It’s a 4-part preview for the 2024 season as Nascar goes “back to school”.
1.) Cup Series Driver Preview: The 36 Types of Drivers
2.) Cup Series Team Rankings: Making the Grade
3.) Xfinity Series Team & Driver Preview: Breaking Down the Class
4.) Truck Series Team & Driver Preview: Jocks to Watch
All information is as accurate as possible at time of writing—drivers, sponsors, owners, and bad jokes subject to change.
The Nascar Cup Series is seeing a sea-change in its status quo, with former “young guns” establishing themselves as savvy veterans before our eyes. So much like a typical overcrowded high school classroom—and with apologies to Life in Hell—let’s break down the 36 full-time (or close to it) drivers in the 2024 season.
Predicted Regular Season Finish Car #—Driver (Team) Top Sponsors: Spiel, Who He Is
(Chevy, Ford, Toyota)
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| William Byron |
#2. 12—Ryan Blaney (Penske) Menards, BodyArmor: The king of the quiet races and seasons snuck up on a championship last year, and nothing shows any evidence of him slowing down—even his facial hair crept up on us. Who He Is: Quiet Kid Who Gets Into Harvard on a Scholarship
#3. 20—Christopher Bell (Gibbs) DeWalt, Rheem: Ding. Dong. Ding. Dong. Hear that? Its the changing of the guard at Joe Gibbs Racing. Who He Is: Younger Brother of a Really Popular Kid who Becomes Popular and Successful in his own Right.
#4. 5—Kyle Larson (Hendrick) HendrickCars, Valvoline: Back from controversy with a plum ride and, let’s be honest, the most iron-clad sponsorship in racing, unless Mr. H develops multiple personalities. Who He Is: Valedictorian.
#5. 9—Chase Elliott (Hendrick) Napa, Unifirst: Don’t call it a comeback, but 2024 will be Chase’s return to victory lane, multiple times. So, uh, I guess that’s a comeback. Who He Is: Guy Who Nearly Failed Out Last Year who Returns with Nearly Straight-A’s.
#6. 22—Joey Logano (Penske) Pennzoil, Hunt Brothers: He wins, he contends, and he irritates people. Yeah, we all knew a guy like that in high school, didn’t we? Who He Is: Squeaky-Clean Dude Other Parents Compare their Kids To.
#7. 48—Alex Bowman (Hendrick) Ally: Back from injury to return to race wins as the Hendrick brigade goes on. Who He Is: Guy who Comes Back from Broken Leg to win Athlete of the Year (also Kid Who Wears Same Shirt Every Day).
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| Denny Hamlin |
#9. 1—Ross Chastain (Trackhouse) Busch Light, Jockey: The Trackhouse team keeps getting stronger and Ross is the main beneficiary. Oh, and he raises watermelons. Who He Is: 4-H Club President.
#10. 8—Kyle Busch (RCR) Cheddars, Lucas: Is RCR back or is Austin Dillon really just that bad? In a word, YES. Who He Is: More-Successful Best Friend of The School’s Richest Kid.
#11. 54—Ty Gibbs (Gibbs) Interstate, Monster: Ty Gibbs gets a lot of crap, but I see this as the year for his first win AND establishing himself as a regular contender. I guess you could say, I Get Him. Who He Is: Most Improved Student.
#12. 45—Tyler Reddick (23XI) The Beast Unleashed, Jordan: Arguably the only thing holding T-Red back is the fact that he races for a satellite team. Hey, he’s just like… Who He Is: That One Kid Who Lives Like a Half Hour Drive from the School.
#13. 17—Chris Buescher (RFK) Fastenal, FifthThird: Last year was the breakout season. This year he’ll win, but it’ll be a struggle otherwise. Who He Is: Guy Working on One Project All Year Long in Shop Class (turns out its a submarine).
#14. 6—Brad Keselowski (RFK) Castrol, Solomon’s: A better year for his own team, but he’s still winless. On the plus side there’s all those weird social media awards RFK always wins. Who He Is: Future Business Leaders of America President.
#15. 23—Bubba Wallace (23XI) Dr Pepper, McDonalds: Look, I am sick and tired of all the Bubba Wallace hate. Why are people so prejudiced against people who happen to not like green olives? Who He Is: Guy Who Doesn’t Like Green Olives.
