With a brand-new car coming into play for 2022 plenty of Nascar teams are using the upcoming offseason as a chance to make some pretty serious changes. In place of “Lap Zero”, here’s a two-part look at where we stand so far in an already wild “Silly Season”
Part 2: The Drivers
WHO HAVE ANNOUNCED THE PLANS FOR 2022? So far we know about changes at Team Penske, the Wood Brothers, Roush Fenway Racing, and the new Kaulig Racing Cup team.
PENSKE & THE WOOD BROS? Yep—Brad Keselowski is leaving Team Penske at the end of the year. Austin Cindric will move into his 2 Cup ride, while Harrison Burton will move into the Penske-aligned 21 Wood Bros. car.
WOW—BUT WHERE ARE BRAD KESELOWSKI AND MATT DIBENEDETTO GOING? Brad Keselowski has been confirmed to drive the Roush Fenway 6 car next year as part of a deal that will give him an ownership stake in the team. As for Matty D, well, he could be The Dreaded Odd Man Out (a la Ty Dillon last year) and could be out of a competitive full-time Cup ride in 2022.
BUT IF BRAD DOES TO ROUSH FENWAY, WHAT HAPPENS TO RYAN NEWMAN? Newman has been offered a third RFR ride on a part-time basis for next year. He could take that, retire altogether, or simply leave to drive for someone else.
OK, BACK TO THE START—WHO WILL BE RACING FOR THE NEW KAULIG TEAM? Justin Haley is confirmed for one car full-time. The other is said to be earmarked for a number of drivers, likely with AJ Allmendinger anchoring the lineup.
WHAT ABOUT THE NEW GMS CUP TEAM? That ride seems to be wide-open, and could range from a full-time driver to a number of different part-timers, to the team itself running part-time if a Charter isn’t obtained.
ALRIGHT—WITH TRACKHOUSE BUYING CHIP GANASSI RACING’S TWO-CAR TEAM, WHO’LL BE RACING FOR THEM NEXT YEAR? One driver will definitely be Daniel Suarez (rumored to continue driving a car numbered 99). The other car will probably be driven by Ross Chastain, although that is far from a guarantee.
THEN WHAT HAPPENS TO KURT BUSCH? Well, Kurt is the most-rumored driver for the possible second 23XI ride. If he doesn’t wind up there, he could go any number of places (he is rumored to have Monster sponsorship attached to him), or could retire to go into broadcasting.
OK, OK, THAT’S A LOT OF CHANGES—WHO *ISN’T* CHANGING NEXT YEAR? Seeking to prove that consistency is the key to success, none of Nascar’s mega-teams (outside of the Penske/Wood Bros. alliance) are expected to change—Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing aren’t expected to make any major driver or sponsorship changes. Richard Childress Racing is expected to retain its 2021 driver and major sponsorship lineup as well. Smaller teams like JTG-D, RPM, Front Row, and Live Fast are likely to announce any changes later in the off-season.
WHAT’S THE NEXT MAJOR “DOMINO TO FALL”? Now that we have the formal announcement of Brad Keselowski going to Roush Fenway, it will likely be 23XI firming up their plans for 2022—will they add a second team, or stay as a single-car operation? This will determine if Cup will be getting another mid-level ride or not. Also, Roush Fenway and Trackhouse will need to announce what driver(s) they’ll be retaining for next year.