Silly Season.
It’s the NASCAR vernacular for free agency, the hot stove or the transfer portal, depending on your sport of choice. The start of a new year means new faces in new places across the NASCAR Cup Series following a winter of retirements, free agency or graduation from the lower levels.
Silly Season applies to not only drivers but also crew chiefs, engineers and spotters. With that in mind, here are the known Silly Season moves in advance of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Kevin Harvick
2023: Driver, No. 4 Stewart Haas Racing Ford (Cup)
2024: Television Analyst, FOX Sports
The 48-year-old will trade his fire suit for a business suit in 2024. He will join Clint Bowyer and Mike Joy in the new FOX Sports NASCAR TV booth. Harvick was always a super enjoyable listen when he moonlighted in the TV booth during Xfinity Series races.
Noah Gragson
2023: Driver, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet (Cup)
2024: Driver, No. 10 Stewart Haas Racing Ford (Cup)
By this time, it’s been well documented that Noah Gragson was suspended by both his previous team and NASCAR for liking an insensitive post on Instagram. Since then, he has completed sensitivity training and signed on with Stewart Haas Racing to replace Aric Almirola in the No. 10.
Daniel Hemric
2023: Driver, No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Xfinity)
2024: Driver, No. 31 Kaulig Racing (Cup)
The 2021 Xfinity Series champion gets his second chance at racing a full-time Cup Series season following a one-off campaign with Richard Childress Racing back in 2019. He continues to have a great deal of untapped potential if a crew chief can unlock it.
Zane Smith
2023: Driver, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford (Trucks)
2024: Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (Cup)
Zane Smith will make his inaugural full-time Cup Series debut under a unique agreement. He will drive the new No. 71 car for Spire Motorsports, after it purchased the Live Fast Motorsports charter, but under loan from the Trackhouse Racing team that signed him to a multi-year agreement.
Carson Hocevar
2023: Driver, No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet (Trucks)
2024: Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (Cup)
With four wins and a Truck Series championship race appearance, combined with several impressive run in the Cup Series in a substitute role for both Spire and Legacy Motor Club, Hocevar graduates directly to Cup to race full-time for the No. 77 team.
Justin Haley
2023: Driver, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Cup)
2024: Driver, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford (Cup)
Unable to secure the package needed to return to Kaulig, Haley is taking a chance on Rick Ware Racing, which now has an affiliation with RFK Racing and intends to spend more to compete. His number was revealed to be the No. 51 on Jan. 16.
John Hunter Nemechek
2023: Driver, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Xfinity)
2024: Driver, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota (Cup)
A seven win season in the Xfinity Series cemented the second generation racer’s status as a favored Toyota prospect. Legacy Motor Club swapping to Toyota for 2024 opened the door for him to make it back to Cup for the first time since 2020.
Kaz Grala
2023: Sam Hunt Racing No. 26 Toyota (Xfinity)
2024: Rick Ware Racing No. 15 Ford (Cup, 25 races)
After spending a full-time campaign in the Xfinity Series, Grala gets by far his most robust Cup Series schedule yet, running all but 10 races with a Rick Ware team that now has an alliance with RFK Racing.
Ben Beshore
2023:Crew chief, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Xfinity)
2024: Crew chief, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota (Cup)
Luke Lambert
2023: Crew chief, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet (Cup)
2024: Crew chief, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (Cup)
Now a veteran crew chief with assignments with numerous major teams over the past decade, Luke Lambert moves to Spire Motorsports where he will be paired with Carson Hocevar in his rookie campaign at the highest level.
Stephen Doran
2023: Race day engineer, No. 4 Stewart Haas Racing Ford (Cup)
2024: Crew chief, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (Cup)
One of the top engineers that created so much success for Kevin Harvick over the past decade, Stephen Doran will get his first full-time chance to lead an entire team as crew chief of the new No. 71 Spire Motorsports entry with rookie driver Zane Smith.
Matt Swiderski
2023: Crew chief, No. 16 Kaulig Racing (Cup)
2024: Crew chief, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing (Cup)
As part of a crew chief swap with Kaulig, ‘Squid’ moves to Trackhouse to work with Daniel Suarez.
