Menu
What’s Happening?
As we enter the third week of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, what better time to get familiar with all the teams that will occupy the garage in 2024. This season will see the departure of some familiar full time teams from the past, as well as quite a few part time teams making starts throughout the season.
Front Row Motorsports
(Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
Front Row Motorsports was founded in 2004 by Bob Jenkins in collaboration with Jimmy Means. FRM fields full time entries, the #34 for longtime Cup Series veteran and 2021 Daytona 500 Champion Michael McDowell, and the #38 for Todd Gilliland. FRM has taken a step forward for 2024, being added as a tier-one premier partner with Ford Performance, along with a new technical alliance with Team Penske. The team has started strong in 2024, with a pole at Atlanta with Michael McDowell and strong superspeedway performances from both McDowell and Gilliland.
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports is considered by many to be NASCAR’s premier team. HMS began operation 40 years ago in 1984, and since then, the team has collected 14 Cup Series championships. One from Terry Labonte in 1996, four from NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, seven from Jimmie Johnson, including a dominant five in a row from 2006-2010, one in 2020 from six-time NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver, Chase Elliott, and most recently the 2021 championship from Kyle Larson. HMS enters 2024 coming off a very strong effort in 2023, and fields four full time Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entries, the #5 for Kyle Larson, #9 for Chase Elliott, #24 for William Byron, and the #48 for Alex Bowman.
Joe Gibbs Racing
(Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
Joe Gibbs Racing is another major player in the Cup Series year in and year out. Founded in 1992 by NFL Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs, JGR has gone on to win five Cup Series championships since its inception. The team is anchored by two longtime Cup Series veterans Denny Hamlin (51 career wins) and 2017 Cup Series champion, Martin Truex Jr., who are complemented by fantastic younger talents, including Christopher Bell, and Gibbs own grandson, 2022 Xfinity Series champion Ty Gibbs. As Toyota’s premier partner in the Cup Series, JGR fields four full time Camry XSE entries; Hamlin’s #11, Truex, Jr.’s. #19, Bell’s #20, and Gibbs #54. Look for JGR to fiercely challenge for the 2024 Cup title.
JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing was founded in 1995, and currently fields one full time entry in the Cup Series, the #47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The team is coming off a strong 2023 season that saw Stenhouse Jr. win NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500, as well as an appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. JTG will look to continue building on the positive momentum from 2023 in 2024.
Kaulig Racing
Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
Kaulig Racing enters it’s third full time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, and has seen road course success translating into two wins by road course “ringer”, AJ Allmendinger. 2024 sees some changes at Kaulig with the departure of Justin Haley to Rick Ware Racing and the addition of long-time Kaulig mainstay, 2021 Xfinity Series Champion Daniel Hemric, to their Cup team. The team is fielding two full-time Cup Series entries, the #31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hemric, and the #16 which will see multiple drivers behind the wheel including Derek Kraus and Allmendinger.
Legacy Motor Club
Credit: Legacy Motor Club
Legacy Motor Club (formerly Petty GMS) enters 2024 with a new DNA. With the addition of a new co-owner in seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson in 2023, switching manufactures from Chevrolet to Toyota, and in turn becoming a premier partner with Toyota Racing Development (TRD), as well as adding big sponsorship from Dollar Tree/Family Dollar, the expectations for LMC have gone up. John Hunter Nemecheck joins Erik Jones as the two drivers of LMC’s full time entries for 2024, the #42 and #43 Toyota Camry XSE’s. The team will also field the #84 as a part-time entry for Jimmie Johnson at select races in 2024.
Team Penske
Jared C. Tilton Getty Images
Another of NASCAR’s top dogs, Team Penske comes into 2024 at the top of the sport. Debuting in 1972, Team Penske has gone on to capture over 170 race wins, as well as four driver’s championships, including the 2023 Cup championship with Ryan Blaney. Team Penske is considered to be the top Ford-backed team in the Cup Series garage, fielding three full-time Ford Mustang Dark Horse entries including Blaney in the #12, long-time Penske driver and two-time Cup champion Joey Logano in the #22, and 2022 Daytona 500 champion Austin Cindric in the #2. Look for another strong outing from the Penske camp in 2024.
Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing has an incredibly rich history in NASCAR, as well as being one of its most successful teams. Founded in 1969, and having arguably the greatest and most popular driver in NASCAR history, Dale Earnhardt Sr., laying the groundwork for the team from the late 1980s until his death in 2001, capturing six Cup titles for the organization in that stretch. After the departure of Kevin Harvick prior to the 2014 season, RCR experienced a rough stretch and subpar performance. However, the team has seen a resurgence in recent years, with the addition of two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch in 2023, after his departure from JGR at the end of the 2022 season. In 2024, RCR fields two full time entries, the #3 of Austin Dillon and the #8 of Busch. In 2023, the team fielded a part-time entry in the #33 car for 2023 Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki, and while there has been no confirmation for 2024, the #33 car could return to the track at select races with Kostecki behind the wheel again.
