2024 NASCAR Cup Series
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series will be the 76th season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 53rd season for the modern-era Cup Series. The season will start with the Busch Light Clash on February 4 (the Sunday before Super Bowl LVIII), at the L.A Coliseum. The Clash will be followed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races on February 15 and the 66th running of the Daytona 500 (the first points race of the season) on February 18, both at Daytona International Speedway. The season will end with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 10.
This will also be the first season without Kevin Harvick since 2000, as he is set to retire after the 2023 season and will join the NASCAR on Fox broadcast booth in 2024.[1] In addition, this will be the last season for NASCAR's current TV rights deal, which began in 2015.[2]
Teams and drivers
Chartered teams
Manufacturer | Team | No. | Driver | Crew chief | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 5 | Kyle Larson | TBA | Larson is signed through 2026.[3] |
9 | Chase Elliott | TBA | Elliott is signed through 2027.[4] | ||
24 | William Byron | TBA | Byron is signed through 2025.[5] | ||
48 | Alex Bowman | TBA | Bowman signed a deal through 2026.[6] | ||
JTG Daugherty Racing | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | TBA | Stenhouse signed a multi-year extension with JTGD in 2022.[7] | |
Kaulig Racing | 16 | TBA | TBA | A. J. Allmendinger will likely return although he could choose go back to the Xfinity Series full-time with Kaulig if he is not "having fun" running full-time in the Cup Series.[8] Ty Dillon is a possible replacement if Allmendinger doesn’t return.[9] | |
31 | Daniel Hemric | TBA | On September 15, 2023, Kaulig Racing announced that Hemric would return to the Cup Series, driving the No. 31 full-time.[10][11] | ||
Richard Childress Racing | 3 | Austin Dillon | TBA | Austin Dillon revealed in 2022 that he is signed through 2025.[12] | |
8 | Kyle Busch | TBA | Busch joined RCR in 2023 with a multi-year deal.[13] | ||
Spire Motorsports | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Ryan Sparks | LaJoie signed a multi-year extension with Spire in 2023.[14] | |
77 | Carson Hocevar (R) | TBA | On October 10, 2023, Spire Motorsports announced that they signed Hocevar to a multi-year deal to drive the No. 77 starting in 2024, replacing Ty Dillon.[15][16] | ||
TBA | Zane Smith (R) | TBA | On September 16, 2023, Spire Motorsports announced it purchased Live Fast Motorsports' charter for approximately US$40 million.[17][18] Zane Smith was announced later in the day to be the driver on a multi-year deal in partnership with Trackhouse Racing.[19] | ||
Trackhouse Racing | 1 | Ross Chastain | TBA | Both Chastain and Suárez signed multi-year contract extensions with Trackhouse in 2023.[20][21] | |
99 | Daniel Suárez | TBA | |||
Ford | Front Row Motorsports | 34 | Michael McDowell[22] | TBA | Both McDowell and Gilliland signed one-year extensions with FRM in 2023.[22] |
38 | Todd Gilliland[22] | TBA | |||
RFK Racing | 6 | Brad Keselowski | TBA | Keselowski will return as he is a co-owner of the team.[23] | |
17 | Chris Buescher | TBA | Buescher is signed through 2024.[24] | ||
Rick Ware Racing | TBA | Justin Haley | TBA | Haley signed a multi-year deal with RWR to join the team full time beginning in 2024. It is unknown if he will drive the No. 15 or No. 51.[25][26] | |
TBA | TBA | TBA | Cody Ware was indefinitely suspended in April 2023 and it is uncertain if he will or will not be re-instated this season.[27] | ||
Stewart-Haas Racing | 4 | Josh Berry (R) | Rodney Childers[28] | Kevin Harvick will retire after the end of the 2023 season. On June 21, 2023, it was announced that Josh Berry will drive the No. 4 in 2024.[28] Rodney Childers signed a multi-year contract extension with SHR in 2021 and will continue as the crew chief of the No. 4 in 2024.[29] | |
10 | TBA | TBA | Aric Almirola returned to the team in 2023 after saying he would retire after 2022.[30] He signed a multi-year deal, but the contract reportedly has an option for Almirola to retire after 2023 if he decides to do so.[31][32] According to Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, Noah Gragson has been mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Almirola.[33] | ||
14 | Chase Briscoe | TBA | Briscoe signed a multi-year contract extension through 2026 in 2023.[34] | ||
41 | Ryan Preece | TBA | In a Sirius XM interview with Dave Moody, Preece confirmed he will return to the No. 41 in 2024.[35] | ||
