NASCAR’s silly season is heating up as organizations look to fill out their lineups for the 2023 season and beyond. Many changes have already been announced but there is definitely more to come.
Let’s check out the latest daily news from NASCAR silly season.
NASCAR: GMS Racing to announce new addition to 2023 driver lineup
October 19: GMS Racing is set to announce a “new addition” to its NASCAR Truck Series lineup for the 2023 season, per the team. The organization currently employs Grant Enfinger and Jack Wood on a full-time basis.
Enfinger won at Lucas Oil Raceway and currently needs to win at Homestead-Miami Speedway to make the Championship 4 while Wood did not make the Truck Series playoffs.
The organization used to have drivers such as Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum, and Chase Purdy but it downsized as Petty GMS Motorsports became a thing at the start of the 2022 season.
Daniel Dye, Rajah Caruth, and Nick Sanchez would all make sense as they look to elevate themselves to the higher levels of NASCAR. If none of them, it could be an unexpected driver.
GMS Racing will make this announcement on Tuesday, October 25 which is a few days following the series’ conclusion of the Round of 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Related: NASCAR team set for big announcement in October 2022
Ty Dillon moves to Spire Motorsports for the 2023 NASCAR season
October 18: Spire Motorsports announced that Ty Dillon would join the organization on a full-time basis driving the No. 77 car after he parted ways with Petty GMS Motorsports after the first season of their partnership.
Dillon, 30, has one top-10 finish and a 22.1 average finishing position in his one and only season with Petty GMS Motorsports. The 30-year-old driver is in his first full-time season since Germain Racing shut down.
Corey LaJoie was also announced to return to the No. 7 car for the 2023 season. The No. 7 car and No. 77 cars ran full-time but the latter had multiple drivers such as Josh Bilicki, Landon Cassill, and Mike Rockenfeller.
Dillon will look to elevate the No. 77 car into the top-30 position in the owner’s championship. If he is able to do so, he would be eligible for the playoffs if he were to win a race at a superspeedway or another track next year.
This will be Dillon’s sixth full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series as he looks for his career first career victory in the series.
Related: Ty Dillon joining Corey LaJoie at Spire Motorsports
Kurt Busch steps away from full-time racing, Tyler Reddick replaces him
October 15: Kurt Busch announced on Saturday morning that he would not compete full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series during the 2023 season for 23XI Racing. Busch, 44, suffered a concussion during a qualifying wreck at Pocono Raceway this year.
The 44-year-old driver finished his last full-time season with one win, five top-5 finishes, eight top-10 finishes, and a 16.9 average finishing position. Busch ended his career with at least one win in every season since 2013.
Busch’s last full-time victory came at Kansas Speedway in the No. 45 car. It was 23XI Racing’s first victory on a non-superspeedway track and its first full-distance event after Bubba Wallace won at Talladega Superspeedway last year.
Tyler Reddick will replace Busch in the No. 45 car after he was expected to join the organization in 2024. Reddick, 26, will finish out the 2022 season in the No. 8 car for Richard Childress Racing in an ugly breakup.
The 26-year-old will look to rise to superstardom after winning three races during the 2022 season at Road America, the Indianapolis Road Course, and Texas Motor Speedway.
Related: Kurt Busch (concussion) won’t race full-time in 2023
Tyler Reddick expected to join 23XI Racing one year early
October 14: Tyler Reddick is expected to join 23XI Racing for the 2023 season after the organization bought out his contract from Richard Childress Racing, according to RacinBoys’ Lee Spencer.
Reddick, 26, has three wins, 10 top-5 finishes, 14 top-10 finishes, and a 16.7 average finishing position in his third full-time NASCAR Cup Series season in the No. 8 car for Richard Childress Racing.
The 26-year-old driver announced his intentions to join 23XI Racing at the conclusion of the 2023 season; however, Kyle Busch’s move to Reddick’s current ride is what made the future murky for one year.
Reddick will either replace Kurt Busch in the No. 45 car after he suffered a concussion during a qualifying wreck at Pocono Raceway or pilot a third entry for the organization.
