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With the NASCAR circus on hold for the next two weeks, this is the perfect time to take a deep dive into the biggest moves of last off-season. Which drivers and teams were the biggest winners and losers of the most recent NASCAR Silly Season?
Josh Berry finally moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time with Stewart-Haas Racing this year, and he’s parlayed a solid season into a more secure ride with The Wood Brothers for 2025. Sure, SHR shutting down was in no one’s plans, but Berry still has established himself as a solid Cup Series driver, making this an overall win.
When Legacy Motor Club announced they would join Toyota as a “Tier One” team, expectations were sky-high. Well, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek sit outside the top 25 in points with only four races until the Playoffs. It’s a big transition going from one manufacturer to another, but this team hasn’t shown much improvement from a year ago.
Like Josh Berry, Noah Gragson used his SHR opportunity to land a bigger ride when the team shut down. Around a year ago, people wondered if Gragson would get another chance in the Cup Series, and now, he’s set to join a “Tier One” Ford team that’s on the rise.
Spire Motorsports is a strange case. Yes, Corey LaJoie and Zane Smith have struggled, but Carson Hocevar looks like a genuine talent. When you add in the Truck Series, Spire is a Championship contender with exciting prospects like Nick Sanchez and Rajah Caruth. While the Cup struggles are a black eye on the season, the lower series successes are too good to ignore completely.
No move from 2023 raised more eyebrows than Justin Haley’s signing with Rick Ware Racing. Haley has moved RWR into the top 30 in points and earned the organization’s first non-superspeedway top-10 finishes. He has also proven that he can elevate a race team around him, raising his stock as a driver. This was a perfect move for both sides.
While many expected Kaulig’s Cup team would struggle in 2024, fewer expected the Xfinity Series team would. A.J. Allmendinger is winless heading into the Olympic break, and Josh Williams has been a complete flop. While SVG has won three races, he’s a Trackhouse driver there on loan, so it’s tough to see that as a total Kaulig victory. In fairness, Chris Rice did refer to this year as a “Gap year” at Kaulig, so even the organization expected some struggle.
Chandler Smith moved from Chevy to Toyota in the off-season, joining Joe Gibbs Racing. To this point, Smith has improved in 2024 and is firmly in the pipeline of one of NASCAR’s top Cup teams. It will be interesting to see how this ultimately works out.
Sammy Smith moved from the crowded Toyota pipeline to Chevrolet last off-season, joining JR Motorsports. Heading into the Olympic break, he is winless and 46 points out of the Playoffs. If he doesn’t turn it around, this season can turn into a complete failure.
Grant Enfinger picked up the pieces of the GMS shutdown and signed with the relatively unproven CR7 Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series. He’s performed above and beyond expectations, locking himself into the playoffs on points despite not winning a race. Many expected Enfinger to step back this season, but he hasn’t skipped a beat.
Carson Hocevar is sorely missed at Niece Motorsports. Bayley Currey and Matt Mills have been nowhere near competitive, and the best moments for Niece this year have come from part-time drivers. Not to mention Faction46, who had a Niece alliance shut down after 12 races with only one top-20 finish.
When Jesse Love jumped to the Xfinity Series, many wondered how he would adjust to the increased competition. He’s adjusted quite well with a win and two poles with Richard Childress Racing. Love is the perfect place to sit and develop until he’s ready for Cup.
Many were excited for former NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Champion Layne Riggs to get his full-time chance in the National Touring Series finally. He finds himself in a must-win situation heading into Richmond, the last race of the regular season. All for Front Row Motorsports, a team that won a Truck Series Championship two years ago.
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