Longtime NASCAR Cup Series spotter Eddie D’Hondt will move to the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in 2024 to work with Cup rookie Josh Berry, the team announced Tuesday.
D’Hondt spent each of the last 12 seasons at Hendrick Motorsports, aiding four-time champion and Hall-of-Fame driver Jeff Gordon around the track before Chase Elliott took the reins in 2016. Elliott led the No. 9 team to the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship and has won 18 races at the sport’s top level, all with D’Hondt atop the spotters’ stand.
Berry and D’Hondt worked together five times in the Cup Series during the 2023 campaign as Berry filled in for the then-injured Elliott. Berry earned a career-best second-place finish at Richmond Raceway to pair with a 10th-place showing at Phoenix Raceway in his second start with the team.
In all, Berry enters his first full-time Cup season with 12 starts under his belt — two in 2021 before 10 starts in relief for three cars last year. D’Hondt’s experience as a reliable pair of eyes in the sky and crew chief Rodney Childers’ prowess atop the pit box surround the 33-year-old rookie with a combined two Cup championships and 66 wins.
Stewart-Haas Racing also announced spotters for the Nos. 10, 14 and 41 teams Tuesday. Veteran spotter and former NASCAR racer Andy Houston will work with sophomore Cup driver Noah Gragson in his inaugural season behind the wheel of the No. 10 Ford, while Joe Campbell and Tony Raines return to their respective teams with drivers Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece.
The Catalano family is going all in with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2024.
Brothers Tommy, Tyler and Trevor Catalano will compete full-time with the series next year. It will mark the first time three brothers have run the entire Modified Tour schedule at the same time.
The 2024 season also will mark the second time at least two members of the Catalano family have raced full-time with the Tour. Tommy and Timmy Catalano competed in every event during the 2019 season.
“It’ll hopefully be fun. Obviously it can be a lot, but hopefully we can get through it,” Tommy Catalano said. “We’re fortunate to have the sponsors that we have that help, and obviously we all pitch in our spare money and go to work every day so we can go have fun on the weekends.”
The 2024 season will be Tommy’s third full-time run with the Modified Tour after competing in every event in 2019 and 2022. In 74 career starts, the 25-year-old has four top-five and 23 top-10 finishes with a best finish of second.
The upcoming season will be the first full schedules for his younger brothers, 19-year-old Tyler and 17-year-old Trevor. Tyler has one previous Whelen Modified Tour start, which came at Oswego Speedway in 2023. Trevor has not yet competed with the series.
Tommy will continue to drive the No. 54 entry next year. Tyler will drive the No. 84, and Trevor will be behind the wheel of the No. 56 when the season begins at New Smyrna Speedway on Feb. 10.
All three entries will be fielded out of the Catalano Motorsports shop and will carry sponsorship from Power & Construction Group and FX Caprara.
Tyler Catalano, driver of the No. 84 Catalano Motorsports Modified, qualifies for the Toyota Bud Mod Classic 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at At Oswego Speedway in Oswego, New York on Sept. 3, 2022. (Photo: Bryan Bennett/NASCAR)
The genesis behind the decision for all three brothers to join the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour stems from their united desire to race as often as possible and do it as a family.
“We like to all race. All my brothers, myself, my mom, it’s just something we all like to do,” Tommy Catalano said. “If there is one of us running the Tour full-time, it makes it tough doing the back-to-back (races) to get races in locally for (my brothers). They’ve been really eager to give it a go on the Tour.”
Tyler’s first full Modified Tour season is the natural next step for the 19-year-old who has grown up racing in the Northeast alongside his brothers.
In his first Modified Tour start at Oswego, Tyler raced with the leaders throughout the evening and finished on the lead lap in 10th. He’s looking forward to the challenge the full season presents while also racing against his brothers.
“We don’t give each other much slack anymore when it comes to racing because every spot is harder to get then the next. There’s not really much room to give,” Tyler Catalano said. “I think on the Tour, the spots are just so hard to come by, I don’t think we’ll be giving each other much slack during the races.”
When Trevor makes his Tour debut at New Smyrna, he will become the sixth member of the Catalano family to compete with the series.
