Back to News

January 5, 2023

2023 NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season tracker


Every new season means lots of new changes to keep up with throughout NASCAR’s premier series, including driver and crew chief movement. From Kyle Busch’s historic move from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing to Greg Ives’ retirement from atop the iconic No. 48 pit box, we have the details covered here in our Silly Season tracker.

As we approach the 75th anniversary season, we will update the tracker with the latest information and movement for every full-time Cup Series team.

Check for updates on this page often, as organizations finalize their plans for the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the 65th running of the Daytona 500 and beyond. Anything highlighted in red indicates news on that driver, team and ride, and clicking on the red line will give you more information on the move and its impact.

No.
Driver
Crew Chief
Team
1
Phil Surgen
Trackhouse Racing
2
Jeremy Bullins
Team Penske
3
Keith Rodden
Richard Childress Racing
After two seasons driving under Justin Alexander, Dillon's crew chief will be Rodden in 2023 as Alexander moves into the role of director of vehicle performance at RCR. Rodden's last full-time crew chief stint was with Kasey Kahne in 2016.
4
Rodney Childers
Stewart-Haas Racing
5
Cliff Daniels
Hendrick Motorsports
6
Matt McCall
RFK Racing
7
Ryan Sparks
Spire Motorsports
8
Randall Burnett
Richard Childress Racing
After 15 seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch's departure was one of the biggest free-agent moves of the last decade. The two-time Cup Series champion found a new home for 2023 and beyond with Richard Childress Racing and Chevrolet.
9
Alan Gustafson
Hendrick Motorsports
10
Drew Blickensderfer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Almirola announced his imminent retirement at the start of the 2022 season, but changed his plans and is back for his 12th full-time season at the premier level in 2023.
11
Chris Gabehart
Joe Gibbs Racing
12
Jonathan Hassler
Team Penske
14
John Klausmeier
Stewart-Haas Racing
15
TBA
TBA
Rick Ware Racing
Rick Ware Racing has not yet announced their driver lineup or other plans for this ride during the 2023 season.
16
Matt Swiderski
Kaulig Racing
Following recent success in the Xfinity Series, Allmendinger returns to the Cup Series full-time for the first season since 2018, looking to build on a rapidly improving Kaulig Racing program.
17
Scott Graves
RFK Racing
19
James Small
Joe Gibbs Racing
20
Adam Stevens
Joe Gibbs Racing
21
Brian Wilson
Wood Brothers Racing
22
Paul Wolfe
Team Penske
23
Robert 'Bootie' Barker
23XI Racing
24
Rudy Fugle
Hendrick Motorsports
31
Trent Owens
Kaulig Racing
34
Travis Peterson
Front Row Motorsports
Peterson, a veteran lead race engineer for RFK Racing, gets the gig atop the box for 2023 with former No. 34 car chief Ryan Bergenty shifting to the No. 38 entry. McDowell's 2022 crew chief, Blake Harris, will work with Alex Bowman this season.
38
Ryan Bergenty
Front Row Motorsports
Bergenty was elevated to crew chief for Gilliland after spending the past two seasons as a car chief with the organization.
41
Chad Johnston
Stewart-Haas Racing
After spending the 2022 season waiting in the wings, Preece is finally back at the top level full-time, taking over the ride from Cole Custer. The team announced that Tony Stewart's former crew chief, Johnston, would be at the helm.
42
Luke Lambert
Petty GMS Racing
Rising star Gragson settles into the vacant ride alongside his Xfinity Series crew chief Lambert for the upcoming season. Gragson made 18 Cup Series starts in 2022 and will compete in his first full season at the level this year.
43
David Elenz
Petty GMS Racing
45
Billy Scott
23XI Racing
One of the brightest young talents on the market, Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan signed Reddick to a future contract during the 2022 season that was expedited by Kurt Busch being sidelined.
47
Mike Kelley
JTG Daugherty Racing
Stenhouse reunites with former crew chief Kelley after a stint together during the 2014 season and one race in 2016.
48
Blake Harris
Hendrick Motorsports
After Greg Ives' retirement from his crew chief role, Harris joins the team after spending the 2022 season with Michael McDowell at Front Row Motorsports.
51
Billy Plourde
Rick Ware Racing
54
Chris Gayle
Joe Gibbs Racing
The phenom graduates to the Cup Series to take over the vacant roster spot left by Kyle Busch's departure. Along with this change comes the return of the storied No. 54 to the premier rank and a partnership with veteran crew chief Gayle, who spent 2017-20 with Erik Jones.
77
Kevin Bellicourt
Spire Motorsports
Dillon remains with Chevrolet but moves from Petty GMS Racing to Spire for the 2023 season.
78
David Ingram
Live Fast Motorsports
Ingram, the former Xfinity Series crew chief and Live Fast Motorsports competition director, takes over the pit box for McLeod and the No. 78 team for the 2023 season.
99
Travis Mack
Trackhouse Racing
MUST WATCH