Fresh Wheels: Drivers Who Joined New NASCAR Teams
Familiar Faces in Different Places for New Season
New Season, New Driver/Team Pairings
The beginning of a new season in any sport brings excitement and hope for the season to come. However, there is always a period of discovery for fans as they adjust to seeing new or familiar faces in different places.
While we’ll soon be focusing on the NASCAR odds for this weekend, we’re going to explore the drivers who have joined a new team for NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season in 2023.
Let’s check the latest NASCAR news, stats, injury reports, and NASCAR lines. We’ve got plenty of NASCAR picks for you to consider.
Familiar Face in a New Place
There are some familiar faces for NASCAR fans who will be in new cars, including some with different numbers. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch is the most prominent driver to move teams in the offseason.
Busch is leaving the No. 18 ride at Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet for the No. 8 car with Richard Childress Racing. This is the biggest change to the NASCAR grid for fans and people betting online alike.
Busch’s move to Richard Childress ends a 15-year relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing, where Busch has won 56 Cup series races and the 2015 and 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Championships Odds.
Moving Early
Tyler Reddick used to occupy the seat in the Richard Childress Racing ride that Busch inherited.
Opting to buy out Reddick’s contract for 2023, 23XI Racing announced that Reddick would start driving for the team in 2024. However, Reddick will be driving the 23XI Racing Toyota No. 45 car in 2023, joining 23XI a season sooner than expected.
Reddick is familiar with joining new teams, driving part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the 24 car for Sam Hunt Racing-Toyota, a series where Reddick is a two-time champion.
Reddick’s rise through the NASCAR Truck Series ranks before moving to stock car racing gives him plenty of experience working in different machinery and teams, making a smooth transition to 23XI Racing quite likely.
New Faces in the NASCAR Cup Series
There are two new faces to the NASCAR grid that fans need to be aware of before checking Las Vegas odds for upcoming races or futures betting options.
Tyler Gibbs, the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion, is moving from the NASCAR Xfinity Series to the Cup Series, staying within the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Team and keeping the No. 54.
Ryan Preece enters the Cup Series without the Xfinity Series credentials but shares moving up within their racing team in common with Gibbs.
Preece was the reserve driver for the Stewart-Haas racing team and was racing in the No. 17 for David Gilliland Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series. Preece has been promoted and is stepping into the No. 41 car for Stewart-Haas, replacing Cole Custer, who is moving to the Xfinity Series.
However, Preece does have Cup Series experience, having raced for JTG Daugherty Racing from 2019-2021.
The 2023 @NASCAR Cup Series schedule has been unveiled!
New additions include the All-Star Race at @NWBSpeedway and the @NASCARChicago Street Race on July 4th weekend. pic.twitter.com/Y6FW7fYQ6i
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 14, 2022
Nearing the End for a Legend
For some athletes, retirements aren’t as permanent as we may think retirements are, but all careers wind down and eventually end.
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson is out of retirement, returning to the Cup Series on a part-time basis at select events and with a part-ownership stake in Petty GMS.
While Johnson will race in selected events as a third car, he is also going to be competing in one of the crown jewels of motorsports in 2023.
Johnson has been one of the test drivers for the Project 56 entry that is expected to run in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, an entry honoring NASCAR’s 75th anniversary. Johnson has been paired alongside former 24 Hours of Le Mans Winner and sports car racing veteran Mike Rockenfeller and Jenson Button, who won the 2009 Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship.
Three More Moving Pieces
We’ve got three more faces in new places that NASCAR fans need to know.
AJ Allmendinger is moving back into the Xfinity Series from the Cup Series. Allmendinger will keep the No. 16 and still drive for Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in his first Cup Series action since 2018.
Ty Dillion is remaining in the Cup Series, moving from the 42 ride with Petty GMS Chevrolet to the No. 77 with Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in 2023.
Noah Gragson won eight races in the Xfinity Series in 2022, finishing second in the Championship behind Gibbs. Gragson is leaving behind the No. 9 ride with JR Motorsports Chevrolet and taking the empty No. 42 seat with Petty GMS.