There should be an announcement at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as Kurt Busch’s press conference is scheduled for Saturday, October 15 at 11:00 AM ET live on NASCAR.com.
Read More: Tyler Reddick expected to join 23XI Racing in 2023
Christopher Bell signed long-term deal with Joe Gibbs Racing
October 14: Christopher Bell signed a long-term contract with Joe Gibbs Racing to remain in the No. 20 car earlier in 2022, according to team owner Joe Gibbs in a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Bell, 27, has two wins, 11 top-5 finishes, 18 top-10 finishes, and a 13.8 average finishing position in his second full-time season with Joe Gibbs Racing. He spent his rookie season in the No. 95 car with the now-closed Leavine Family Racing.
The 27-year-old driver has won races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the Charlotte ROVAL this season; however, he was given this contract extension before a majority of his success in 2022.
Bell has been the best driver at Joe Gibbs Racing this season. The last driver within the organization to win a race outside of Bell was Denny Hamlin at the Coca-Cola 600 in late May.
The driver of the No. 20 car will look to make the Championship 4 for the first time as the Round of 8 begins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. Check out the rest of the weekend schedule on Sportsnaut.
Read More: Christopher Bell signed ‘long-term deal’ with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2022
NASCAR: Spire Motorsports set to release 2023 plans soon
October 13: Spire Motorsports is set to reveal its 2023 driver and crew chief lineups on Tuesday, October 18 at 11:00 AM ET, according to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s associate producer Davey Segal.
The organization currently fields one full-time driver in NASCAR with Corey LaJoie in the No. 7 Cup car. The No. 77 Cup car has multiple drivers but runs on a full-time basis due to its charter.
Austin Hill and Ty Dillon are two names that could make sense for the No. 77 car if it ever goes full-time. If not, it will be interesting to see the lineups for the NASCAR Cup Series side on October 18.
The NASCAR Truck Series program began at the start of the 2022 season with the No. 7 truck and has seen multiple drivers run it. Most notably, Rajah Caruth would be a good option if the vehicle went full-time.
Spire Motorsports is set for some announcements that could have major effects on silly season. Stay tuned for more updates that might come out before October 18.
Read More: Spire Motorsports set to announce big plans for 2023
A.J. Allmendinger moves to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023
October 5: A.J. Allmendinger will move to Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 car in the NASCAR Cup Series on a full-time basis starting in 2023. This was announced at a press conference on the organization’s “Fan Day.”
Allmendinger, 40, is in his second full-time season for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and has five wins, 15 top-5 finishes, 26 top-10 finishes, and a 5.9 average finishing position over the course of the year.
The 40-year-old driver won his last Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Road Course for Kaulig Racing in 2021. Allmendinger has also been impressive in his Cup Series starts with two top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes this year.
The organization will benefit greatly from having Allmendinger on the Cup Series team on a full-time basis. There is no reason the California native can’t make the 2023 playoffs at NASCAR’s top level.
However, Allmendinger’s departure from the Xfinity Series program has allowed another driver to have an opportunity to join Kaulig Racing.
Related: AJ Allmendinger returning to full-time NASCAR Cup Series duty in ’23
Chandler Smith to drive for Kaulig Racing in NASCAR Xfinity Series
October 5: Chandler Smith will drive the No. 16 car for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on a full-time basis next season after Allmendinger’s move to the NASCAR Cup Series. This will be Smith’s first full-time Xfinity Series season.
Smith, 20, is in his second full-time season with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Truck Series and has three wins, eight top-5 finishes, 14 top-10 finishes, and a 9.0 average finishing position.
The 20-year-old has been a part of the Toyota Racing family for over five years but the opportunity to go full-time with Kaulig Racing was very appealing. This will set him up very nicely for a jump to the Cup Series one day.
Kyle Busch Motorsports will undergo an exodus of drivers as they move to Chevrolet. Smith is just one of the many who will not return for the 2023 season. However, the Georgia native will still finish out his Xfinity Series races with Toyota Racing in 2022.
Smith is going to contend for Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series next season and it’s poised to be an epic battle between everyone involved.
Related: Chandler Smith could make big move to Kaulig Racing in 2023