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NASCAR is in an interesting state with its charter system. Only 36 charters are distributed to race teams, which guarantees starting spots and prize money to those who choose to purchase them. If you want to build a NASCAR team to compete full-time, it is basically a requirement to buy a charter.
Which teams could be looking to buy charters for the 2024 season? Nothing has been reported about teams that are definitively selling charters, but some teams are on pace to finish in the bottom three in owner points for the second consecutive season. This is the same situation which led to StarCom Racing selling a charter to 23XI Racing before 2022.
NASCAR can revoke a charter if a team finishes in the bottom three in owners points for three consecutive years, and StarCom tried to avoid that scenario by selling. So, a charter could become available, and which teams could be looking to get one should one become available.
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Jeff Dickerson of Spire Motorsports told Frontstretch, “We’re looking to acquire.” Spire Motorsports is in an interesting scenario where they are slowly working their way up the NASCAR ladder. They have improved this year versus how they did last year, and they have dabbled in Truck Series racing with some help from HendrickCars.com and Hendrick Motorsports.
They are a team that is working their way up, and they also have a potential superstar in their ecosystem in Carson Hocevar. If Spire Motorsports wants to be a serious Cup Series contender, they could use someone like Carson Hocevar coming up to the Cup Series with them. Could that be enough to lure him away from someone like JR Motorsports?
Maybe running a third car is the option for that. Dickerson outright said that the team is looking to acquire a third charter, and they have a driver waiting in the wings who they could use that third charter on.
23XI Racing seems to be running their own version of Project 91 with the 67 car. They used to for Travis Pastrana at the Daytona 500 and are using it for Kamui Kobayashi for the Indianapolis Road Course. Not only could 23XI potentially want to expand, but maybe Toyota would like it as well.
For years, Toyota has been the least represented manufacturer in the garage. They will gain Legacy Motor Club next season, but do they really want to stop at just one race team? With the success they currently have with the amount of cars they do have, there is no telling what they could do if they could spread even more resources to even more teams.
Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan are very aggressive car owners. They poached Tyler Reddick from Richard Childress Racing while he was still under contract. Who knows how aggressive they could get for another charter and another Toyota racer?
Remember when Chip Ganassi Racing was definitely not selling a charter, but Justin Marks happened? Well, Marks may now have the motivation to try to do something similar with a charter. He recently won with his Project 91 entry at the Chicago Street Race with Shane Van Gisbergen.
If SVG is willing to go to NASCAR full-time, how many strings would Marks be willing to pull to potentially bring him in full-time? SVG is far from a guaranteed success as a full-time NASCAR driver, but, since he won with Trackhouse, it may not take much convincing to bring him back to them.
It would take some strings pulling for this to happen, but Justin Marks is the type of owner who would do it. He is unapologetically aggressive, and no one knows what he will pull out of his hat next.
Front Row Motorsports has one of the best problems in the garage. They have too many good drivers with not enough cars. Michael McDowell is on the verge of pointing his way into the Playoffs for the first time in his history, and Todd Gilliland has quietly had a solid second season in the Cup Series. Zane Smith is a Truck Series Championship contender who wants to go Cup Racing.
Bob Jenkins and Front Row Motorsports have run three cars before, with them even occasionally entering a third car this season. If they want to keep all three, then they have to buy a third charter. Front Row is in a similar situation to Spire, except Front Row is closer to the cusp of that type of success.
They have what seems to be a potential Cup Series star in their building and a race team that is on the cusp of being a contender week-in and week-out. If they do not want to make some hard decisions, buying a charter is an easy way to make that happen.
Kaulig Racing is in a strange situation. They have Justin Haley and A.J. Allmendinger, but their futures are uncertain. Haley is probably more likely to stay, but, how much longer is A.J. Allmendinger going to race in NASCAR. If they both want to stay, then what does Kaulig do with Chandler Smith?
Chandler Smith has been solid in the Xfinity Series this season with a win in 18 races. Daniel Hemric has been solid as well with 10 top-10 finishes. Hemric has Cup Series experience along with an Xfinity Series Championship.
This all comes down to whether or not Kaulig sees value in expanding. If they do, then they have options to look at within their own building. It’s at the very least an option, albeit unlikely.
If there is anything to know about charters and silly season, it’s to expect the unexpected. No one really knows except those involved what is really happening behind the scenes. These teams could be in position to pounce in the right scenario.
