We are now two weekends into the 2024 NASCAR season, and some drivers are already off to a horrid start. Some big names who had high expectations have failed to garner results so far in 2024, and they find themselves near the bottom of the standings. Which drivers’ seasons have been an absolute dumpster fire to start 2024?
Joey Logano’s season has been an absolute enigma. Twice he has qualified on the front row, and he has the 2nd most laps led in the series. The result was no stage points, two finishes outside of the top-25, and two wrecks. It’s been nothing but bad on race day for Logano to start the season.
He now sits in 33rd spot in the points standings. He is 59 points behind leader Kyle Busch and 29 points out of the Playoffs. Again, it’s very early in the season, but, those are large deficits considering the maximum points for a race is 60 points.
Will he turn it around? Logano has shown a lot of speed so far, but he has been done in by being in the wrong place at the wrong time at Daytona and another accident at Atlanta. However, he has not won a race since last March, so, this is a part of a larger pattern.
Josh Williams was one of the most hyped Xfinity Series drivers heading into 2024 as he signed a full-time deal with Kaulig Racing. Well, in three races between the Cup and Xfinity Series with the team, Williams has failed to finish higher than 34th, and he has no stage points.
He sits 39th in the Xfinity Series standings, with fewer points than EIGHT drivers who have only competed in one race. He is 98 points out of the points lead and 52 points out of the Playoffs. That’s a deep hole.
Will he dig out of it? The equipment at Kaulig Racing is good enough, but, this is Williams’ first time in top equipment. He has yet to fully prove himself at this level, so, the jury is still out on Williams.
During the 2024 off-season, it felt like this may be Keelowski’s year to finally break through and win a race as an owner-driver. Like Logano, Keselowski has led laps in both races, so, it has not been from lack of speed. However, two accidents have left Keselowski with consecutive 33rd place finishes.
He is tied with Austin Dillon for last amongst full-time drivers in the 2023 standings. Keselowski is 61 points behind the points lead and 32 points out of the Playoffs.
Will Keselowski climb out of this struggling start? Like Logano, Keselowski has speed, and Keselowski is coming off of a solid season with RFK in 2023 where he finished in the top-10 in the points standings. However, he still remains without a victory as an owner.
Layne Riggs entered 2024 as one of NASCAR’s most exciting prospects getting an opportunity in Championship-caliber equipment. His season started with a crash and a disqualification.
He now sits dead last in the Craftsman Truck Series standings. He’s 83 points out of the lead and 45 points out of the Playoffs as it stands.
Can he find a way back up the standings? Front Row Motorsports equipment is absolutely good enough, but, Riggs is a question mark. He has only 11 NASCAR National Touring Series races under his belt, so, he is still unproven. There is plenty of adversity for Riggs early in his career.
Austin Dillon is coming off of the worst season of his career in 2023. It started off rocky by getting caught up in an early crash in the Daytona 500. While Dillon ultimately finished the race, he scored a measly one point, and he followed that up with a 22nd-place finish at Atlanta.
Dillon is tied with Keselowski for last in the point standings. Like Keselowski, Dillon is sitting 61 points out of the lead and 32 points out of the Playoffs.
Will Dillon turn it around? He finished 29th in the points standings in 2023, and he had a career-low in average finish. Teammate Kyle Busch has shown that RCR equipment is not that bad, but, can Dillon get the most out of it?
Which of these drivers will turn it around as the 2024 season progresses? It will be fun to watch as the early portion of the season progresses.
Joe Gibbs Racing has added to its lawsuit filed against former Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart, filing to add Spire as a co-defendant, and to prevent Gabehart from continuing his work at Spire.
JGR initiated this lawsuit on February 19, alleging Gabehart, a long-time Crew Chief, most recently for Denny Hamlin, and the team’s now former Competition Director, “embarked on a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR.”
That direct competitor, Spire Motorsports, which currently employs Gabehart as their Chief Motorsports Officer, is now a co-defendant in this lawsuit, via an amended complaint filed Tuesday.
Per the latest filing from JGR, which employed Gabehart as Competition Director last season, is asking the court for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction with seven key requests.
Key to these requests is that Gabehardt cease providing Spire with “services for Spire similar to those he provided to JGR” for 18 months following his February 9 formal termination from JGR.
JGR also requested that Spire stop accepting Gabehart’s work as per the noncompete obligation of his termination.
The filing also has several requests regarding the team information Gabehart allegedly retained from JGR.
These include Gabehart returning this information alongside the devices that store this information and “cease and desist from retaining, transferring, using or copying any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets.”