He’ll join brothers Tommy, Tyler and Timmy as well as his mother Amy and uncle Buck on the Modified Tour ledger. He’s looking forward to forging his own path in NASCAR’s oldest division next season.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Trevor Catalano said. “Hard work, for sure, to bring three cars to the race track obviously. I think that’s kind of what we’ve strived for here by us, we all race together, and we all go with the same thing. We feed off each other to help the whole program get better and improve.”
Fielding three full-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour entries will be no easy task for Catalano Motorsports. One challenge they’re already tackling is tracking down enough crew members for the 16-race schedule.
Trevor Catalano celebrates a victory in the Pro Modified division during night four of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna, Florida on Feb. 13, 2023. (Photo: Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Previously, when Tommy would race with the series, his two younger brothers would be part of his crew. Now that all three will be racing, they’ll need three full pit crews.
“As a starting point, I lost my crew; my tire changers were Tyler and Trevor,” Tommy Catalano said. “That’s something we’ve been trying to (work on). We’re bringing in what we call outside family. At the end of the year, ultimately the people we bring in, we spend so much time with them they become almost like family.
“It’s a huge commitment obviously. You want everyone to feel like family, as well, because no one is doing this to get rich. They’re doing it because they love racing and they want to help out. That’s the biggest thing.”
The 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season kicks off at New Smyrna on Feb. 10 during the track’s annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. In addition to the Modified Tour opener, multiple members of the Catalano family will be in action throughout the week in a mix of Modified and Super Late Model events.
The Catalano clan wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I would assume we’re all on the same page with the goals, but ultimately it’s about consistency,” Tommy Catalano said. “Finish all the races, keep the cars in one piece the best we can, and build on it.
“To expect to come out of the gate and finish one-two-three is obviously not a realistic goal. That would be nice; that’s what everyone would love to happen, but we’re trying to be realistic about it. Part of it keeping it sustainable and keeping it fun for everyone is having realistic goals for everyone to be excited about.”
Editor’s note: This continues a series where we review the top 20 drivers in 2023 NASCAR Cup Series points.
Season in review: Ross Chastain
No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Crew chief: Phil Surgen Final 2023 ranking: 9th Key stats: Two wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s, 640 laps led, one pole position
How 2023 ended: Chastain earned his second career – and second consecutive – NASCAR Cup Series playoff berth in 2023. His win at Nashville Superspeedway locked him into the postseason where he was eliminated in the Round of 12. Although he fell short of the Bill France Cup, Chastain ended the season with a win at Phoenix Raceway that clinched him ninth place in the final standings. The second-year Trackhouse Racing driver was ousted from championship contention after a tough playoff run that included a pair of DNFs – crashes at Talladega Superspeedway and the Floridian’s “home track” at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He had four top-10 finishes in the 10-race playoff run but also three results worse than 20th place. Chastain closed out his second season with Trackhouse Racing by leading 157 of 312 laps at Phoenix and is the only driver in the series technically on a “winning streak” to start 2024.
Best race: Statistically speaking, Chastain’s most impressive outing was his career first win at Nashville Speedway from pole position. He led a race-best 99 laps and eased to almost a 1-second victory over Martin Truex Jr. to officially claim a playoff berth and take over second place in the season standings.
Other season highlights: Chastain equaled his career-best win total (two) by scoring multiple victories for the second straight season. He led the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings for seven weeks and was ranked either first or second for 12 weeks – a full third of the season. He led at least 90 laps in a race five times and his pole position at Nashville was a career first.
Stat to know: While he fell short of his career-best numbers in 2022, Chastain still turned in a season to remember and equaled his best win total (two). His lead lap finishes (28) is a career-best mark, and he also topped the 600-laps led threshold for a second consecutive year. Only four drivers bettered his total of 10 top fives.
Quotable: “I don’t really know how to comprehend that maybe in a couple years we’re still doing this. I’m human. I go back to my past. I’ve had things taken away that were a sure bet. I thought it was a one-direction all the way up the mountain. Had to go find another mountain to climb. We found it. We’re climbing it. I feel as long as I get up, do my best, put my work in, go to work and surround myself with good people, trust our processes. … we’ll see.’’
