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Key figures in 2020-21 Silly Season
By Staff report | Published: 29 Nov, 2020 47
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
NASCAR Silly Season doesn't take a holiday. As drivers and teams announce plans for next year, we're keeping tabs on those who are key players. Ryan Blaney (pictured) and Alex Bowman got the action started in the spring with extensions to stay at Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports, respectively.
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Corey LaJoie
Current ride: No. 32 Go Fas Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: LaJoie will be driving for Spire Motorsports in the No. 7 Chevrolet for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series. The driver spent the past two seasons with Go Fas and has showcased his personality aplenty on MRN's "Sunday Money."
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Raphael Lessard
Current ride: No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.
The scoop: Lessard will shift to GMS Racing in a partial effort of 12 races with his eyes on running a full season if it materializes. The 19-year-old Canadian driver won his first Truck race in 2020 at Talladega.
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Ryan Truex
Current ride: Part-time in the No. 40 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.
The scoop: Truex will turn his part-time gig into a full-time ride with Niece Motorsports for the 2021 Camping World Truck Series season, the team announced Nov. 24. He'll stick with the No. 40 entry, too. In nine starts last season, Truex averaged a 20.1 finish and posted a best result of 12th twice -- at Kansas Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His last full-time Truck Series job was in 2017, highlighted by eight top-five finishes.
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John Hunter Nemechek
Current ride: No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The scoop: Kyle Busch Motorsports signed Nemechek to its No. 4 Toyota in the Camping World Truck Series for 2021, it was announced Nov. 23. It was only a week before that Nemechek informed Front Row he will not be returning to the team for the 2021 Cup Series season. Front Row indicated it will announce its "plans for its NASCAR programs in the future."
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Live Fast Motorsports
The scoop: Matt Tifft and B.J. McLeod are pairing up to form a Cup Series team as the two have purchased a charter from Go Fas Racing owner Archie St. Hilarie’s ownership interest of Circle Sport Racing’s charter with Joe Falk. McLeod will drive the team’s No. 78 Ford, and the organization will have a strategic partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing.
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Adam Stevens
Current role: Crew chief for the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The scoop: The two-time Cup Series champion, Kyle Busch, and his two-time title-winning crew chief are splitting up, as Stevens moves to the No. 20 JGR team to aid driver Christopher Bell from atop the pit box.
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Ben Beshore
Current role: Crew chief for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: Beshore is moving back to the No. 18 JGR team in the Cup Series, where he used to be an engineer, after two seasons atop the pit box in the Xfinity Series. Beshore will be Kyle Busch's new crew chief.
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Jeb Burton
Current ride: Part-time in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: After several part-time rides -- most notably with JRM -- Burton is going to run full time with Kaulig Racing. He takes over the open seat of the No. 10 Chevrolet, vacated by Ross Chastain's move up the ladder to the Cup ranks. Burton fared well in limited JRM duty, so it will be interesting to see how he does in a full-time deal.
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Chase Purdy
Current ride: Part-time in NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series for GMS Racing.
The scoop: The NASCAR Next alumni will move into a full-time role with GMS in 2021 with the Camping World Truck Series, the team announced Nov. 13. Purdy had seven starts behind the wheel of a truck in 2020, with one top-10 finish.
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Harrison Burton
Current ride: No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: Fresh off a four-win season and two wins in the final three races, Burton will be back in the Xfinity Series for 2021 in the same ride he piloted in 2020. The series’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year had a strong season and should be among the favorites for the title in 2021.
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Travis Mack
Current role: Crew chief for the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: After nearly two-and-a-half seasons with driver Michael Annett and JRM, Mack is making the move back to the Cup ranks. He served as a crew chief briefly in 2018 for Kasey Kahne at Leavine Family Racing.
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Brett Moffitt
Current ride: No. 02 Our Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series/No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.The scoop: After two full-time seasons with GMS Racing in the Gander Truck Series, Moffitt will transition to full time in the Xfinity Series with a familiar ride. The 2018 Gander Trucks champion will pilot the No. 02 Chevrolet for Our Motorsports in 2021. In 2020, Moffitt competed in 29 of the 33 Xfinity Series events with the team one top five and seven top-10 finishes.
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Daniel Hemric
Current ride: Part-time in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.The scoop: Hemric will be moving to Joe Gibbs Racing's Xfinity Series program and piloting the No. 18 Toyota, the team announced Nov. 12. Hemric is still searching for his first NASCAR national series win.
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Riley Herbst
Current ride: No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.The scoop: After a full-time season at JGR, Herbst is moving on and his seat will be filled by Daniel Hemric. In 2020, Herbst qualified for the playoffs and finished 12th in the standings.