Team Penske | 2 | Austin Cindric[36] | Brian Wilson[36] | On August 28, 2023, Team Penske announced that the No. 21 team and No. 2 team would swap crew chiefs for the remainder of 2023 and for the entirety of 2024, meaning that Brian Wilson will be the crew chief of the No. 2 for 2024.[36] On October 7, Cindric confirmed he will return in 2024.[37] | |
12 | Ryan Blaney | TBA | Both Blaney and Logano signed multi-year extensions with Team Penske in 2022.[38][39] | ||
22 | Joey Logano | TBA | |||
Wood Brothers Racing | 21 | Harrison Burton[40] | Jeremy Bullins[36] | On August 28, 2023, Team Penske announced that the No. 21 team and No. 2 team would swap crew chiefs for the remainder of 2023 and for the entirety of 2024, meaning that Jeremy Bullins will be the crew chief of the No. 21 for 2024.[36] However, Burton has confirmed the uncertainty of his 2024 plans. On September 6, The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi reported that Burton will return to the No. 21 in 2024 and that an announcement is expected soon. On September 30, Burton confirmed himself that he will return to WBR.[40] | |
Toyota | 23XI Racing | 23 | Bubba Wallace | TBA | Wallace signed a multi-year extension with 23XI in 2022.[41] Despite rumors that 23XI could switch from Toyota to Ford in 2024,[42] it was confirmed that the team will continue running Toyotas.[43] |
45 | Tyler Reddick | TBA | Reddick joined 23XI in 2023 with a multi-year deal.[44] | ||
Joe Gibbs Racing | 11 | Denny Hamlin | TBA | Hamlin signed a multi-year extension with JGR in 2023.[45] | |
19 | Martin Truex Jr. | TBA | On August 5, 2023, Truex signed a contract extension to remain with JGR through the end of 2024.[46] | ||
20 | Christopher Bell | TBA | Bell signed a multi-year extension with JGR in 2022.[47][48] | ||
54 | Ty Gibbs | TBA | Gibbs will return, as he is the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs. Some sources speculate that the team could revert back to No. 18.[44] | ||
Legacy Motor Club[49] | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek[50] | TBA | On September 6, 2023, LMC announced that Nemechek will drive the No. 42 in 2024.[50] | |
43 | Erik Jones | Dave Elenz[51] | Jones signed a multi-year extension with Legacy Motor Club in 2022.[52] He will return in 2024 when the team switches to Toyota.[49] In January 2023, crew chief Dave Elenz signed a contract extension with LMC through 2025.[51] |
Non-chartered teams
Limited schedule
Manufacturer | Team | No. | Driver | Crew chief | Races | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chevrolet | Live Fast Motorsports | 78 | B. J. McLeod | TBA | TBA | LFM will compete part-time after selling its charter to Spire Motorsports.[17] Team co-owner McLeod has shared the car with multiple other drivers each season since their first season in 2021.[44] |
TBA | ||||||
Trackhouse Racing | 91 | TBA | TBA | TBA | Project 91 is expected to return in 2024.[citation needed] | |
TBA | Shane van Gisbergen | TBA | TBA | On September 13, 2023, van Gisbergen signed a contract with Trackhouse to compete in various races in NASCAR's three national series in 2024, with the schedule yet to be confirmed. It is expected in preparation for a full time Cup Series drive in 2025.[53] | ||
Erebus Motorsport | TBA | Brodie Kostecki | TBA | TBA | On October 2, 2023, Erebus Motorsport announced that they planned to enter the Cup Series in some events in 2024 with Kostecki.[54] | |
Toyota | Legacy Motor Club | 84 | Jimmie Johnson | TBA | TBA | Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson says that Johnson will drive a Camry next season so he will run part-time again.[55] |
Confirmed changes
Teams
- On September 16, 2023, Spire Motorsports purchased Live Fast Motorsports' charter for approximately $40 million. Spire will field a third full-time team in partnership with Trackhouse Racing, who signed 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Zane Smith. LFM will continue to operate as a part-time open team in 2024.[17]
Manufacturers
- On May 2, 2023, Legacy Motor Club announced its switch from Chevrolet to Toyota in 2024.[49]
Sponsorship
- On July 11, 2023, it was announced that Anheuser-Busch (Busch Light) signed a multi-year deal to sponsor the Trackhouse Racing No. 1 driven by Ross Chastain for 18 races starting in 2024.[56]
- With Anheuser-Busch leaving Stewart-Haas Racing following Kevin Harvick's retirement, team owner Tony Stewart stated on June 21, 2024 that sponsorship on the No. 4 car was open during the announcement of Josh Berry replacing Harvick.[28]
Other potential and rumored changes
Teams
- In an interview with Racer magazine, RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski said he was interested in adding a third team, but it was not possible due to the unavailability of charters.[57]
