In today’s NASCAR Cup Series, the open team is a dying breed. While the NextGen car was supposed to help bring new ownership in, there has been a dwindling of non-chartered teams showing up. Last year, the opens teams were NY Racing, The Money Team, Beard Motorsports, and Team Hezeberg. Each of those teams attempted multiple races, with NY Racing starting half the first 10 races. This season though, only two of those open teams returned. Only The Money Team and Beard Motorsports attempted starts in the Cup Series. With the limited open teams, this has to be somewhat concerning for NASACR. However, this Season in Review will look at these two teams. No grade will handed out since the two combined for only 7 starts.
The Money Team – #50
2023 Stat Line:Â 2 Starts – Avg Start 34.5, Avg Fin 32.5, 1 DNF, 77.4% Laps Ran
Crew Chief: Tony Eury Jr
After making their debut in 2022 in four races, The Money Team returned to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023. Conor Daly was the man who helmed the car in both of their starts. For the Daytona 500, it seemed heavily unlikely that the 50 car would make the show. A slow qualifying lap ensured the team would have to race their way in during the Duels. When rolling off pit road, the car start bouncing as it drove down. It was almost a certainty that The Money Team would be packing up their equipment that night. However, luck was on the team’s side as Austin Hill (their only competitor for the open spot) got caught up in a wreck. The bouncing car would race the Daytona 500.
The Daytona 500 was a quiet affair for The Money Team. Daly was unable to stay with the lead draft, which left the 50 car multiple laps down by the end. However, the car was able to finish the race. Based on how the team unloaded for the week, that is an accomplishment. Fast forward to COTA for their last start of the 2023 season. Daly qualified poorly and bowed out of the race after 15 laps.
Looking ahead to 2024, it seems likely that The Money Team will attempt the Daytona 500 again. After that, it is unclear what the future holds for the team. Open teams are a rarity in the Cup Series nowadays. At best, The Money Team might show up for the big events, such as Chicago, the Coke 600, and COTA. Barring something abnormal occurring, do not expect The Money Team to make more than one or two starts this season.
Beard Motorsports – #62
2023 Stat Line: 5 Starts (6 Attempts) – Avg Start 30.4, Avg Fin 26, 1 DNF
Crew Chief: Darren Shaw
2023 saw Beard Motorsports attempt their most races in a Cup season. The 62 car showed up to 6 race weekends. As mentioned earlier, bad luck struck them in their efforts to make the Daytona 500. Austin Hill looked to have a guaranteed spot before getting caught up in an accident when Kyle Busch got spun. Since Brennan Gaughan retired, Beard Motorsports has missed the Daytona 500 twice in the past three years.
Hill made starts for spring Talladega, summer Atlanta, Michigan, summer Daytona, and the ROVAL. Based on the Michigan and ROVAL starts, it seems that Richard Childress Racing is backing Beard Motorsports to give Hill NextGen experience. In his 5 starts, Hill’s best finish was 11th at Daytona. On the non-superspeedways, Hill struggled to find speed, which was to be expected out of a Beard Motorsports entry. Between Michigan and the ROVAL, Hill only managed to finish 28th and 27th.
If 2023 is any indication, expect to see Beard Motorsports popping up at more tracks than the superspeedways. While Austin Hill signed a multi-year Xfinity extension, RCR clearly has visions of Cup Series racing for the driver. While the amount of starts will remain in the single digits, it would not be surprising to see the 62 car at short track or traditional intermediate. Of course, the only place where Beard has a chance to finish inside the Top-10 is a superspeedway. While nothing has been announced yet, expect to see Austin Hill and Beard Motorsports attempt to make the Daytona 500.
For other 2023 Season in Review articles, click the link(s) below:
Griffin Fuller – Team Penske, Wood Brothers, Stewart-Haas Racing, Trackhouse Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI Racing, RFK Racing
Robert Cwick – JTG-Daugherty, Live Fast, Front Row (Part 1), Front Row (Part 2), Legacy Motor ClubÂ
Daniel Smith (Statistical Breakdown)
- Cup: Team Penske/Wood Brothers, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI & Legacy Motor Club, RFK/Front Row, Trackhouse/RCR, Stewart-Haas Racing, JTG/Rick Ware/Live Fast, Kaulig/Spire, Final Rankings
- Xfinity: Stewart-Haas/AM Racing, JR Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing/Sam Hunt Racing, RCR/Kaulig Racing, Big Machine/Jeremy Clements/BJ McLeod/Our Motorsports, Jordan Anderson/DGM, RSS Racing, JD Motorsports/SS Green Light Racing
