Matt Johnson
Easter Sunday’s providing NASCAR Cup Series drivers with a week off to relax and turn their focus to the remainder of the season. While the best NASCAR drivers are focused on positioning for The Chase, several may find themselves under real pressure to perform or else they’ll be hearing plenty of chatter about potentially being replaced.
Let’s dive into our latest NASCAR hot seat, looking at five drivers who could be in danger of losing their Cup Series seat in 2027 ahead of NASCAR silly season.
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Car, Hendrick Motorsports
At this point, the only thing we want to see is Alex Bowman be healthy. Vertigo has sidelined him for a majority of the season and there still isn’t a timeline for his return. Unfortunately for him, medical issues have been a prevailing theme of his Cup Series career. This was a prove-it year for the driver of the No. 48 car with his contract set to expire and, unfortunately, health issues reared their ugly head again in 2026. It now feels like a matter of who Hendrick Motorsports replaces Bowman with in 2027, not if they do.
Related: Potential Alex Bowman Replacements in the No. 48 Car
Noah Gragson, No. 4 Car, Front Row Motorsports
Through seven races this season, Noah Gragson sits 29th in points (93). He’s 74 points back of the 16th and final spot in The Chase and considering his average finishing position this season is just 23.857 with single-digit points accrued in four consecutive races, making the 10-race chase is highly improbable. It’s not like Front Row Motorsports is printing money as a business; owner Bob Jenkins admitted during the legal battle versus NASCAR that he often loses money on this fun venture. With that said, FRM did get monetary damages from the settlement and it now has three full-time charters. The money should be there to replace Gragson with someone who can either offer greater upside long-term or finish higher consistently.
Related: Early NASCAR Silly Season Predictions
Riley Herbst, No. 35 Car, 23XI Racing
We’ll start with the good news for Riley Herbst. The 27-year-old is performing better this season than he did in his first year as a full-time Cup Series driver. He’s also demonstrated that he can be a good teammate and with the strong ties he brings to Monster Energy plus the deep pockets his family has, there will be Cup teams interested in him. That’s great, because 23XI Racing will be replacing him with Corey Heim as the full-time driver for the No. 35 car next season.
Related: Early Drivers Emerge as Options for Third Card at Legacy Motor Club in 2027
Ricky Stenhouse Jr, No. 47 Car, HYAK Motorsports
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has some marketability and that certainly carries some value. However, the veteran driver also ranks 30th in the Cup Series in points right now, behind the likes of Austin Dillon, Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson, and Riley Herbst. Stenhouse has finished 25th or worse in five of seven races this year, with four top-10s across his last 44 Cup Series races, and he ranks 35th in average finishing position (24.8) over the last 36 races. Truthfully, Hyak Motorsports may decide its best option is to sell its charter to another team and reap the rewards of the new costs for a permanent full-time seat. If that happens, Stenhouse might need to spend his age-39 season racing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Car, Richard Childress Racing
Of all the drivers we’re putting on the NASCAR hot seat, Kyle Busch is obviously the one who would find another ride the easiest. He currently ranks ninth on the NASCAR Cup Series all-time wins list, and his success as of late running a few Truck Series races demonstrates he still has something left in the tank. With that said, it’s pretty evident the No. 8 team and Richard Childress Racing are just as fed up with Busch as the future Hall of Famer is with them. Jesse Love will probably be driving the No. 8 car, while Busch will get one more chance to prove he’s still capable of winning in the Cup Series. This victory drought and his issues with the Next Gen car suggest Busch might be a bigger problem than some will acknowledge.
Related: NASCAR and Historic Events During Kyle Busch’s Winless Streak
