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Key players in 2021-22 Silly Season
By Staff Report | Tuesday, September 14, 2021
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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. Former champions Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski are at the center of the action this go-round.
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Sheldon Creed
Current ride: No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
The scoop: Creed, the reigning 2020 Camping World Truck Series champion and winner of the first two playoff races in the 2021 postseason, is moving up to the Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing in a full-time effort. Additional details about the team will be announced at a later date.
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Justin Allgaier
Current ride: No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: Allgaier will be returning to the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned organization for a seventh straight season. To date, he has notched 13 of his 16 Xfinity Series wins with JRM and has reached the Xfinity Series Championship 4 in four of the past five seasons (2016, ’17, ’19, ’20).
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Colby Howard
Current ride: No. 15 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: Howard is moving to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ranks for 2022 with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing expanding its operation to two teams for next season. He has spent the 2021 season with JD Motorsports in the Xfinity Series.
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Noah Gragson
Current ride: No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: JR Motorsports announced Aug. 31 that Gragson would return to the No. 9 Chevrolet for the 2022 Xfinity season. It will be his fourth year with the team, and all of his major sponsors will remain on board.
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JTG Daugherty Racing
The scoop: Team co-owner Brad Daugherty revealed the team has no plans to pursue a second charter for next season and plans to be "a really strong one-car race company." The team has made no announcement about who the driver will be for 2022.
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Alpha Prime Racing
The scoop: In late August, Caesar Bacarella and Tommy Joe Martins announced they have partnered to form a new Xfinity Series team in 2022. Beginning next season, Martins Motorsports will become Alpha Prime Racing. Both co-owners will pilot the No. 44 entry part time, along with ARCA driver Rajah Caruth.
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Kurt Busch
Current ride: No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The scoop: The 2004 champion is joining 23XI Racing as the organization expands to two cars in 2022. He will pilot the No. 45 Toyota — his first time behind the wheel of a Toyota in Cup competition. He qualified for the playoffs for the ninth straight season in 2021 and has at least one win in the last eight seasons.
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Jack Wood
Current ride: No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
The scoop: Wood will return to the No 24 Chevrolet in the Truck ranks for the 2022 season. The 21-year-old got his feet wet in the series this season with his first top 10 coming at Gateway in August.
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Erik Jones
Current ride: No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The scoop: Back home at Michigan International Speedway, Jones announced he will return to Richard Petty Motorsports to race in 2022. Jones has three top-10 finishes in 2021, including a season-best seventh-place run at the Indianapolis Road Course.
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Jesse Iwuji Motorsports
The scoop: NASCAR is adding another Hall of Fame owner to the stable with the addition of Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith. Smith and driver Jesse Iwuji recently announced the formation of a new, full-time Xfinity Series team that will begin competing in the 2022 season.
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Carson Hocevar
Current ride: No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
The scoop: Fresh off a rookie season that saw him qualify for the Truck Playoffs, Hocevar will be back for a second season with Niece Motorsports.
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Josh Berry
Current ride: Part-time in No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and No. 25 Rackley W.A.R Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
The scoop: Berry made the most of his part-time opportunity in 2021 and was able to land a full-time ride with JR Motorsports for 2022 in the No. 8 Chevrolet. The Late Model racer nabbed a win in April at Martinsville and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. had made no secret about trying to find a bigger opportunity for the driver.
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Ross Chastain
Current ride: No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The scoop: Chastain has landed as the second driver for Trackhouse — a spot he was heavily rumored for every since the sale of Ganassi to Trackhouse. He has had a strong summer showing in his first full-time Cup season with Ganassi and will look to carry that over to his new organization in 2022.
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Brad Keselowski
Current ride: No. 2 Team Penske Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The scoop: On July 20, 2021, Roush Fenway Racing announced Keselowski will drive the No. 6 Ford Mustang , beginning with the 2022 Cup Series season, which includes a minority ownership stake with the organization. Keselowski will leave Team Penske after 12 seasons once the 2021 season concludes.