Travis Mack
2023: Crew chief, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing (Cup)
2024: Crew chief, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Cup)
In addition to taking over as crew chief of the No. 16 Cup car, which will feature several drivers this season, Mack has also been assigned the role of competition director for the team’s Cup Series program.
Chris Lawson
2023: Crew chief, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports (Trucks)
2024: Crew chief, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford (Cup)
Eddie D’Hondt
2023: Spotter, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Cup)
2024: Spotter, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (Cup)
D’Hondt has spent the last 13 seasons with Hendrick Motorsports with Jeff Gordon and then Chase Elliott. He first worked with Josh Berry when Elliott got injured. D’Hondt was hired to give Berry the best possible people to work with as a Cup rookie.
Andy Houston
2023: Spotter, No. 41 Stewart Haas Racing Ford (Cup)
2024: Spotter, No. 10 Stewart Haas Racing Ford (Cup)
The longtime NASCAR racer turned spotter moves within the organization from working with Ryan Preece to working with Noah Gragson.
Tony Raines
2023: Spotter, No. 23 AM Racing Ford (Xfinity)
2024: Spotter, No. 41 Stewart Haas Racing Ford (Cup)
The longtime NASCAR racer turned spotter spent last year working with Brett Moffitt at AM Racing but also worked with Zane Smith in his limited Cup schedule. He will be paired with Ryan Preece in his return full-time to SHR.
Josh Williams
2023: Spotter, No. 12 Team Penske Ford (Cup)
2024: Spotter, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (Cup)
What a way to close out a nine year stint with Penske in winning at home at Martinsville and then winning a Cup championship at Phoenix. Williams leaves Penske to work with Zane Smith at the new Spire 71 team.
Tim Fedewa
2023: Spotter, No. 4 Stewart Haas Ford (Cup)
2024: Spotter, No. 12 Team Penske Ford (Cup)
Fedewa enjoyed 26 wins and the 2014 championship over 468 races working with Kevin Harvick. The change at the No. 4 sees Fedewa move over to Penske to work with reigning champion Ryan Blaney.
Tyler Green
2023: Spotter, No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford (Cup)
2024: Spotter, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet (Cup)
Green most recently spotted for Harrison Burton at the Wood Brothers team but will be reunited with Carson Hocevar, who he has spotted for in the Truck Series.
Jason Jarrett
2023: Spotter, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Cup)
2024: Spotter, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford (Cup)
Veteran racer and spotter Jason Jarrett moves from Kaulig where he worked with Justin Haley to Harrison Burton at the Wood Brothers entry.
Trey Poole
2023: Part-time spotter for Chase Elliott at multiple levels
2024: Spotter, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports
Trey Poole, a cousin to Chase Elliott, will spot full-time next season for the No. 9. Poole has long served as a spotter for Elliott on road courses, in a part-time role and in his pavement Late Model starts.
Michael Fisher
2023: Part-time IndyCar and NASCAR spotter
2024: Spotter, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford (Cup)
After serving as a part-time, secondary spotter on road courses for Brad Keselowski next season, Michael Fisher got the call to do the full season with Michael McDowell in 2024.
Ryan Blanchard
2023: Part-time national touring spotter
2024: Spotter, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota (Cup)
Blanchard makes the jump from the short track ranks to the Cup Series after serving as a additional spotter on road courses for 23XI Racing in 2023. He will be paired with John Hunter Nemechek in their debut season at the 42 team.
Joe White
2023: Part-time spotter
2024: Spotter, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Cup)
After taking time off from national touring in 2023, after last spotting full-time in 2022 for Chase Briscoe, White is back and will spot for the No. 16 and its driver lineup that currently includes AJ Allmendinger and Josh Williams.
Frank Deiny Jr.
2023: Spotter, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Cup)
2024: Spotter, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Cup)
The longtime short tracker turned professional spotter moves to the No. 31 with Daniel Hemric.