23XI Racing has been growing fast since the start of the 2021 season as its new era of ownership is great for NASCAR. This is the same situation as Trackhouse Racing as they both entered the NASCAR Cup Series in the same year.
The organization started with Bubba Wallace in the No. 23 car and expanded to two full-time entries in 2022 with Kurt Busch in the No. 45 car. Then, Busch stepped away from full-time racing for 2023 and Tyler Reddick replaced him.
It has been a crazy journey to this point; however, 23XI Racing is not even close to its full potential as the team looks to expand to a third car sooner rather than later. With the latest announcement, its plans for the 2024 season have been revealed.
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23XI Racing’s official lineup plans for the 2024 NASCAR season
23XI Racing crew chief Eric Phillips talked about the idea of expanding the organization from two to three full-time cars and said there are a “lot of benefits” to having more cars. Phillips said he was hopeful that 23XI Racing could work toward having a third car.
This came after it was reported that Toyota Racing wanted to expand its NASCAR Cup Series program for the 2024 season. This is reasonable as the manufacturer only has six entries between Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing this year.
Those plans finally came to fruition on Tuesday, May 2 following the race weekend at Dover Motor Speedway. Legacy Motor Club announced it would move away from Chevrolet and join Toyota for the 2024 season and beyond.
Both of the team’s drivers, Erik Jones and Noah Gragson, were brought up through Toyota so this is a homecoming for them. It was surprising to see Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time Cup Series champion, make the move after spending his NASCAR career with Chevrolet.
However, there is more to take away from the announcement. Toyota said in its press release that it would have eight full-time entries in the Cup Series next season. It is the most that Toyota has entered since the 2011 season.
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With the rumors of 23XI Racing possibly expanding, does this mean the organization will officially stay as a two-car team next year? TRD president David Wilson confirmed that there are no plans to add any additional teams to the fleet for 2024.
Toyota could have up to 10 entries in one race next season if 23XI Racing ran the No. 67 car and Legacy Motor Club ran the No. 84 car. Both of those vehicles were entered into the 2023 Daytona 500 so it is not firmly stuck at eight cars.
As for now, 23XI Racing won’t expand to a third full-time car despite the buzz from the organization that it would be beneficial. Granted, the latest reported price for a charter was flirting around $30 million so it may not be financially responsible to buy another one in this environment.
Wallace and Reddick will return to 23XI Racing for the 2024 season as both drivers have multi-year contracts. They represent the future of the organization and should benefit from having more Toyota teammates on the track in 2024.
In the meantime, whether you are watching it live or looking for how to watch NASCAR on TV or another streaming platform, Sportsnaut has you covered for the upcoming weekend at Kansas Speedway!