Looking ahead: Although Chastain obviously would have liked to advance farther in the championship hunt, he did achieve his first career pole position, led more than 600 laps and proved his resiliency at the end of the season, hoisting a trophy even when he was out of playoff contention. Statistically, Chastain proved both his consistency and his resiliency. He now has victories on a diverse set of tracks, from road courses (Circuit of The Americas) to superspeedways (Talladega) to the 1.33-miler at Nashville and the Phoenix mile. It showed that his amazing championship runner-up showing in 2022 was absolutely not a fluke and instead the establishment of a driver ready and skilled to contend for the title year after year.
Patrick Emerling is heading back to his Modified, short-track roots full-time in 2024.
While also planning to run a partial NASCAR Xfinity Series slate, Emerling, now based in North Carolina, will return to race full-time on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and chase his first championship.
In a new partnership with car owner Rich Gautreau, the team will race the full Whelen Modified Tour calendar based in Massachusetts at TFR Distribution, with assistance from Rob Fuller.
Emerling is ecstatic to get back to racing Modifieds on a full-time basis. He’s been splitting time behind the Xfinity Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Race of Champions Modified Tour and additional events the last two years.
“It’s all coming together quickly and I’m excited to get the new season rolling in just over a month down in Florida,” Emerling said. “We’ve been running Modified events on and off the last few years and focusing on helping get the Emerling-Gase Xfinity program off the ground. We’ve built a great foundation there and have a bright future. I’ll still be in and around the Xfinity Series throughout 2024, but the opportunity to go after the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship is one I couldn’t pass up. We came close to winning the title with our family operation a few years ago and we’re going back there hoping to complete some unfinished business.”
Gautreau, who lives on the West Coast, is a former SK Modified competitor at Stafford Motor Speedway and has been around racing for many years. The team will also welcome crew chief Dale Headquist, for the effort. Dale was the crew chief for Jon McKennedy when the No. 79 team, owned by Tim Lepine, won the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title in 2022 with Jon McKennedy. Emerling and Headquist had spoken from time-to-time over the years, but this opportunity to pin them working together has both of them excited.
“I definitely have to thank Rich for giving me the opportunity in some great equipment,” Emerling said. “We have the potential to go out there and win some races. Worrying about the championship battle would come later in the year… we want to come out of the gates with consistent finishes in the top-five and continue to build towards even greater heights. Winning races and a shot at the title is certainly on our list of goals going into the new year. Racing on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the competition is second-to-none. The quality of cars, drivers and teams out there is incredible.”
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 2024 schedule includes 16 events, beginning at New Smyrna Speedway’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing on Saturday, February 10, 2024. The series has events planned in Florida, Virginia, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and North Carolina, spanning from February to October.
Bubba Wallace described the change in his year-ending points position – from 19th in 2022 to 10th last season – as “a massive jump” as he assessed his campaign during NASCAR Champion’s Week last month in Nashville. The placement was his highest in six full seasons at the NASCAR Cup Series level, but he noted one significant missing piece.
Wallace had scored one victory in each of the previous two seasons, since his start with 23XI Racing in 2021. Last season, Wallace found himself with noticeable improvement – or at least a hold-steady clip – in several key statistics, including average finish and laps led. The rise in performance led to his first appearance in the Cup Series Playoffs, but without a win to show for his final tally.
“Everybody I see in the industry the last couple days have come up to me and continued to remind me how good the season was, and it is when you peel back the layers and look at it,” said Wallace, who last won at Kansas in September 2022 — 43 races ago. “We checked a lot of boxes, but I don’t know if it’s just me being young and hungry, but I got zero wins. So that bugs the hell out of me.
“But yeah, I mean, we made a good run, proud of the efforts from the team. It was a really, really good year. I’m so excited to … not get it started yet because I’m enjoying the downtime, but I’m excited for the next one to start.”
The offseason so far has meant taking some time to explore the town of Banff in Alberta, Canada and its surrounding high peaks. But it’s also meant a period of reflection in the wake of the season-ending event at Phoenix Raceway, where he watched close friend Ryan Blaney clinch his first Cup Series title and where he lamented unintentional contact with Brad Keselowski, prompting a post-race apology.