RFK Racing
Roush-Fenway-Keselowski Racing (RFK) also has an incredibly rich history in NASCAR’s top series. Starting out as Roush Racing in 1988, and featuring iconic names behind the wheel over the years such as NASCAR Hall of Famers Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth, as well as Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, and Greg Biffle, RFK is on the rise again after years of tumultuous times. With the addition of Brad Keselowski as a driver/owner in 2022 after his departure from Team Penske, Keselowski has added a much needed jolt to the organization. After a very strong 2023 campaign that saw Chris Buescher capture 3 checkered flags and a Round of 8 berth, this Ford Performance backed team has their sights set high for the 2024 season. RFK currently fields two full-time entries in the Cup Series, the #17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse of Buescher and the #6 of Keselowski, as well as a part-time entry in the #60 for David Ragan.
Rick Ware Racing
Creator: Donna Vie Photography
Rick Ware Racing is on the up and up. With a new technical alliance with RFK for 2024 onward, and the addition of former Kaulig driver Justin Haley, RWR is looking to buck the trend of being a Cup Series backmarker. With noticeable speed improvements so far through the first three weeks of the season, RWR will look to dig themselves out of the bottom of the Cup Series standings. RWR fields two full-time entries, the #51 of Haley, and the #15, which will be piloted by Kaz Grala for 25 races, Cody Ware for 10 races, and Riley Herbst, who drove the entry in the 2024 Daytona 500.
Spire Motorsports
Credit: Spire Motorsports @SpireMotorsport
Spire is making moves to be a major player in the NASCAR Cup Series. Led by Cup Series veteran Cory LaJoie, Spire is on the rise. Purchasing LiveFast Motorsports charter after the 2023 season, Spire now fields three full-time entries in the Cup Series, anchored by LaJoie in the #7, as well as two promising rookies who have moved up from the Craftsman Truck Series, Carson Hocevar in the #77, and Trackhouse Racing driver and 2022 Truck Series champion Zane Smith in the #71. With recent major sponsorship support coming in from Gainbridge and the acquisition of a third charter, look for more strong performances from Spire in 2024.
Stewart-Haas Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing enters the 2024 season with two new drivers behind the wheel of their Ford Mustang Dark Horse’s. Former Jr. Motorsports Xfinity Series standouts Josh Berry and Noah Gragson enter the fold in 2024, joining incumbents Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece, after the retirements of Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola. With a short but successful history, highlighted by two Cup championships, one by team owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart in 2011 and Harvick in 2014, SHR is looking to get back to it’s winning ways in 2024, after a winless 2023. With rumors of the team leaving Ford after 2024, many fans are wondering what to expect from SHR.
Trackhouse Racing
Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Trackhouse Racing has made major moves since joining the Cup Series field in 2021 after team owner Justin Marks purchased the charter of Levine Family Racing, followed by the acquisition of Chip Ganassi Racing after the 2021 season. With full support from Chevrolet and a pair of solid drivers in 2016 Xfinity Series champion Daniel Suarez (#99) and Ross Chastain (#1), this team has made the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs each of the last two seasons, and has been a part of three of NASCAR’s most viral moments in years, highlighted by Chastain’s bold “Hail Melon” move at Martinsville in 2022 that sent Chastain the the Championship 4 in Phoenix, where he fell one position short of a championship in his maiden season with Trackhouse. That was followed up by three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen winning his Cup Series debut in Trackhouse’s Project 91 part-time entry at the innagural Chicago Street Race last summer, and Suarez’s win in Atlanta last week that was the closest three way finish in the history of North American motorsports. This team continues to rise, and expect more highlight reel moments in 2024.
Wood Brothers Racing
The Wood Brothers have been a constant in NASCAR since their inception in 1950. With a rich history of iconic names behind the wheel of their #21 Ford over the years, the newest driver to climb into the cockpit is Harrison Burton, who enters his third year in the Cup Series in 2024. With slight improvement last year over the 2022 campaign, Burton and the Wood Brothers team will look to bulid on that in 2024, as they continue to look for their elusive 100th win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
23XI Racing
23XI started as a conversation between Denny Hamlin and the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. That conversation quickly turned into a race team that threw its support behind Bubba Wallace, who didn’t take long to bring a checkered flag to a brand new team with his win at Talladega in 2021. Cup Series champion Kurt Busch joined the fold in 2022 and found instant success, before a concussion at Pocono ended his career early. The team snagged up and coming talent Tyler Reddick from RCR to pilot the #45 car, and the team has found even more success since then. Along with Trackhouse Racing, 23XI is changing the sport, and with full support from TRD fielding two full-time entries in the #23 of Wallace and #45 of Reddick, and ambitions to expand the team, this team will be a force to be reckoned with for 2024 and years to come.
