trackhouse, Hocevar is there on a multi-year deal.
Hocevar is likely the young driver Spire hopes to develop over time. He is a raw, but very talented prospect that could use some experience in the Cup Series. Smith’s future is with Trackhouse, so, his goal is to get there as soon as possible.
Rick Ware Racing has been slowly putting together its 2024 driver lineup. Kaz Grala will race 25 times, starting at the Clash this weekend. Cody Ware said during the Roar before the 24 that he plans to run 10 races in 2024 for the team. This leaves potentially 3 races for someone like Riley Herbst.
This group of drivers would team up with Justin Haley, who will drive the #51 car. Many wondered if this team may lose their charter in 2023, but, NASCAR elected to let them keep it. This makes 2024 a big year for the team where they must show improvement.
Gone is Justin Haley and in is Daniel Hemric at Kaulig Racing full-time. As for the second car? That will be an All-Star Car with the only driver currently announced being A.J. Allmendinger.
This is not a lineup many fans are excited about. Daniel Hemric has only 1 NASCAR National Touring Series win, and A.J. Allmendinger won a Cup Series race last year. However, Hemric does have Cup Series experience, so, his second chance could be exactly what he needs.
SVG will indeed move to NASCAR full-time in 2024. His schedule is a bit complicated. He will race full-time in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing, and he will start 7 Cup Series races for likely either Trackhouse or Kaulig.
He barged onto the NASCAR scene by winning the Chicago Street Race in July of 2023. He became the hottest prospect in NASCAR soon afterward, and, now, we will get a true sense of how he fares on this side of the Pacific.
A new year means a new short-track package, but, don’t get your hopes up. NASCAR is not making any horsepower increase, but, they are introducing a simplified diffuser alongside a slightly larger spoiler.
Many fans and drivers have been begging for NASCAR to bump up the horsepower on short tracks. However, NASCAR continues to refrain from doing so. Fans are not optimistic that this change will be significant.
Both Ford and Toyota will have new bodies for 2024. Ford will debut the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse, and Toyota will introduce the Toyota Camry XSE. Chevy will stand pat with their Camaro for 2024.
Will both manufacturers have an edge over Chevy for 2024? New bodies often produce mixed results in their first season. Time will ultimately tell.
These are just a few storylines to keep an eye on at the Clash at the LA Coliseum. There will be plenty of new things to watch out for as the weekend progresses.