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Ryan Newman
Current ride: No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The scoop: After it was announced Brad Keselowski will shift to Roush Fenway Racing in 2022 , Newman will not return to the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang after the 2021 season. His future plans have yet to be announced. Roush Fenway Racing team president Steve Newmark indicated a part-time role with the organization was a possibility.
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Austin Cindric
Current ride: No. 22 Team Penske Ford in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: The reigning Xfinity Series champion actually already had a Cup Series ride secured for 2022 as it had been announced last year Cindric would pilot the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. With Brad Keselowski now departing Team Penske at the end of the 2021 season, Cindric is taking over the helm of the No. 2 Ford instead, where he will be a favorite for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.
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Harrison Burton
Current ride: No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: In the midst of his second full-time Xfinity Series season, Burtonhas been tabbed to take over the iconic No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in the Cup Series beginning next season. Burton made his first-ever Cup Series start at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this year, finishing 20th.
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Matt DiBenedetto
Current ride: No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The scoop: DiBenedetto is out of the ride after the 2021 season with Harrison Burton now set to fill his seat. He will likely be a candidate for any seat that might come open moving into 2022 but has recently said he has no plans solidified for next season.
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Kyle Larson
Current ride: No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The scoop: Larson is locked in to staying with Hendrick Motorsports through the 2023 season. His No. 5 Chevrolet will feature majority sponsorship of 35 races a year from HendrickCars.com, and it will also have branding for Larson's non-NASCAR events. Through 22 races in his first season with Hendrick, he had four wins, making him a title contender.
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Trackhouse Racing Team
The scoop: Trackhouse has purchased the NASCAR operations of Chip Ganassi Racing -- including two charters -- and will take control of those operations at the end of the 2021 season. At the announcement of the purchase, Trackhouse said Daniel Suarez will be back next season and announced in August that Ross Chastain will field a second car for the team in 2022.
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Chip Ganassi Racing
The scoop: Chip Ganassi Racing announced June 30 it sold its NASCAR operations to Trackhouse Racing Team. Trackhouse will take control of the assets -- including the shop and two charters -- at the end of the 2021 season.
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Justin Haley
Current ride: No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: Haley is moving up to a full-time Cup Series ride for 2022 as he will be Kaulig Racing’s first full-time Cup driver. He has spent the past three seasons running a full-time car for Kaulig’s Xfinity Series program and reached the Championship 4 in 2020. He has made a number of Cup Series starts for Spire Motorsports — including a surprise win in just his third Cup start in the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
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AJ Allmendinger
Current ride: No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The scoop: Allmendinger has inked a multi-year agreement with Kaulig Racing that will see him compete full-time in the Xfinity Series while running part-time in the Cup Series in select 2022 events. The 2021 season marked Allmendinger’s return to full-time NASCAR racing and also has seen him make a handful of Cup Series starts in Kaulig’s part-time car.
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Kaulig Racing
The scoop: Team owner Matt Kaulig has secured two charters for the 2022 Cup Series season . He will field a full-time team with driver Justin Haley, and AJ Allmendinger will run a partial schedule. Kaulig has fielded a part-time car in 2021 with Allmendinger and Kaz Grala piloting the ride.
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Alex Bowman
Current ride: No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The scoop: Bowman isn't going anywhere. After his victory at Dover International Speedway -- his second win of 2021 -- team owner Rick Hendrick said regarding an extension, "we've already started. It should be done any time. We want Alex there. He wants to be there. It's kind of at this point just a formality." Bowman's two-year extension with Hendrick through 2023 was officially announced June 18 .
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GMS Racing
The scoop: The organization announced in June it anticipates making its Cup Series debut in 2022 in what owner Maury Gallagher calls "the next step for the team." In its announcement, GMS indicated driver and schedule announcements would come at a later date.
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23XI Racing
The scoop: The Michael Jordan-Denny Hamlin co-owned organization is expanding to two cars for its second season in the Cup Series with Kurt Busch brought in to be the driver of the No. 45 alongside Bubba Wallace in the No. 23.
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