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NASCAR Silly Season moves are happening day by day. Now, we are starting to get some timelines for when we will see some major decisions that have yet to be made. When will the NASCAR Silly Season puzzle finally be solved?
Timeline: This weekend
Chris Rice spoke to Fronstretch’s Bryan Nolen following the Xfinity Series race at Kansas on Saturday, and Rice said that Bristol is when they are looking at announcing the future plans for Kaulig Racing. There are a couple of things that Kaulig Racing is still trying to figure out.
First off, A.J. Allmendinger has not explicitly said whether or not he will be back in the Cup Series in 2024, so, the 16 car is still up in the air. The big story, however, is who gets the 31 car. With the surprise exit of Justin Haley, Rice teased that the one who drives the 31 car will be a “surprise”.
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Timeline: By the End of the Month
Aric Almirola last spoke publicly to Sirius XM NASCAR Radio on July 28, and he said that a decision should be made within the next “30-60 days”. Sixty days is officially up on September 26th, so, we are looking at a decision being made by Almirola any day now. As for whether or not he does retire, that is uncertain.
If he does retire, Stewart-Haas Racing does have options to replace him, but, how many of those options will be taken up by other open seats that currently exist within the Cup Series garage? Zane Smith looks like an obvious option on paper should Almirola retire, but, will Smith have enough sponsorship? Almirola retiring likely means taking Smithfield with him, which could mean SHR wants someone with major sponsorship behind them for the ride.
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Timeline: Any day
Carson Hocevar went from a relatively unknown Truck Series driver to a Cup Series in a matter of a few months. He has been rumored for a while now to be making the jump up to the Cup Series, but Michael Waltrip said during the Truck Series broadcast that Hocevar has a full-time Cup Series deal. He did not mention specifically where, nor did he mention a when.
However, if those rumors are true, then an announcement regarding Hocevar could be coming any day. He could be a candidate for the Kaulig Racing 31 car, which has targeted their announcement for this weekend at Bristol. Hocevar has also been rumored to be going to the 77 Spire Motorsports car, and their timeline may be a bit odd. They did not announce Ty Dillon for the 2023 season until October of 2022, so, could Hocevar’s announcement be coming around then?
Slowly, but surely, the Cup Series grid for 2024 is being filled up. Now we know when some decisions will be made, and we can start speculating when other decisions will be made. Who will get these final coveted Cup Series seats?