From JGR’s filing:
c. Gabehart immediately cease and desist from retaining, transferring, using or copying any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets
d. Gabehart return any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets in his possession to JGR;
e. Gabehart transfer to the custody of JGR’s counsel any device used to store the Confidential Information and Trade Secrets and, through an agreed upon Court ordered process, allow the forensic preservation and review of these devices for identification of Confidential Information and Trade Secrets, the return of any identified Confidential Information and Trade Secrets to JGR, and the removal of any identified Confidential Information and Trade Secrets from the devices;
f. Gabehart cease and desist from using or disclosing JGR’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets to third parties;
As of press time, Gabehart has commented on the lawsuit in a post to X on February 20, where he claimed a third-party investigator “examined my laptop, cell phone and personal Google Drive and found no evidence to support the baseless allegations in JGR’s lawsuit.”
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, alleging he took confidential team information…
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
The NASCAR rumor mill is heating up as a new rumor suggests that a former series champion and an active NASCAR Cup Series driver could be in line to drive for Legacy Motor Club in 2027.
What’s Happening? NASCAR drivers, much like any athletes, have a period of free agency and multi-million dollar contracts. Based on information…
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is well underway, while teams and drivers are still settling into their new lineups and seats, others are already prepping for next season.
Most expect the 2027 NASCAR Silly Season to be one of the wildest in years, with many major names on contract seasons, and top seats looking for new drivers.
One story that will likely carry through the 2026 season, and into the offseason, is Legacy Motor Club, which is expanding to three full-time cars in 2027 via the acquisition of a charter from Rick Ware Racing, which is currently leased to RFK Racing for their No. 60 entry.
While many storylines could stem from this transaction, one that is already playing out is LMC’s driver search, as the team looks to add a new face to their roster alongside drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones.
Though we are nearly a year away from what would be the first race for this third car, per recent rumors, a few names are already emerging as top candidates.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Hall of Famer and Seven-Time Champion Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club is suing Rick Ware Racing over a…
Monday afternoon, a post from a well-known NASCAR rumor account made the rounds on social media, naming two drivers as possible options for LMC.
In their post, the user claimed that 23XI Racing’s Riley Herbst and Richard Childress Racing prospect Jesse Love were “early contenders” for the ride.
Of course, this is just a rumor, and even if they are possible candidates, things can change. However, both of these options come with their own storylines and questions.
The first thing that likely comes to mind when hearing this rumor is that both of these drivers would have to depart their current spots, something that most have suspected will happen by next season.
For Herbst, he is facing the impending promotion of top NASCAR prospect Corey Heim to full-time competition.
This year, Heim, the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion, is racing part-time with 23XI Racing, with almost every rumor and blurb suggesting next year will be his first full-time season in NASCAR’s highest level.
While 2026 Daytona 500 Champion Tyler Reddick is reportedly on a contract season, most see Herbst as the clear weak link at 23XI, though, in the somewhat unlikely event Reddick were to jump ship, there could be a world where a spot opens for Heim without affecting Herbst.
Regarding Love, the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion is in his third full-time year with RCR in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and, for some time now, has been rumored to be looking for a promotion, beyond his part-time Cup Series schedule.
This is not the first time Love and LMC have been tied together in the rumor mill, as in June 2025, when LMC was in the midst of a lawsuit to get their third charter by this season (something that never came to be), a report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports suggested there could be interest in Love as that third driver at LMC.
As of right now, Love has yet to score a full-time Cup Series ride. But there is a chance a slot opens in-house as RCR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch is on a contract year, a situation that could leave Love with a difficult decision between staying in a familiar spot or returning ot the Toyota camp.
But the biggest decision could come down to RCR, which, in the event Busch excels this year, could face deciding between a NASCAR legend and keeping their best prospect in some time.
Nonetheless, all of this is hypothetical, as the gears are just now turning on what could be a NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season for the ages.
What’s Happening? Some recent developments in NASCAR Silly Season rumors and reports have some NASCAR fans wondering if Spire Motorsports could…
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Denny Hamlin fires off on Carson Hocevar, Sheldon Creed finally gets his long-awaited breakthrough, and 13-year-old Keelan Harvick makes a massive career move. From sharp words on a podcast to a feel-good victory and a headline-grabbing development deal, this episode covers three very different stories that could all have long-term ripple effects.
There’s controversy, redemption, and a glimpse at the next generation all wrapped into one packed show. Some reputations are being tested, others are being rebuilt, and one young driver may have just taken the first major step toward the Cup Series.
Watch Also
