NASCAR is beginning the NBC Sports portion of the 2023 season this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway and there are several things to watch for over the 10 remaining races before the playoffs begin in the Cup Series.
Let’s dive into this week’s NASCAR mailbag as plenty of news has taken place over the last two weeks since the sport was last on the race track.
JR Motorsports’ pursuit of finding a driver for the No. 8 car in 2024
Gage O’Leary Sports on Twitter asked: “Do you think Carson Hocevar is a favorite to replace Josh Berry (at JR Motorsports)?”
I would personally be surprised to see anyone outside of Carson Hocevar drive the No. 8 car for JR Motorsports next year. Hocevar has done well in his select NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and finally broke through for his first NASCAR victory at Texas Motor Speedway.
The cars that Hocevar is driving in the Xfinity Series are coming from JR Motorsports’ shop. He has talked to Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports, and credited him with helping his approach during the races each time out.
Hocevar has also been driving the simulator at JR Motorsports for some time now. There are plenty of good candidates to replace Berry but everything points to Hocevar getting the nod whenever the time comes for an announcement.
It is understandable why the organization would be interested in the Niece Motorsports driver. Hocevar has talent but the issue has been putting it all together and not making unacceptable mistakes on the race track.
If Hocevar continues to improve while eliminating those mistakes, a partnership with JR Motorsports is the most likely outcome and one of the best situations for both parties.
Related: Latest updates on NASCAR silly season for 2024, including Martin Truex Jr.
NASCAR’s future on street courses if the Chicago Steet Course goes well
Brian Hill on Twitter asked: “If the (Chicago Street Course) is a success, should they put a couple on next year’s schedule?”
I think the Chicago Street Course will be a success either way. The racing may not be electric, which is understandable based on the track layout, but the environment is going to be like no other NASCAR race in the sport’s history.
It is going to be a fun and historic weekend. That said, I don’t think they will add more to the 2024 NASCAR schedule. It takes a while to make those deals happen and everyone is waiting to see how the race in Chicago goes as well.
However, the sport has been talking to other cities about hosting street course events in the future. It feels like this is just the beginning of NASCAR’s run with street courses. There are a few places that I would like to see.
Miami, Nashville, Las Vegas, and New York all represent good places to pursue a street course event. I’m almost positive the stock cars wouldn’t be able to run Formula 1’s layout in Miami due to some tight turns but they could make some changes.
Fourth of July Weekend is going to be a blast. The people who understand that it’s not all about the on-track product will think it is spectacular. It is important to limit expectations because NASCAR has never done something like this with the Cup Series.
Related: 5 biggest NASCAR storylines from the first half of the 2023 season
Josh Berry’s impact on Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2024 NASCAR season
Brody Lay on Twitter asked: “When (Josh Berry) replaces (Kevin Harvick) next season, do you feel like Berry will make (Stewart-Haas Racing) better and help his teammates be upfront to win some races?”
Josh Berry is a good addition to Stewart-Haas Racing but I don’t think the turnaround for the organization will be dependent on his success. Kevin Harvick has been really good in his farewell season and the rest of the team is still struggling.
While Berry is an older prospect, it will take time for him to truly compete at a high level in the NASCAR Cup Series. The days of a rookie driver entering the Cup Series and competing right off the bat are over, in my opinion.
It feels like Chase Briscoe needs to make a jump to keep Stewart-Haas Racing at the front in 2024. Ryan Preece has been really solid as of late but outside of Martinsville Speedway, there haven’t been many other races where he has been fast.
Last season, Briscoe made the Round of 8 and almost made the Championship 4 before Christopher Bell passed him at Martinsville. It should be on him to elevate the organization and become the cornerstone that everyone thinks he can become soon.
Berry may need a year or two before he truly starts competing on a weekly basis. There will be some growing pains despite his replacement races this season but the No. 4 team has proven to be strong. Maybe, there is a chance he can sneak out with a win before it’s all set and done.