Thirty-six chartered teams, a run of driver moves, penalty-driven changes in the garage and a busy sponsorship market shaped the 2023 Cup grid.
The 2023 NASCAR Cup grid was built around 36 chartered teams. It was reshaped by Kyle Busch's move to Richard Childress Racing, Ty Gibbs's arrival at Joe Gibbs Racing and a run of penalties that forced crew chief changes at Hendrick Motorsports and elsewhere.
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series featured 36 chartered teams, which held guaranteed places in every championship race, along with several open entries. The season was shaped by a wave of driver moves, a crew chief shake-up driven by NASCAR penalties and a sponsorship market that saw some big names come and go.
What is a chartered team, and who was on the grid?
A chartered team owns a charter, which guarantees it a place in every championship race. Thirty-six teams held charters in 2023, while several other entries ran a limited schedule.
Front Row Motorsports announced in August 2022 that Zane Smith would drive a part-time third car in select races, including the Daytona 500.
Thirty-six charters, a handful of open entries and a season of replacement drivers made the 2023 grid a constant puzzle.
Which teams made the biggest changes for 2023?
The most significant change was the arrival of Jimmie Johnson in the sport's ownership structure. In November 2022 he bought a stake in Petty GMS Motorsports, which later became Legacy Motor Club, and he planned to run select races for the team, including an attempt to make the Daytona 500.
In January 2023 Kaulig said Chandler Smith would try for his Cup debut at Daytona, behind the wheel of the No. 13. Four more starts were planned for him, among them the All-Star Race. Travis Pastrana was announced for the No. 67 at 23XI Racing, with Black Rifle Coffee as sponsor and Eric Phillips as crew chief.
Some teams never made it to the grid. Finish Line Motorsports Marketing, a marketing agency that had been in business since 1997, announced a No. 80 Ford for J. J. Yeley at the Daytona 500, but it did not enter. MBM Motorsports said it would run no Cup races in 2023, although its owner Carl Long said the team still had cars prepared, pending sponsorship.
How did the No. 42 seat change hands?
Ty Dillon was not returning to the No. 42 for 2023, and Noah Gragson was announced as his replacement in August 2022. Gragson signed a two-year contract with Legacy Motor Club, but his season did not run smoothly. After he experienced concussion-like symptoms following a crash at Gateway, the team announced that he would miss the Sonoma race.
Grant Enfinger filled in for Gragson at Sonoma and made his Cup debut in the car, his first Cup attempt since 2011. In August 2023 NASCAR suspended Gragson indefinitely after he liked a social media post that the sanctioning body found offensive, and Josh Berry stepped in at Michigan. Gragson asked to be released from his contract later that month, and NASCAR lifted his suspension on 12 September after he completed diversity and inclusion training.
The No. 42 then passed through several hands. Mike Rockenfeller drove it at Indianapolis and Watkins Glen, Carson Hocevar took over for Darlington, Kansas and the Bristol night race, and Hocevar was signed for the final four races. John Hunter Nemechek was named for the season finale at Homestead.
How did Kyle Busch and Tyler Reddick reshape Richard Childress Racing?
Kyle Busch left Joe Gibbs Racing after months of speculation and signed a multi-year deal with Richard Childress Racing from 2023. He took the seat that Tyler Reddick had been expected to fill. Reddick had been announced for a third RCR car in 2023, but his contract was bought out by 23XI Racing, which let him move a year early.
The reason was a concussion. That injury came in qualifying at Pocono in 2022, and on 15 October 2022 Kurt Busch said he would not race full-time the following year. Reddick took over the No. 45, while Busch remained with 23XI in an advisory role and might drive part-time after medical clearance. Busch formally announced his retirement from Cup racing on 26 August 2023.
At Joe Gibbs Racing the vacancy in the No. 54 went to Ty Gibbs, who brought Monster Energy sponsorship from his Xfinity and ARCA programmes. The car was renumbered 54, a figure Gibbs had carried in the Xfinity ranks, and Chris Gayle, his Xfinity crew chief, moved up to the Cup Series with him.
What happened to Hendrick Motorsports during the season?
On 3 March 2023 Chase Elliott hurt a leg while snowboarding in Colorado, and Josh Berry stood in for him in the No. 9 at Las Vegas. Hendrick kept Berry in the car for five of the next six races, and IMSA driver Jordan Taylor made his NASCAR debut for Elliott at COTA.
In May NASCAR suspended Elliott for one race after he deliberately wrecked Denny Hamlin at Charlotte. Corey LaJoie drove the No. 9 at Gateway, while Hocevar, a Truck Series regular, took the No. 7 for Spire Motorsports at the same race.
How did penalties reshape the crew chief lineup?
