After a two-week hiatus for the Paris Olympics, NASCAR finally returns this week at Richmond Raceway. As the sport made its welcome return, the silly season picture became clearer. A new driver to JR Motorsports was announced, and speculation on where some drivers can land continues to rise. Here’s everything you missed this week in NASCAR Silly Season.
This past Wednesday JR Motorsports announced that racing phenom Connor Zilisch will pilot their No. 88 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series for 2025. Zilisch, a Trackhouse Racing development driver, was rumored to go to the perennial title contenders on loan from Trackhouse for months. Now Zilisch, who just turned 18, will get to showcase his immense talents on the second biggest stage in NASCAR starting next season.
Despite being so young, Zilisch has already put together an impressive resume. He won the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours at Sebring in the LMP2 class. He’s competed in six ARCA Series races this season, winning four of them for an insane win percentage of 66.67%. Zillisch made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Circuit of the Americas in March, winning the pole and finishing top-five despite multiple issues throughout the race. Zillisch will get a head start with his new team next month when he makes his Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen International as part of a four-race deal with JRM this season.
Haas Factory Team has yet to announce who will fill their two Xfinity Series seats for 2025. Hailie Deegan was the first name reported back at Indianapolis, but now a second candidate has emerged, current Joe Gibbs Racing driver Sheldon Creed. Lee Spencer of Catchfence was on “The Morning Drive” on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio and stated that Creed is a candidate for a seat with the HFT.
It would not surprise me to see Ryan Preece in one of the Haas Factory cars. Another name that I heard going into the Haas Factory car yesterday was Sheldon Creed. I don’t know how solid that is, but that would be three Xfinity teams in three years.
Candice Lee Spencer
As stated by Spencer, this would be Creed’s third Xfinity Series team in three years. He drove for Richard Childress Racing from 2022-2023 before signing with JGR for 2024. It has been a frustrating season for the 2020 Truck Series champion. Currently, he sits eighth in the standings and while his nine top-fives tie him for most in the series, he is still searching for his first Xfinity Series victory. With Brandon Jones rumored to go back to JGR, Creed could be the odd man out. HFT could be the team that fits Creed to finally get him over the hump and turn him into a true Xfinity Series contender.
With Sam Mayer rumored to go Cup racing in 2025, that leaves the JRM No. 1 car potentially open for next season. JRM is one of the top teams in the Xfinity Series, so this will be a seat that many drivers will want to get their hands on. Who would be the best candidate for the ride? There’s a few options on the table.
Corey LaJoie is one that could land the ride. After announcing he and Spire Motorsports will part ways at the end of the year, LaJoie is unlikely to stay in the Cup Series next season. He could be a solid addition to the team and finally get the race-winning car he has been searching for to prove that he belongs in NASCAR’s top divisions. Another name could be Christian Eckes. Eckes leads the Truck Series standings and has been one of the top drivers in the series all year long. He’s a candidate for the third Front Row Motorsports seat, leads the Truck Series standings, and has been one of the top drivers in the series all year long. but if that doesn’t materialize, a premiere Xfinity Series ride could be the next option. There are plenty of names that the Xfinity is the No. 1 Chevrolet, but one thing is for certain: it will be one of the hottest seats in the Xfinity Series silly season.
To wrap things up, the rumors for the No. 7 Spire Chevrolet are beginning to ramp up. The latest reports suggest that current Rick Ware Racing driver Justin Haley is the leading candidate to drive the No. 7 car in the Cup Series in 2025. With crew chief Rodney Childers joining the team, could that be enough to lure Haley away from RWR to join Spire? He’s stated he’s loyal to Rick Ware, but with a promising team knocking at his door, it could be too good to pass up.
This wouldn’t be the first time Haley would race for Spire. He ran 36 races for the team from 2019-2021, winning the weather-shortened Coke Zero Sugar 400 in 2019. He has impressed in his first year with RWR, scoring two top-10s at Darlington and Gateway. Spire has shown they are willing to spend big money to get premiere talent. Haley could be the final piece to the Spire puzzle to make them playoff contenders and long-term contenders.
This Friday, Trackhouse announced they signed Daniel Suarez to a contract extension for 2025. Suarez has been with the team since they began in 2021, winning two races and making the playoffs in 2022 and 2024. After months of speculation, Suarez’s 2025 plans are secured, and he can focus solely on the rest of the season as the playoffs inch closer and closer.
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