Chandler Smith has been lightly thrown around in Silly Season rumors so far, but Matt Weaver dropped a bomb that may have vaulted Smith into the Silly Season spotlight. Weaver says that Smith is interested in joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024, but, he would need to get a buyout of his contract with Kaulig Racing, which is a three-year deal. Which place would be the right place for Smith, Joe Gibbs Racing, or Kaulig Racing?
Kaulig Racing offers Chandler Smith true potential to move up to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time as soon as next year. Given the uncertainty surrounding A.J. Allmendinger’s future, it would seem logical to move Smith up to the Cup Series next year given his solid performance in the Xfinity Series this year including his first career series win.
Smith also brings good funding along with him in Quick Tie Products. It seems like a perfect match for Kaulig, but, it seems that things are not working out quite that way.
Given that Smith is potentially looking for a buy-out of his contract, maybe the move up to Cup is not quite as clear-cut as we may think. It’s also worth noting that Kaulig is not the best Cup Series program as of right now. In their second season running full-time in the series, they have yet to get a driver into the Playoffs. Yes, they got two wins with A.J. Allmendinger on road courses, but, they have not found consistent speed or performance.
It’s understandable why Smith may have some pause about whether or not Kaulig is the best race team for him in the Cup Series. Therefore, if a seat at Joe Gibbs Racing opens up, Smith may look at what they have to offer.
Chandler Smith has some experience with Toyota as he drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series for two seasons. He also spent some time before that in ARCA driving for Toyota. However, when 2022 came around, it was Ty Gibbs who jumped Truck and Smith to drive for JGR.
It’s understandable that Smith may have been miffed at being passed over for that seat, and, when 2023 rolled around, he signed with Kaulig. Now, times have changed, and there are two open seats on Gibbs’ Xfinity Series team. Smith has proven he can win races, and he has funding.
He may not have the immediate ability to jump up to the Cup Series, but, the drivers ahead of him at JGR may have some questions about their future. How long does Denny Hamlin drive for the team before he moves on to potentially being a team owner? More likely, how much longer does Martin Truex Jr. race in the series?
This could give Smith a ride in top-level equipment, something that Kaulig simply does not have. Kaulig is not bad by any means, but they are no JGR. The biggest drawback is getting out of the Kaulig contract.
Kaulig Racing will do whatever they can to either keep Smith or to get what they want out of Smith leaving his contract early. That will be tough for Smith to go through, and it may not work out in his favor. However, the rewards could be high.
Overall, Chandler Smith may go somewhere we did not expect him to go to in 2024. It all comes down to how the contracts work out.
Two NASCAR Cup Series crew members for Ross Chastain’s No. 1 team were suspended following the race at Circuit of the Americas
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On February 17, Ubisoft released a trailer that confirmed that NASCAR would be included in The Crew Motorfest’s next season update. Details were limited at the time, but in a press release issued today, Ubisoft revealed the full details of the update ahead of its March 4 launch.
Ubisoft says drafting will affect car speed and help save fuel, implying that drafting will be a huge factor in the game, at least with these cars. You can check out this and much more on Ubisoft’s official post linked below
Earlier this Tuesday, the official The Crew Motorfest account clarified confusion around the NASCAR bundles. The Crew Credit (CC) bundles only include cosmetic team liveries, not additional cars. The 3 base Next Gen cars (Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Toyota Camry XSE, and Chevrolet ZL1) are part of the free Season 9 update and can be purchased separately.
Mitch Rasmussen, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Interactive, said in the press release:
We’re excited to bring our iconic brand to life in The Crew Motorfest. This collaboration represents another important step in our strategy to bring NASCAR into the digital spaces and places where next generation fans spend their time, giving players new ways to interact with the culture and communities they love.
The content arrives as part of Year 3 Season 9 and is officially licensed by NASCAR. You can watch the first trailer and learn more in the article linked below
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Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
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