That capped a campaign that sent Wallace into the Round of 12 before his postseason eligibility expired. The 30-year-old driver’s strongest chances of winning cropped up at a variety of tracks — an overtime bid that went south at Talladega in April, early power that faded at Richmond in July, and a show of dominance that evaporated late at Texas in September.
Those outings could bode well for Wallace next season, as he and 23XI teammate Tyler Reddick return with some newness approaching. The organization is moving toward setting up shop in a new headquarters building, and a new 23XI logo will adorn the team’s gear. The group will also have a reinvigorated Toyota body style for 2024 with the Next Gen Camry XSE set to debut.
What’s not new is the driver lineup, which gains another year of experience and stands to benefit from that core continuity.
“I think moving forward, with Tyler having a year with us and figuring it all out, I think it’s only going to expedite the process on where we want to be,” Wallace says. “I think, there’s a lot of races where we were the top performing two as a team, and I think we want to do that more. And so, we’ve got all the right people in the right spot. The new shop’s going to pump some new life into our guys and into ourselves, and we’re gonna go out and work our asses off this year.”
Editor’s note: This continues a series where we review the top 20 drivers in 2023 NASCAR Cup Series points.
Season in review: Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota Crew Chief: Robert “Bootie” Barker Final 2023 Ranking: 10th Key stats: 0 wins, five top fives, 10 top 10s, 285 laps led
How 2023 ended: Statistically speaking, the 2023 season ended as the strongest in Wallace’s six-year, full-time career in NASCAR’s Cup Series. He qualified for the playoffs for the first time and scored four of his season’s 10 top-10 finishes during the playoff run — advancing to the second round of playoff competition.
Best race: Although Wallace has made a name for himself with his showing on superspeedways, his 2023 season was highlighted by a third-place finish at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway in the September playoff race, where he led a race-best – and career single-race high — 111 laps.
Other season highlights: Although Wallace did not score a victory this year, he still excelled on track, earning his maiden playoff berth, advancing to the second round, and setting a career-high mark in laps led (285). He was a bona fide contender from the season’s first green flag to its final checkered flag – leading laps and being as competitive at the end of races as at the start. Wallace credits his success this year to tempering his emotions and “keeping my head in the game,” recognizing that some days getting a top 10 with a top-10 car is still a success.
Stat to Know: One of the most significant indicators of Wallace’s strong season is that he nearly doubled his single season laps led total (285) compared to a previous best of 150 last year. He led laps in 12 races – a third of the season schedule.
Quotable: “Definitely being talked about a lot more for our performances and race results, not so much in the negative headlines so that’s good and we’ve just got to continue to build on that. Definitely learned a lot about who I am as a driver and trying to be a better team leader and it’s all starting to click more and more. Just have to get the wick lit earlier in the season and get on a hot streak and keep that flame going.”
Looking ahead: Earning his maiden playoff opportunity was a sign of Wallace’s arrival in the sport’s upper echelon. He doubled his laps led total, equaled career-best marks in top fives and top 10s and will be able to look back on the 2023 season as a real turning point. One of the categories Wallace would like to improve on is his stage win tally. He had zero this season despite earning the ninth-most stage points in the series. He’s won races in two of the last three seasons and in 2023 positioned himself to do so multiple times. Wallace should head into next season with confidence, looking to put all his achievements together – winning races, leading laps and taking top-10 finishes on a mediocre day to advance farther in the playoffs.
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney proposed to longtime girlfriend Gianna Tulio this past week, adding an offseason engagement ring to the premier-series title ring he earned in last month’s season finale.
Blaney and Tulio announced their engagement on social media Saturday morning with a picture from snowy Washington state. A date in the Instagram caption indicates that the proposal happened Tuesday — 12-12, which would match up nicely with Blaney’s car No. 12 for Team Penske.
Instagram: @giannatulio and @ryanblaney10
The couple celebrated three years of dating in July.
Blaney scored his first Cup Series championship in November with a runner-up finish in the season-ending race at Phoenix Raceway. Blaney and Tulio were arm-in-arm just two weeks ago for the NASCAR Awards gala at the Music City Center in Nashville.
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season is quickly approaching, and with that, there are a handful of newcomers we ought to get to know before the green flag drops in February. Drivers Josh Berry, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar will be running their first full-time seasons in the Cup Series next year, each with high expectations, bringing a unique skill set and winning aspirations to their new team. Let’s dive in and meet the rookie class.