- On October 6, 2022, 3F Racing announced that they hope to run the full season with their No. 30 car in the Cup Series in 2024 after debuting in the series part-time in 2023 (although the team has yet to enter any Cup Series races in 2023).[58] On July 18, 2023, the team announced that Xfinity and Truck Series driver Ryan Vargas would be their Director of Team and Driver Development as well as a reserve driver for them when they debut in the Cup Series. It was not announced whether 3F still intends to debut in the Cup Series in 2023 or 2024.[59]
- On October 2, 2023, Australian Supercars Championship team Erebus Motorsport announced they plan to run select races in 2024 with driver Brodie Kostecki and a partnership with Richard Childress Racing.[60]
Schedule
The 2024 schedule was released on October 4, 2023.[61]
Notes: Race names and title sponsors are subject to change. Not all title sponsors/names of races have been announced for 2024. For the races where a 2024 name and title sponsor has yet to be announced, the title sponsors/names of those races in 2023 are listed.
Confirmed schedule changes
- On November 6, 2022, it was confirmed that 2023 would be the last race on Auto Club Speedway's 2-mile configuration.[62] The track is scheduled to be reconfigured into a short track in the coming years and will not be on the 2024 schedule while it is under construction.
- On September 15, 2023, Bristol Motor Speedway announced that the spring Bristol race would return to being run on concrete, after the race taken place of dirt the prior three seasons. In the same press release, it was confirmed that Bristol will continue having two race dates.[63]
- On September 28, 2023, Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced that the Cup Series will return to the oval layout in 2024, in time to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400. The track hosted NASCAR since 1994 and used the oval layout until 2020. From 2021 to 2023, the Cup Series used the grand prix circuit layout.[64]
- On October 2, 2023, Fox Sports and The Athletic reported that Iowa Speedway was expected to receive a NASCAR Cup Series race in 2024, replacing the race at Auto Club Speedway.[65] A press conference by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds was held on October 3, where she and NASCAR officially announced the inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway on June 16.[66]
- The Cup Series will take a two-week hiatus between the Brickyard 400 and the Cook Out 400, as NBC will cover the 2024 Summer Olympics.[61]
Rumored schedule changes
- NASCAR could potentially return to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal with the track hosting a Cup Series race for the first time in 2024, if the race occurs it would be the first international Cup Series race since the 1958 season.[67] On October 2, 2023, it was reported by Fox Sports and The Athletic that this deal fell through.[65]
- NASCAR and the city of Chicago have a deal to host the Chicago Street Race again in 2024 and 2025 with the ability to request an extension through 2027, but the fate of the race may be determined by the city's new mayor, Brandon Johnson, who took office in May 2023 after the race had been largely planned by his predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, who lost re-election, and her administration.[68] On October 12, 2023, Sports Business Journal reported that the contract for the street race has not yet been finalized, despite it being on the released 2024 schedule.[69]
See also
References
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- ^ "Fox Sports, NASCAR Finalize Rights Deal Through '24 Worth $3.8B". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. August 1, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
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- ^ "(Twitter post)". Twitter. Bob Pockrass. July 17, 2023.
I guess I often ask AJ Allmendinger if he is having fun because it didn't seem like it in his final years amid struggles at JTG. So we had a little bit of that discussion in light of whether he would run another year of Cup in 2024.
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{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "TRD president David Wilson says Jimmie Johnson will run a Toyota in 2024". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. June 15, 2023.
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- ^ "Some 2024 schedule planning underway UPDATE". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. June 13, 2023.
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