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Michael Annett
Current ride: No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.The scoop: Annett will return to JRM for a fifth season in 2021. He has qualified for the playoffs in three of his previous four seasons with the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned organization. Longtime partner Pilot Flying J is back as a primary sponsor.
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Justin Allgaier
Current ride: No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.The scoop: Fresh off making the Championship 4 in the Xfinity Series for the fourth time in five years, JRM announced Nov. 2 that Allgaier will be back in 2021. Longtime partner BRANDT will also return as a primary sponsor.
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Austin Hill
Current ride: No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.The scoop: Hill will be back for a third season with HRE. He has totaled six wins over the past two seasons and just missed making the Championship 4 in those years as well.
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Mike Wheeler
Current role: Competition director for Leavine Family Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: Wheeler will be back atop the box for the 2021 season as the crew chief for Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 23XI Racing team with co-owner Denny Hamlin. Wheeler worked with Hamlin for three years and the pair won five Cup races together.
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Kyle Larson
Past role: Driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet before he was fired for using a racial slur during an iRacing event in April. At the time, NASCAR also suspended him indefinitely.The scoop: Hendrick Motorsports signed Larson to a multi-year deal on Oct. 28 to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in the Cup Series starting in 2021. Larson has six Cup Series victories and has qualified for the playoffs four times. His reinstatement to NASCAR goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2021.
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John K. Harrelson
Rudy Fugle
Current role: Crew chief for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.The scoop: The 28-time winner in Gander Truck Series competition will make the move up to the Cup Series to man the pit box for William Byron's No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Fugle, who earned seven of those wins with Byron, replaces seven-time Cup champion Chad Knaus.
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Sheldon Creed
Current ride: No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Series.The scoop: The 2020 Gander Truck Series champion will be in the Truck ranks in 2021 with GMS, the team announced Oct. 23. His title season produced five wins and he will look to defend his crown.
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Tyler Ankrum
Current ride: No. 26 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.The scoop: Ankrum came over to GMS in 2020 and proceeded to make the playoffs for the second straight season. On Oct. 23, the team announced he will be back for a second season at GMS.
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Jacob Kupferman | NASCAR
Josh Berry
Current ride: JR Motorsports Late Model Program.The scoop: Fresh off his 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly National Championship, Berry will drive the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series for approximately 12 races in the first half of the 2021 season. The 30-year-old has made seven previous Xfinity Series starts with five coming for JRM.
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Erik Jones
Current ride: No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: Jones has landed with Richard Petty Motorsports, signing a multiyear deal to drive the team's No. 43 Chevrolet. He'll succeed Bubba Wallace in King Richard Petty's Cup Series entry. The move comes after Joe Gibbs Racing announced Aug. 6 it would part ways Jones after the 2020 season.
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Chase Briscoe
Current ride: No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.The scoop: Briscoe will move up to the Cup Series in 2021 taking over the No. 14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, with Clint Bowyer moving into the FOX broadcast booth next year. Briscoe qualified for the Xfinity Series Championship 4 with his playoff win at Kansas Speedway.
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Justin Haley
Current ride: No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: Haley will be returning to Kaulig for a third season and is fresh off a three-win season while emerging as a title contender in the series. He should be one of the favorites for the Xfinity Series championship in 2021.
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Hailie Deegan
Current ride: No. 4 DGR-Crosley Ford in the ARCA Menards Series.
The scoop: Deegan will be making the move up the ladder to run in the Camping World Truck Series with an eye on a full campaign in 2021. She will compete for rookie honors in the No. 17 DGR-Crosley Ford.
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Brandon Jones
Current ride: No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: On Oct. 13, JGR announced Jones would be back in the No. 19 Toyota for his fourth season with the team in 2021. He has four wins with the organization.
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Zane Smith
Current ride: No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.The scoop: On Oct. 12, GMS revealed Smith will be returning to the organization for a second season. In his freshman campaign, he's won twice and advanced to the Championship 4 in the series playoffs.
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Clint Bowyer
Current ride: No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: On Oct. 8, Bowyer announced he will step aside from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition to join the FOX NASCAR booth for the 2021 season. To date, he has 10 Cup Series wins in his 16-year career and won the 2008 Xfinity Series title.
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Matt DiBenedetto
Current ride: No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: On Oct. 8, Wood Brothers Racing announced DiBenedetto would return to the team for the 2021 season. The 2020 season saw DiBenedetto qualify for the playoffs for the first time in his Cup Series career.