Josh Berry, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 2023 ride: No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Xfinity Series
2023 stats: 0 wins, 11 top fives, 18 top 10s, 211 laps led
2023 standings finish: 11th
To drive the No. 4 car comes along with a certain set of expectations, and at 33 years old, Berry will be the most seasoned rookie on the grid next year. He steps in to fill the seat that was left by Kevin Harvick, who retired at the end of the 2023 season. While Berry only has 12 cup starts in his career, he received first-hand experience filling in for Cup drivers in a variety of high-profile rides throughout the 2023 season. Whether it was splitting time between the Nos. 9 and 48 at Hendrick Motorsports or getting tapped by Legacy Motor Club for two races, Berry has been adaptable and demonstrated he can excel in the right car with a second-place finish at the Richmond spring race.
Secondly, his consistency over two full seasons in the Xfinity Series stands out. In his final two years with JR Motorsports, Berry raked in three wins, 22 top-five, and 38 top-10 finishes, showing he has a steady hand behind the wheel. With a background in short-track racing, Berry’s driving style is particularly agile and aggressive, which is a testament to how he handled Richmond like a pro this past year. His knack for maintaining focus and delivering consistent performance over a season positions him as a formidable competitor and the perfect fit for SHR as it looks to rebuild.
Zane Smith, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 2023 ride: No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, Craftsman Truck Series
2023 stats: 2 wins, 10 top fives, 10 top 10s, 227 laps led
2023 standings finish: 7th
James Gilbert | Getty Images
Known for his success in the Truck Series, Smith has the championship pedigree to back up his move to the Cup Series. Trackhouse Racing invested in the phenom with a multi-year agreement for the 2022 Trucks Series champ and aims to expand its lineup in 2025 to add Smith. But before all that, Smith has a rookie year to complete. He gave us a preview of what to expect next year by competing in seven races with Front Row Motorsports on the Cup side in 2023, highlighted by one 10th-place finish at Charlotte in the spring.
Smith has displayed his talent and competitive drive throughout his career, from the ARCA Menards Series all the way to the Truck Series. He has totaled nine wins and 35 top-five finishes in 92 career starts in the Truck Series. Winning Sunoco Rookie of the Year has to be on top of his list of goals for his debut campaign, as he won Rookie of the Year in both the ARCA Menards Series (2018) and Truck Series (2020).
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 2023 ride: No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet, Craftsman Truck Series
2023 stats: 4 wins, 11 top fives, 13 top 10s, 271 laps led
2023 standings finish: 4th
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Hocevar stepped in late in the 2023 season for Legacy Motor Club to compete in eight out of the 10 playoff races in the midst of his own championship hunt in the Truck Series. He adapted quite nicely, turning in five top-20 performances for a No. 42 team that struggled to regularly finish in the top 25 during the 2023 season. Most noteworthy is how Hocevar erupted for four wins and became a title contender in his third year in the Truck Series.
Hocevar is a rising talent with raw speed and showed he was ready to jump up to the Cup Series after a promising year in Trucks. Hocevar’s racing journey has led him to Spire Motorsports for next season, when he can embark on a path of professional growth — allowing him to collaborate with experienced team personnel such as teammate Corey LaJoie. Access to those resources should amplify his development as a driver while contributing success to an organization looking to grow and expand in the Cup Series.
Berry, Smith and Hocevar each bring different strengths and add depth to the competitive landscape of the NASCAR Cup Series. Their addition to the lineup of 2024 Cup drivers shapes the excitement and anticipation for the new season.
Now that Shane van Gisbergen’s future is clear, it’s about to get a lot more chaotic, too.
“SVG,” the three-time Australian Supercars tour champion, will compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024 with an additional seven Cup Series starts tacked on, Trackhouse Racing and Kaulig Racing partnered to announce on Wednesday. The first of those starts will come in the season-opening United Rentals 300 (Feb. 17, 5 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Daytona International Speedway — one of NASCAR’s most storied, most prominent, and wildest tracks.
