NASCAR
A Current Look at Silly Season 2023 for the NASCAR Cup Series
In the past week alone, the 2023 NASCAR silly season picture has seen movement. Both Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace announced long-term contract extensions, locking down both of these drivers for the near future. As the Playoffs are now less than two weeks away, what players and pieces remain for the free agent market? Let’s see which drivers and teams are not signed for 2023 heading into race 25 of 2022.
Kyle Busch
By far the headliner for this year’s silly season has been Kyle Busch. With the upcoming departure of Mars, Inc. as a primary sponsor, the 60-time race winner and two-time champion is still without a ride for 2023. Busch’s future endeavors are seemingly a weekly-evolving story, as reportedly teams from all three manufacturers have tried to court him. Even with it being known that he would take a pay cut, Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing still have yet to strike any extension deal. With Busch’s status as a future Hall of Famer and one of the best drivers in the sport today, this free agency is the largest and most high-profile in NASCAR for quite some time. Stay tuned for any upcoming announcements on just where Kyle Busch lands for the upcoming racing season.
Daniel Suarez
On the heels of his first Cup Series triumph at Sonoma, Daniel Suarez is still unsigned for 2023. Despite currently being in limbo, all signs point towards Trackhouse Racing re-signing their first driver in the No. 99 Chevrolet. Suarez touched on this prior to the Richmond race a week ago.
“We are very close,” Suarez said. “I am going to be honest, I haven’t paid a lot of attention to that because I am so focused on the Playoffs and making my team stronger. But I know that my manager and people from Trackhouse are very, very close. We never have doubts about where we are on things like that. We are working out a couple of details. It is not final yet, but we are very close.”
With Suarez and Trackhouse apparently being “very close” to a 2023 deal, expect the 2016 Xfinity Series champion to remain with the Justin Marks-owned team. Trackhouse made perhaps the biggest silly season move a year ago, but now may make none.
Austin Cindric
The reigning Daytona 500 champion, rookie Austin Cindric is not locked down for 2023. However, at 15th in points after 24 races, there is little indication Cindric will not return to Team Penske. With his father being President of the Penske organization, the famed deuce will likely remain the same over this offseason. Cindric is facing his first appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, thanks to February’s huge win.
23XI Racing
While the future is known for the 23 team of Bubba Wallace, the same cannot be said for the No. 45 Toyota. With the health of Kurt Busch still a big question mark, this team is in a holding pattern for 2023. The elder Busch is contracted to return to this seat, but persisting concussion symptoms could derail that plan. Just announced this week, Busch will be out of the seat for the last two weeks of the regular season. After the Pocono qualifying crash, Ty Gibbs is slated for six-straight races in the No. 45.
“We’re always thinking about it,” Denny Hamlin said on the 45’s future. “We’re as forward thinking as you can possibly be as a race team. But you know, ultimately we are not and we can’t rush current self but we always are. Trying to come up with contingency plans based off of any other scenario that might get thrown our way.”
Whether it’s Kurt, possibly Kyle, or someone else in the 45 for 2023 is a very fluid situation. The status of the 2004 champion’s concussion is still a very week-by-week issue, as he hopes to return for a Playoff run.
Stewart-Haas Racing
At the moment, half of Stewart-Haas Racing’s four car fleet remains unfilled for 2023. The Nos. 10 and 41 Mustangs are currently open, but could both stay unchanged. Chief Competition Officer Greg Zipadelli spoke earlier this week on SGR’s future. He stated that “our plan is [to keep Cole Custer in the 41] right now. We’re just looking to try and sort out the 10 car at this particular time.” Amidst struggles on track, Custer has been rumored to vacate his seat, but it appears that will not be the case. In the 10 car however, Aric Almirola announced preseason that he will retire after 2022. Some rumors claim the Florida driver has changed his mind, while others have tried to pin Kyle Busch to this seat. Stay tuned for any pending silly season news on who takes the No. 10 Mustang for 2023.
Chris Buescher
Finishing third just last week in Richmond, Chris Buescher has shown great performance in spurts throughout 2022. While the RFK Racing driver did miss a race and flip in the Coke 600, he’s also had seven top-10s. Buescher’s Playoff hopes are also far from over; the 17 has a top-10 in three of four road course races, and won a Duel at Daytona in February. The 17 is likely to remain unchanged for 2023, as this team hopes for more consistency and race-winning speed next year.
Harrison Burton
The second 2022 rookie on this list, Harrison Burton has trended upwards throughout this season. After an airborne crash in the Daytona 500, recent weeks have seen the 21 finish 10th (Atlanta) and third (Indianapolis). With a solid foundation for his Cup Series career and healthy backing from sponsors, expect Burton to remain at Wood Brothers Racing for 2023.
Corey Lajoie
In his second year with Spire Motorsports, Corey Lajoie has shown moments of brilliance in 2022. The 7 could have won both races in Atlanta, finishing fifth in March and wrecking from second on the last lap in July. With support from companies including Built.com, Lajoie is expected to return to the No. 7 Chevrolet.
Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is well known for only singing single-year deals for their drivers. Michael McDowell is having his most consistent year ever in the No. 34 Ford, so he is favored to return to this seat. Teammate and rookie Todd Gilliland will also return if funding remains, as the third-generation driver has a best finish of fourth at Indianapolis. Expect FRM to finalize their upcoming driver lineup closer to the 2023 season.
Kaulig No. 16
In their first full-time Cup Series season, the Kaulig Racing No. 16 Chevrolet has been split between three Xfinity Series stars. Road course ace AJ Allmendinger has made 11 starts, while defending Xfinity champion Daniel Hemric has made five starts, and Noah Gragson with seven races. With Noah Gragson going full-time in Cup next year for Petty GMS, the future of the 16 is a question mark. It is currently unknown if this team will remain a split seat or run full-time with one driver. Both options are open, and will come down to funding for Kaulig.
Spire No. 77
The second entry for Spire Motorsports has been split this year mostly between Josh Bilicki and Landon Cassill. At the Bristol Dirt race, Justin Allgaier also made a one-off start in this Chevrolet. Expect more of the same for this team next season, as its driver(s) will likely be based on funding and partnerships.
Rick Ware Racing
Both cars from Rick Ware Racing will likely not be finalized until much closer to the start of next season. While Cody Ware has been full-time in the No. 51 this season, the 15 has seen six different drivers rotate in and out of the seat. The best result of 2022 so far for either of these cars was David Ragan’s eighth-place effort in the Daytona 500. Ware will likely return to the 51, while the 15 should be a shared seat again based on driver’s available sponsorship.
Other players are present in the Cup Series’ annual silly season shuffle. After being let go by Petty GMS, where will Ty Dillon land? Ty Gibbs has also impressed in his substitute role, will the 19-year-old be a rookie in 2023? Stay tuned over the coming weeks for announcements regarding all of these drivers and teams, as well as others who could throw their hats into the ring.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
