It’s draft season in professional sports. With the NBA Draft this week and the MLB and NHL Drafts to follow, it got us thinking about NASCAR. What if NASCAR were to have a driver draft? Now, I am well aware that the scenario I am proposing is never going to happen, but, it’s still a fun “what if?”
There will be two rounds with the first round being either current Cup Series rookies and potential rookies for next season and the second round being veteran Cup Series drivers. Every chartered team owner gets one pick in each, except for the the single-car teams, and they will only get one second round pick.
The order is determined by owners points from last season. The team with the lowest average position in owners points amongst chartered entries will pick first, the second lowest will pick second, and so on. How would a draft of this type play out?
(1) Rick Ware Racing: Ty Gibbs
Rick Ware Racing picks the hottest young rookie on the circuit with Ty Gibbs. Gibbs has already shown he can get it done at the Cup Series level, and he is only going to get better and better as time goes on.
(2) Spire Motorsports: Carson Hocever
Hocevar already has a relationship with Spire Motorsports, and his one Cup Series effort with them was impressive. He is a safe option with the number-2 pick.
(3) Front Row Motorsports: Zane Smith
Again, this is a pick based on relationships. Zane Smith already has a relationship with Front Row Motorsports, and he has shown the ability to driver a race car too.
(4) Legacy Motor Club: John Hunter Nemechek
John Hunter Nemechek is one of the top Xfinity Series drivers currently, and he has Cup Series experience. That is a rare combination, and it is hard to ignore with the fourth overall pick.
(5) Kaulig Racing: Josh Berry
This may seem like a surprise pick to some, but it is also a safer pick. Josh Berry is a veteran driver, and Kaulig Racing is a team that definitely values experience.
(6) RFK Racing: Noah Gragson
Gragson could easily be higher on this draft board, but his early season performance scares team away in this fantasy scenario. He still is a legitimate talent, and, given the right equipment, he can win.
(7) Stewart-Haas Racing: Chandler Smith
At this point in the draft, youth becomes very valuable. When drivers are more equal in terms of talent, the younger one usually wins out. Chandler Smith is youthful, and he continues to impress in Xfinity.
(8) 23XI Racing: Sammy Smith
Sammy Smith is talented, albeit a bit raw. This is not a terrible combination working with a relatively new team and having veteran Denny Hamlin in your ear. Sammy Smith is a solid pick.
(9) Richard Childress Racing: Sam Mayer
Sam Mayer has yet to win in the Xfinity Series, but he is still 19 years old. That youth will cause someone later in the first round to take a chance on him.
(10) Joe Gibbs Racing: Cole Custer
Late in the first round, why not give a guy a second chance? Cole Custer is clicking currently in the Xfinity Series, and, in this fantasy scenario, Gibbs value bringing in a guy with experience like Custer.
(11) Hendrick Motorsports: Austin Hill
A driver with experience and a good pedigree on superspeedways. Rick Hendrick has arguably the best engines on the grid, and the means Austin Hill would be put in the best position to succeed where he is best.
(12) Team Penske: Corey Heim
Another example of youth taking precedence. Heim would need a while to develop in the Cup Series, but Penske’s second round pick will make this one make much more sense.
(13) Team Trackhouse: Daniel Hemric
It’s hard to keep an Xfinity Series champion undrafted. Yes, Hemric has only won one race, but he is a consistent driver, and that is the best you can ask for in the late-first round in this scenario.
(1) Live Fast Motorsports: Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson is widely considered to be the best driving talent in the sport today. That explains this pick fully.
(2) Rick Ware Racing: William Byron
Rick Ware Racing is set for the foreseeable future with this draft pick. A young Ty Gibbs partnered with William Byron means this team can be set in terms of driver talent for over a decade to come.
(3) Spire Motorsports: Joey Logano
When bringing in a rookie like Carson Hocevar, the best person to compliment that race team is a veteran. Why not partner a Champion to show Hocevar the ropes as he develops slowly?
(4) Wood Brothers: Chase Elliott
It’s hard to believe that Chase Elliott is only 27 years old. He is still young with the ability to win a Championship year-in and year-out. He is the guy to lead The Wood Brothers into the future.
(5) JTG Daugherty Racing: Tyler Reddick
If Elliott is off the board, the next best driver available for a single seat team is Tyler Reddick. He is young, so JTG Daugherty could truly build around him, and that would be important in this fantasy scenario.
(6) Front Row Motorsports: Kyle Busch
With Front Row Motorsports bringing in a young gun in Zane Smith, it’s a good idea to bring in a veteran. Kyle Busch is a veteran who can win a Championship, and he also has some years left. He is a perfect pick for Front Row Motorsports in this spot.
(7) Legacy Motor Club: Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell is a driver who is truly coming into their own, and he would likely be in a good spot to start leading a team. A team like Legacy Motor Club, which is rebuilding, needs a guy to build around, and Christopher Bell could be that guy.
(8) Kaulig Racing: Alex Bowman
Kaulig Racing is going for an older driver in the first round in this scenario, so a safe pick would be Alex Bowman. Maybe not the most flashy driver lineup, but it’s a driver lineup that can produce results.
(9) RFK Racing: Denny Hamlin
What better partner for Noah Gragson, an outspoken young driver, than to partner him with maybe NASCAR’s most outspoken older driver. Denny Hamlin would be a great partnership with Gragson, and Hamlin would be a man on a mission after falling to ninth in the second round.
(10) Stewart-Haas Racing: Ross Chastain
Is there a better team owner for Ross Chastain than Tony Stewart? Stewart would understand Chastain’s aggressive nature, and Stewart could also help Chastain reign in some of that excess aggression.
(11) 23XI Racing: Brad Keselowski
When bringing in an exceptionally young driver like Sammy Smith, a veteran would be a good option on the other side. Brad Keselowski likely still has race-winning talent in good equipment, and imagine how he could help out someone like Sammy Smith.
(12) Richard Childress Racing: Bubba Wallace
Partnering Bubba Wallace with Sam Mayer would interesting for sure. Wallace has had to face a lot of adversity throughout his career, so he could show Mayer a lot about dealing with adversity as a driver. Wallace has been through his Xfinity Series ride being cut due to lack of funding, and, today, he is a Cup Series winner.
(13) Joe Gibbs Racing: Chris Buescher
Chris Buescher has shown his potential this year with RFK Racing. With that in mind, what could Buescher do with top-level equipment?
(14) Hendrick Motorsports: Daniel Suarez
The driver talent gets somewhat limited later on in the draft, but Suarez is a solid driver in the right situation. He is the best driver available that is not close to retirement at this spot.
(15) Team Penske: Martin Truex Jr.
Truex Jr. falls solely because of his uncertain future, but he is still a consistent threat to win week-in and week-out. Bringing in a very young driver like Corey Heim means that Truex could be a good option to help bring Heim into Cup in this scenario.
(16) Team Trackhouse: Corey LaJoie
Trackhouse is a unique organization, and Corey LaJoie is a driver with a unique story. It just seems like him and Justin Marks could work well together in this scenario
With 29 drivers drafted, that leaves seven chartered spots open for NASCAR’s undrafted free agents. Which of these would be the most likely to sign with a team to fill one of those chartered spots?
Again, this is a completely fake scenario, but it is a fun thought experiment. If money and previous commitments were not an object, who would team owners pick to drive their race cars?
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…
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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…
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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.
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