It is officially Daytona 500 week. No more offseason. Time for the NASCAR season to begin. Not until the weekend of July 28th will there be a non-NASCAR weekend. There are only 2Â Days to Daytona left before the Cup Series qualifies for the Great American Race. With the season about to kick off, that also marks the beginning of silly season. After a relatively tame silly season last year, 2024 is shaping up to potentially be one of notable Cup Series moves.
Silly Season
For this Days to Daytona article, only the Cup Series silly season will be examined. Also, this will mostly be pointing out what Cup drivers will feel the pressure rather than picking who goes where. Each Cup driver will receive a “hot seat gauge” level to determine how much pressure they should feel for 2024.
Hot Seat Gauge
Austin Dillon
It might seem unrealistic to feature Austin Dillon in a piece about drivers on the hot seat. His grandfather owns the team he drives for and it seems like a lock that Dillon will drive the 3 until he does not want to anymore. However, 2023 was a terrible season that needs to be proven as a one off. While another bad season might not cost him his job this year, a trend of bad seasons might force Richard Childress’ hand.
Hot Seat Gauge: Low
Noah Gragson
No matter how you feel about Noah Gragson, there is no denying that he is under significant pressure to perform. While he is in his first year with Stewart-Haas Racing, his sponsorship troubles will make him easy prey for a driver swap. If he performs, then there is no worry. However, Gragson either has to find the funds or his results need justify the cost.
Hot Seat Gauge: High
Harrison Burton
Arguably, Harrison Burton is under the most pressure to significantly improve his performance. While the team has not seemed like it the past two years, the Wood Brothers team is playoff caliber equipment. Burton was going to be a project, but the team can only wait so long for the young driver to come into his own. If he does not start finding his way into the Top-10/15 more often, the 21 car will be a hotly contested seat up for grabs.
Hot Seat Gauge: Scorched
Todd Gilliland
After taking away his fulltime season last year, Front Row Motorsports decided to keep Todd Gilliland over Zane Smith. Although the vote of confidence is great for Gilliland, he has to back up that decision with continued improvement this season. Front Row could easily swap drivers for next season if Gilliland fails to improve again. Also, the pressure on Gilliland varies depending on how Smith runs in the 71 car.
Hot Seat Gauge: Moderately Low
Ryan Preece
Tony Stewart had to twist the arm of Gene Haas to replace Cole Custer with Ryan Preece. How did Preece back up Stewart’s decision? Basically by mirroring Custer’s performance in the 41 car. With Custer reminding everyone the talent he has, Preece should feel the pressure to have a solid season. Another 2023-esque year might see Preece return to the Whelen Modified Tour fulltime.
Hot Seat Gauge: Moderate
Alex Bowman
Based on his current contract, Alex Bowman is signed with Hendrick Motorsports through the 2026 season. However, drivers have been fired from contracts before. Is Bowman on the hottest of seats? Well, it depends on how Rick Hendrick views the second half of 2023. Was Bowman still hurt and running poorly because of it? Or, did it back up preexisting notions that Bowman is not suited for Hendrick Motorsports? Assuming a healthy Bowman drives as he did to start 2023, then there will be little question of Bowman’s status with Hendrick Motorsports.
Hot Seat Gauge: Moderate
Daniel Suarez
Although there is a compelling case that Harrison Burton is under the most pressure, Daniel Suarez is the driver who needs to have a bounce back 2024 the most. Not only is Suarez continually being outdriven by his teammate, there is one (if not two) Cup ready driver on his team without a ride. Zane Smith and Shane van Gisbergen are breathing down Suarez’s neck. A repeat of 2023 would spell disaster for the Mexican driver. Trackhouse might find that a payout to a fired driver is a whole lot cheaper than purchasing or leasing a charter.
Hot Seat Gauge: Scorched
Potential Callups
While there can be driver movement within the Cup Series, the recent trend has been to pluck drivers from the lower series to fill seats. Between the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series, these are the notable names to keep an eye on for a potential 2025 callup.
Cole Custer
As mentioned in the Ryan Preece section, Cole Custer is looking like a strong candidate to return to the Cup Series. Another strong Xfinity season compared to a weak Cup season from Preece or Gragson might open the door for a Custer return.
Sam Mayer
While there is not a clear path to a Chevy Cup ride heading into the season, Sam Mayer still is a name to look out for. Mayer had a breakout second half to 2023. If he continues that momentum, there will be little reason to keep him in the Xfinity Series. A Mayer callup might depend on a Cup driver switching from a Chevy team, leaving the door open for the Wisconsin native.
Chandler Smith/Sheldon Creed
Going to lump the two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers together since they have about equal chances to get a callup. The only potential Toyota seat that could come available is the 19 if Martin Truex Jr retires. A strong, statement season from either driver could see them takeover the 19 car in 2025.
Corey Heim
Last year, two Craftsman Truck Series drivers were called up to the Cup Series with little Xfinity experience. There is talk that the Truck Series is better preparation for the NextGen car then the Xfinity cars. Heim turned heads last year. A young prospect with plenty of upside could be an intriguing pick to replace Truex. Another possibility is that Toyota loses another prospect to a rival manufacturer.
Austin Hill
Yes, Austin Hill signed a two-year Xfinity Series extension last year. However, Hill has proven he does not need more time in the lower series. While one of Kaulig’s open spots seemed to be a likely destination, Hill decided to remain in top Xfinity equipment. Maybe a better spot opens up next season for Hill.
Shane van Gisbergen
If the New Zealander can back up his Chicago Cup win with a strong Xfinity Series season, then the only question will be whether Gisbergen is driving for Trackhouse proper or being leased out to Spire or Kaulig.
Riley Herbst
This feels like an unlikely option but Riley Herbst will be entering his fifth fulltime season in the Xfinity Series. It feels like a “now or never” situation for the young driver. He will be getting spot starts with Rick Ware Racing this year. Maybe successful runs there will translate to a fulltime opportunity.
The Retreads
Of course, you cannot discuss “call-ups” without the idea of veteran drivers returning to fulltime competition. This list would include AJ Allmendinger, Ty Dillon, and Matt DiBenedetto.
Previous Days
40-36 Days: 40 – #12, 39 – #5, 38 – #24, 37 – #20, & 36 – #11
35-31 Days: 35 – #45, 34 – #17, 33 – #6, 32 – #1, & #31 – #9
30-26 Days:Â 30 – #19, 29 – #22, 28 – #4, 27 – #8, & 26 – #34
25-21 Days: 25 – #34, 24 – #23, 23 – #54, 22 – #99, & 21 – #48
20-16 Days: 20 – #16, 19 – #10, 18 – #41, 17 – #2, & 16 – #31
15-11 Days: 15 – #7, 14 – #43, 13 – #38, 12 – #3, & 11 – #14
10-6 Days: 10 – #21, 9 – #42, 8 – #77, 7 – #15, & 6 – #51
5-1 Days: 5 – #71, 4 – Non-Chartered, 3 – Open Teams
