Stewart-Haas Racing has a lot of decisions to make over the coming months with possibly more on the way. Kevin Harvick, the driver of the No. 4 car, will retire from full-time racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at the conclusion of the 2023 NASCAR season.
This leaves the No. 4 car vacant with the possibility of Busch Light moving to Trackhouse Racing and Ross Chastain. There is one solid rumor about the No. 4 car and the attention can now be turned toward the other drivers in the lineup.
What are the futures of Chase Briscoe, Aric Almirola, and Ryan Preece? Will all three of them be back and if not, who is one of the favorites to possibly take over a ride for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series?
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Stewart-Haas Racing could sign this rising NASCAR star for Cup Series program in 2024
Almirola announced his retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series before the start of the 2022 season as he appeared ready to step away from full-time racing. Well, that was the initial plan for the driver of the No. 10 car.
The Stewart-Haas Racing driver decided to return as his sponsor, Smithfield Foods, and others pushed for him to keep racing in NASCAR. Almirola stayed in his No. 10 car and now sits 25th in the point standings with one top-10 finish.
Much like Martin Truex Jr., Almirola will take his time before making a decision on retirement. Truex said he will make his decision by the end of June which puts a rough timeline out for when silly season could start to pick up this year.
However, the rumors have started to pick up too. Josh Berry, a NASCAR Xfinity Series driver for JR Motorsports, is considered the top candidate to replace Harvick in the No. 4 car for Stewart-Haas Racing. Berry, 32, has been Hendrick Motorsports’ substitute driver during the 2023 season.
The 32-year-old driver would be a solid pickup but he is not considered a high-level prospect. Berry would be ready to compete sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, the organization has also been linked to another driver with Almirola’s status uncertain.
FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass released an article on NASCAR silly season which linked Zane Smith, the defending NASCAR Truck Series champion, to Stewart-Haas Racing. Smith, 23, will almost certainly join the Cup Series next season as Ford’s top prospect.
The 23-year-old driver would be a great replacement for Almirola if he decided to retire from NASCAR; however, Berry remains the top candidate to replace Harvick so it fully depends on if Stewart-Haas Racing needs another driver.
If not, Smith could go to Front Row Motorsports where he is competing part-time in the Cup Series. Either way, he seems pretty set on making his way to NASCAR’s top level sooner rather than later at this point in time.
What if Smith does move to the Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports and Almirola decides to retire at the same time? Continue reading to find out three realistic candidates for Stewart-Haas Racing to sign for the 2024 season!
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3 realistic drivers for Stewart-Haas Racing to hire if Aric Almirola retires in 2023
Stewart-Haas Racing’s driver lineup in the NASCAR Cup Series could undergo a complete overhaul but it depends on what happens in the next few months. If that does happen, there are several quality options available to them.
Cole Custer drives for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series but has yet to see much success this season. Custer, 25, was previously with the organization’s Cup Series program for three years before being demoted for Ryan Preece.
The 25-year-old driver was expected to produce better results in 2023 but it is still early in the year. If Custer can turn it around and snag a couple of victories, he would be the ideal replacement for Almirola in terms of overall production.
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Riley Herbst also drives for the Xfinity Series program as Custer’s teammate and remains on the verge of breaking out. Herbst, 24 has yet to win an Xfinity Series race but has been one of the most consistent drivers in the division.
The 24-year-old driver has a great amount of funding and would be a brilliant addition to an organization that could lose two major sponsors. If Herbst can prove to be successful, it would make the most sense from a money perspective.
Todd Gilliland is the current driver of the No. 38 car for Front Row Motorsports in the Cup Series and he has undoubtedly been impressive. Gilliland, 22, has already made incredible strides with more top-10 finishes in 2023 than last season.
The 22-year-old driver likely has the most talent out of these three drivers but the sponsorship factor is an issue. Gilliland would need to find funding to propel himself into an organization that would truly love to have his services.
Stewart-Haas Racing will have plenty of options if Almirola retires so it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds. If Almirola steps away, there could be plenty of reasons to be excited about a new and young driver lineup in 2024.