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| Chase Briscoe |
#16. 14—Chase Briscoe (SHR) Mahindra, HighPoint: Stewart-Haas is definitely in a slump, but Chase sneaks his way out of a crowded field to make the playoffs on points., Who He Is: Dude with Brother in Foreign Exchange Program in England and/or Italy.
#17. 19—Martin Truex Jr. (Gibbs) Bass Pro, Auto-Owners: He just barely misses out on a playoff berth. Then, perhaps, retirement? Who He Is: Guy who Shows up in Full-Camo.
#18. 99—Daniel Suarez (Trackhouse) WWX, Kubota: Another close call with the playoffs for the man of many sponsors. Who He Is: Foreign Exchange Student.
#19. 3—Austin Dillon (RCR) Dow, Bass Pro: A spirited run to a near-miss at the playoffs helps some forget that he is regularly outperformed by his teammate. Who He Is: Cowboy hat wearer who drives a foreign car.
#20. 4—Josh Berry (R) (SHR) ???: Stewart-Haas is in trouble, but some past Cup experience helps the Berry Man win Rookie of the Year. Who He Is: The New Kid.
#21. 2—Austin Cindric (Penske) Discount Tire, Menards: A year of mediocre performances but hey, at least he can get you a great discount on a furnace. Who He Is: Kid who Works Full-Time at the Nearest Hardware Store.
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| Zane Smith |
#22. 71—Zane Smith (R) (Spire) WeatherTech, ???: There’s always that one driver who keeps posting finishes from about 15th-20th every week, isn’t there? Who He Is: Anonymous Guy who Actually DOES have a Girlfriend at Another School.
#23. 21—Harrison Burton (Wood Bros.) Motorcraft, QuickLane: Not much of anything to say here, really. Who He Is: Dude you see Every Day but Can’t Remember his Name.
#24. 41—Ryan Preece (SHR) Haas, Haas Tooling: Unfortunately he’ll still be best-known for last year’s Daytona crash. Who He Is: Guy Recuperating from Car Crash Last Summer.
#25. 42—John Hunter Nemechek (Legacy) Family Dollar, Allegiant: Legacy continues to struggle, but at least they have two veterans driving full-time now. Who He Is: Kid who Moved Away Two Years ago…but now He’s Back.
#26. 43—Erik Jones (Legacy) Dollar Tree, Advent Health: Another tough year but its still better than running JGR leftovers. Oh, wait… Who He Is: That One Guy Who’s Really into One Band.
#27. 34—Michael McDowell (Front Row) Love’s, SpeedCo: After coming close to a road course win, its back to mediocrity and small wins at FRM. Who He Is: Oldest Kid in Class.
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| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
#28. 47—Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG-D) Kroger, what Kroger sells: He’s still by far the best driver JTG-D has running this year. Um, unless he’s fired. Who He Is: Kid Who’s Already an Assistant Manager at the Grocery Store.
#29. 10—Noah Gragson (SHR) ???: It’ll be an uphill battle for The Grag, but at least he seemed to have learned his lesson. Who He Is: Reform School Transfer.
#30. 77—Carson Hocevar (R) (Spire) Zeigler, ???: He impressed in a substitute role last year, but running full-time for a lower-level team is another thing altogether. Who He Is: Friendly Guy with Unpronounceable Last Name.
#31. 31—Daniel Hemric (Kaulig) LeafFilter, Celsius: Seriously, how did he even get this ride? Who He Is: Rich Kid with Nice Car and Cool Clothes.
#32. 51—Justin Haley (RWR) FOE, ???: They have an alliance with RFK, which is nice. Who He Is: Winner of the 2019 Spelling Bee.
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| Corey Lajoie |
#33. 7—Corey Lajoie (Spire) Celsius, Gainbridge: He’s a funny guy, but he’s just not there with on-track performance. Who He Is: Class Clown.
#34. 16—Dinger & Co (Kaulig) ???: This car will likely be piloted by AJ Allendinger at plate tracks and road courses and whoever can bring sponsorship elsewhere. Who He Is: Twins who Run in Different Social Circles.
#35. 15—Mostly Kaz Grala (RWR) ???: …and if they can’t afford to get a race with Kaulig, they’ll run THIS car. Who He Is: Four or Five People you Constantly Confuse for Each Other.
#36. 38—Todd Gilli-something (Front Whatever) Speed etc., Who Cares: If he holds onto this ride all year I’ll be surprised. Who He Is: Kid who just Moved Away.
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