The most disruptive period came after a penalty on 15 March 2023. The four Hendrick crew chiefs, Daniels, Gustafson, Fugle and Harris, were all sidelined for four races, along with Kaulig's Trent Owens. The sanction followed the discovery at Phoenix of illegally modified hood louvers on all five cars, and each team received an L2 penalty.
Hendrick appealed but chose not to delay the suspensions. The team named interim crew chiefs, with Kevin Meendering on the No. 5, Tom Gray on the No. 9, Brian Campe on the No. 24 and Greg Ives on the No. 48. A further penalty for illegal greenhouse areas on the No. 24 and No. 48 suspended Campe and Ives for two more races.
| Date | Team | Penalty | Interim or change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 March 2023 | Hendrick Motorsports, four cars | Four-race suspensions for crew chiefs; L2 penalty | Meendering, Gray, Campe and Ives |
| 15 March 2023 | Kaulig Racing No. 31 | Four-race suspension for Trent Owens | Suspension deferred pending appeal |
| 19 April 2023 | Richard Childress Racing No. 3 | L1 penalty, two-race suspension for Keith Rodden | Justin Alexander at Talladega and Dover |
| 12 May 2023 | 23XI Racing No. 45 | Crew chief ejected after failing pre-qualifying twice | Dave Rogers at Darlington |
| 31 May 2023 | Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 | L3 penalty for a counterfeit part | Mike Bugarewicz, after Johnny Klausmeier's six-race suspension |
| 7 June 2023 | Legacy Motor Club No. 43 | L1 penalty for an illegal greenhouse area | Joey Cohen and Danny Efland |
Several other changes followed. Greg Ives stepped down from the No. 48 in August 2022, and Blake Harris replaced him, while Justin Alexander left the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 crew chief role in September 2022 and Keith Rodden took it over.
Which crew chiefs moved between teams?
Crew chiefs moved constantly. Luke Lambert left JR Motorsports for Petty GMS, where he took the No. 42. Chad Johnston replaced Mike Shiplett on the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41, and he had previously worked for the team with Tony Stewart in 2014 and 2015. Travis Peterson moved up to crew chief the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 after serving as interim for RFK Racing.
Penske made one of the more unusual moves. On 28 August 2023 it announced that Jeremy Bullins and Brian Wilson would switch cars from Darlington onward, after the No. 2 and No. 21 cars both missed the 2023 playoffs. Wilson and Austin Cindric had won the 2020 Xfinity Series title together, while Bullins had previously been crew chief for the Wood Brothers.
Who filled the part-time and one-off seats?
Many seats went to part-time drivers and guest entries. Allmendinger became the regular driver of the No. 16 at Kaulig, and Ryan Preece took the No. 41 at Stewart-Haas Racing, while a string of one-off drivers filled road course and special-event slots.
Allmendinger was announced for the No. 16 on 5 October 2022, and it was his first full Cup season since 2018. Preece replaced Cole Custer in the No. 41 in November 2022, and Custer moved back to the Xfinity Series. Josh Bilicki was announced for the No. 78 on a part-time basis, and Riley Herbst was named for the No. 15 at the Daytona 500.
Several outside drivers were brought in for special events. Jonathan Davenport was set to make his Cup debut in Kaulig's No. 13 at the Bristol dirt race, Shane van Gisbergen was announced for the No. 91 in Chicago, and Kimi Raikkonen returned to the No. 91 for the COTA round. Kamui Kobayashi drove the No. 67 of 23XI Racing on the Indianapolis road course. Rick Ware Racing faced a sudden gap in April, when Cody Ware said he would not drive the No. 51 at the Bristol dirt race and was then arrested and suspended indefinitely by NASCAR. Matt Crafton filled in at Bristol, Zane Smith took the car at Martinsville, and Ryan Newman drove it in select races from Darlington onward.
How did manufacturers and alliances change the picture?
Rick Ware Racing announced a technical alliance with RFK Racing for 2023, ending the alliance it had with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2022. Live Fast Motorsports also made a switch, moving from Ford to Chevrolet with ECR Engines for the season.
How did sponsors shape the 2023 grid?
Sponsorship moves dominated the paddock. In December 2021 Mars announced it was leaving NASCAR after the 2022 season, ending its backing of Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18, and the team could not find a replacement at first. Ty Gibbs then arrived with Monster Energy support. Monster had supported Gibbs since 2019, a period that included his ARCA title in 2021 and his Xfinity title in 2022.
Chase Elliott joined the Coca-Cola Racing Family in February 2023, which marked the drink brand's return to Hendrick Motorsports since its last deal with Jeff Gordon in 1996. Bill Elliott had been a founding member of the family in 1998. Other deals included Guns N' Roses on the No. 43 at the Daytona 500, and Procter & Gamble on Kaulig's cars at the Bristol dirt race.
The most playful deal was for the Talladega race in September. Old Spice and Wonder Bread sponsored the No. 14 and No. 41, as a homage to the comedy Talladega Nights, which came out in 2006.