The 34-year-old van Gisbergen’s as technically precise and experienced as they come … but his oval acumen is going to need some seasoning. We saw the talent display itself immediately this past season as the street-racing veteran flexed on the Cup Series regulars and claimed the inaugural Chicago Street Race — in his inaugural NASCAR appearance. He later tacked on another top 10 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, making a trip over to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for his first Craftsman Truck Series start that weekend as well.
The 19th-place result at IRP stands as his only oval race. In any NASCAR race. Ever.
Daytona, here he comes!
“It being our first race, I don’t really even know how to approach it or what to expect,” van Gisbergen told reporters Thursday evening during a teleconference. “We get a little bit of practice so I can get a feel for the car and the cars around me, but it’s so far removed from everything I’ve ever done. Superspeedways are what I’m most anxious about, I guess, or unsure about what’s going to happen or how the car drives.”
The New Zealand native and soon-to-be Charlotte, North Carolina native “once (he finds a house) with a fence … they don’t have fences here, which is weird,” has been “doing as much as (he) can on iRacing” and plans to be a regular inhabitant of the sim after the New Year to prep for his debut NASCAR campaign.
Instrumental in his preparation, as well, has been reviewing onboard film from one of the series’ superspeedway greats — three-time Daytona 500 champion, Denny Hamlin.
“Normally, (I’d) watch (superspeedway races) and it just looked like cars driving around flat-out, but nowadays, I’m trying to study it as much as I can. And you know, there was a Denny Hamlin onboard from last year’s Talladega race where he had to come back through the field. I’ve been studying that, just kind of seeing how it all works,” he said. ” … watching that, it’s been like a high-speed chess match, but also the lottery in some ways.”
Van Gisbergen is also expected to run the ARCA Menards Series opener at Daytona as well — as part of an Xfinity Series doubleheader — but there’s no question that SVG’s introduction to full-time stock car racing will be trial by fire.
And there’s no question that he’ll be ready for it.
Editor’s note: This continues a series where we review the top 20 drivers in 2023 NASCAR Cup Series points.
Season in review: Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Crew chief: James Small Final 2023 Ranking: 11th Key stats: 3 wins, 9 top fives, 17 top 10s, 899 laps led
How 2023 ended: Because of such a frustrating season, Truex had contemplated retirement after 2022. But he returned for a strong and successful season in 2023, earning three wins and advancing to the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs tied with William Byron for first. Unfortunately, he failed to advance to the Round of 8 and struggled in five of the seven remaining playoff races (four finishes of 17th or lower and one other finish of 12th).
Best race: Truex’s top race was his third and final win of the 2023 season, dominating at Loudon in Race No. 20. He started on the outside pole, won both stages and led a season-high 254 of the event’s 301 laps, holding off runner-up Joey Logano by 0.396 seconds.
Other season highlights: Truex’s other top races were his wins at his home track of Dover Motor Speedway on May 1 and on June 11 at Sonoma. Ironically, both Dover and Sonoma are Truex’s most successful Cup tracks, having recorded four wins at each.
Stat to know: Truex contemplated retirement after a difficult 2022 season, his worst since 2014 (first winless season since 2014; just four top fives and 15 top-10 performances, his fewest in each category also since 2014; and failed to make the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons since, again, 2014). He bounced back in 2023 to make the playoffs with three wins (second-most since seven in 2019), 17 top-10s and three poles (most since four in 2018).
Quotable: Truex on finally winning at Loudon, a track he grew up watching NASCAR races in-person: “I don’t think so (when asked if there has ever been a win he’s wanted more). What we’ve been able to do here over the years is pretty remarkable, and to not win was really getting frustrating. … I sat in Turn 1 (as a kid) with my mom. My little brother was drinking out of a (baby) bottle. This is the first big track I ever came to with my dad and watched and the first time I ever seen Cup cars in person and Busch cars in person. It’s been a special place for us. Being able to win K&N, being able to win the Busch Series, this one (a Cup win there) has been eluding me for a long, long time. So I’m just really, really happy, really thankful.”
Looking ahead: After the disappointment of 2022, the 2023 season was a resurgence for Truex. However, don’t be surprised if he struggles again in 2024. The Mayetta, N.J., native turns 44 on June 29. Another point of reference: he earned 24 of his 34 career Cup wins to date between 2015 and 2019, but has only managed eight wins from 2020 through 2023.