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Austin Cindric
Current ride: No. 22 Team Penske Ford in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.The scoop: On Oct. 8, Team Penske announced Cindric inked a contract extension that will see him drive in the Xfinity Series in 2021 with select Cup Series starts before moving over to the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing team to run Cup in the 2022 season. The 2020 Xfinity champion will look to defend his title in 2021.
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Daniel Suarez
Current ride: No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: On Oct. 7, Trackhouse Entertainment Group announced the formation of a Cup Series race team, tabbing Suarez to pilot its No. 99 Chevrolet full time starting with the 2021 Daytona 500.
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Alex Bowman
Current ride: No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: On Oct. 6, Hendrick Motorsports announced Alex Bowman will shift to the No. 48 Chevrolet, taking over for seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson as he retires from full-time competition after the 2020 season. The 2021 season will be Bowman's fourth driving for the organization.
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Bubba Wallace
Current ride: No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: Wallace announced on Sept. 10 he was not returning to Richard Petty Motorsports for the 2021 season. On Sept. 21, Wallace and Denny Hamlin announced the 26-year-old would pilot a car for a team Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan were putting together for 2021 and drive the No. 23 for 23XI Racing. Wallace will finish out 2020 with RPM, his third full-time season with the organization.
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Ty Dillon
Current ride: No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: On Sept. 21, Germain Racing announced it had agreed to sell its charter to the Michael Jordan-Denny Hamlin team with driver Bubba Wallace. Per the release announcing the sale, Germain will say farewell at the end of the 2020 season. Dillon, the driver of the No. 13 for the past four seasons, is now an option for the open seats around the garage.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Ross Chastain
Current ride: No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.The scoop: Chip Ganassi Racing announced on Sept. 21 that Chastain will take over the No. 42 Chevrolet full-time for 2021 in the Cup Series, replacing Matt Kenseth.
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Nic Antaya | ARCA Racing
Sam Mayer
Current ride: Part-time in NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and running various ARCA series for GMS Racing.The scoop: Mayer will be moving to JR Motorsports to make his Xfinity Series debut in 2021 with a full-time ride in the series for 2022. He had driven for JRM in the organization's late model program earlier in his development.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Aric Almirola
Current ride: No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: Almirola has been a playoff fixture during his three-year tenure at SHR and a preseason crew chief change has helped him reach new heights. Almirola confirmed he had a deal to return in 2021 on Sept. 1.
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William Byron
Current ride: No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: Three days after Byron's first career win, Hendrick Motorsports announced it had extended the young driver's contract through the 2022 season. Byron qualified for the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs with his victory in the Aug. 29 regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
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Noah Gragson
Current ride: No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.The scoop: Gragson will be returning to JR Motorsports for the 2021 Xfinity Series season. In 2020, he notched two wins and has turned some heads with his aggressive, take-no-prisoners style of racing.
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Christopher Bell
Current ride: No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: Joe Gibbs Racing announced Aug. 10 that Christopher Bell would drive the No. 20 Cup Series car in 2021. It was announced earlier that Erik Jones, who currently occupies that seat, would not return to JGR after the 2020 season. Bell will continue to drive for Leavine Family Racing until the end of this season with LFR selling its charter beyond 2020.
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Tyler Reddick
Current ride: No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: Reddick casually announced he will be staying with Richard Childress Racing in 2021 on a Aug. 7 Zoom call -- the day after Erik Jones’ Joe Gibbs Racing departure became public news. The rookie will return to his No. 8 Chevrolet, which hasn’t made it to Victory Lane in 2020 just yet but did place runner-up to his own teammate, Austin Dillon, at Texas Motor Speedway in July.
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Brad Keselowski
Current ride: No. 2 Team Penske Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: Team Penske took Keselowski off the open market by signing him to a contract extension on Aug. 3. The 2012 champ will return to the No. 2 Ford in 2021, putting to rest one of the biggest question marks we had entering Silly Season.
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Jimmie Johnson
Current ride: No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: What is the retiring seven-time champ doing here? Well, he is only retiring from full-time racing in NASCAR. It's not hard to picture him being in the field at say Sonoma Raceway or Watkins Glen International in 2021 and perhaps a few other select events in addition to his potential IndyCar dabbling.
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Matt Kenseth
Current ride: No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.The scoop: Seemingly out of nowhere, Kenseth returned to take over the reins of the No. 42 when NASCAR returned from its COVID-19 hiatus. The results may not have quite lived up to expectations, and with Ross Chastain in place for 2021, it will be just one season at Ganassi for Kenseth. The veteran indicated in a November interview that his days of full-time driving are over.