NASCAR accomplished the improbable and what some deemed the impossible task of completing a full season of racing in 2020. Their innovation, perseverance, and adherence to safety protocols led the way in the sports world.
We celebrated new champions and said goodbye to old friends, reminding us that change is inevitable.
As we anticipate another exciting season in NASCAR, here is your guide to partnerships continued and new alliances formed in preparation for the 2021 season.
This list of driver and crew chief changes will be updated as new information becomes available.
Anthony Alfredo:
2020 – Part-time in the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Alfredo moves to Front Row Racing to run full-time in the Cup Series in the No. 38 Ford. He replaces John Hunter Nemechek who signed with KBM to run full-time in the Truck Series in 2021.
Justin Allgaier:
2020 – No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Allgaier will return to JR Motorsports in 2021 for his sixth full-time season with the team in the Xfinity Series.
AJ Allmendinger:
2020 – Allmendinger competed in 11 Xfinity Series races in the No. 16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing.
2021 Status – Kaulig Racing announced that Allmendinger will return next season to race full-time in the Xfinity Series in the No. 16 Chevrolet with crew chief, Jason Trinchere (Haley’s lead engineer last year.) He will also compete on the Daytona road course on Feb. 21 for Kaulig Racing.
Aric Almirola:
2020 – No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the Cup Series
2021 Status – On Sept. 1, Almirola confirmed that he will return to drive the No. 10 Ford full-time for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2021.
Jordan Anderson:
2020 – No. 3 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet full-time in the Truck Series
2021 – Anderson will compete full-time in the Xfinity Series as a rookie with his team Jordan Anderson Racing in the No. 31 Chevrolet. They will field cars acquired from Richard Childress Racing with ECR engines and Artie Haire will serve as crew chief. The team will also continue to compete in the Truck Series with various drivers, to be announced later. Anderson will drive in the Truck Series season opener at Daytona on Feb. 12.
Tyler Ankrum:
2020 – No. 26 GMS Racing Chevrolet full-time in the Truck Series
2021 Status – In October, GMS Racing announced that Ankrum would return for a second full-time season with the team. He will be paired with Charles Denike as crew chief.
Michael Annett:
2020 – No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet full-time in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Annett will return to drive the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevy full-time in 2021, his fifth season with the organization.
Christopher Bell:
2020 – No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Christopher Bell is moving to Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 20 car in the Cup Series in 2021. He replaces Erik Jones in the No. 20 as Jones moves on to Richard Petty Motorsports. LFR made the decision to leave NASCAR at the end of the 2020 season, selling the team and its assets. Adam Stevens will move from the No. 18 Kyle Busch team to serve as crew chief for Bell in 2021.
Josh Berry:
2020 – JR Motorsports Late Model Program
2021 Status – Josh Berry will run a partial Xfinity Series schedule next year in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, competing in approximately 12 races in the first half of the 2021 season.
Ben Beshore:
2020 – Crew chief for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Beshore will move to the Cup Series as crew chief for the No. 18 JGR Toyota driven by Kyle Busch in 2021. For the past two years, he worked as an Xfinity Series crew chief for various drivers, most recently, Harrison Burton. Before moving to the Xfinity Series Beshore was an engineer for the No. 18 team.
Josh Bilicki:
2020 – 22 Cup Series starts last year for various teams, including Rick Ware Racing, Tommy Baldwin Racing and Spire Motorsports along with seven Xfinity Series starts and five Truck Series starts.
2021 – Bilicki will compete full-time for Rick Ware Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021 in the No. 52 entry.
Ryan Blaney:
2020 – No. 12 Team Penske Ford in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Blaney will return to Team Penske after signing a multi-year contract extension on March 6.
Alex Bowman:
2020 – No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Bowman will remain with Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, moving to the No. 48 Chevrolet to replace Jimmie Johnson who retired from full-time competition at the end of the 2020 season. The 88 will not be used by HMS in 2021. After signing Kyle Larson, they announced that he will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet.
Clint Bowyer:
2020 – No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the Cup Series
2021 Status – On Oct. 8, Bowyer announced that he would retire from full-time competition in the Cup Series at the conclusion of the 2020 season. He will join the FOX broadcast booth in 2021.
Spencer Boyd:
2020 – No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet in the Truck Series
2021 Status – On Nov. 25, Young’s Motorsports announced that Boyd’s contract has been extended through 2021 and he will continue to compete in the No. 20 Chevrolet.
Chase Briscoe:
2020 – No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Briscoe will move to the Cup Series in 2021. He will drive the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Ford vacated by Clint Bowyer. Johnny Klausmeier will continue as crew chief.
Jade Buford:
2020 – Xfinity Series, three starts with Bobby Dotter (No. 07 Chevrolet), one with JD Motorsports (No. 6 Chevrolet)
2021 Status – Buford will compete full time in the Xfinity Series for the new, Big Machine Racing Team, owned by Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Records company, in the No. 48 Chevrolet with crew chief Patrick Donohue. Buford, however, has not been cleared to race at the Daytona oval.
Harrison Burton:
2020 – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Burton will return to drive the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Xfinity Series with Jason Ratcliff as crew chief.
Jeb Burton:
2020 – Part-time in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series
2021 status – Burton will run a full-time Xfinity Series schedule in 2021 with Kaulig Racing and Bruce Schlicker as crew chief. He replaces Ross Chastain who is moving to the Cup Series.
William Byron:
2020 – No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Byron will continue to compete in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after signing a contract extension through the 2022 season. As noted below, Rudy Fugle will partner with Byron as crew chief.
Landon Cassill:
2020- Four starts in the No. 89 for Shepherd Racing Ventures in the Xfinity Series
2021 – Cassill will compete full-time in the Xfinity Series for JD Motorsports in the No. 4 Chevrolet.
Ross Chastain:
2020 – No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Chastain will advance to the Cup Series to drive the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet full-time. He will replace Matt Kenseth who filled in for the suspended Kyle Larson in 2020.
Austin Cindric:
2020 – No. 22 Team Penske Ford in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – In October, Team Penske announced that Cindric had signed a contract extension. He will continue to drive in the Xfinity Series in 2021 and will also run some Cup races as he prepares for a move to the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Cup Series team in 2022.
Sheldon Creed:
2020 – No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the Truck Series
2021 Status – Creed will return to GMS Racing for his third full-time season in the Truck Series next year. Jeff Stankiewicz will also return as crew chief for his second full-time season with Creed.
Bayley Currey:
2020 – No. 74 Chevrolet for Mike Harmon Racing in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Currey will return to race the No. 74 Chevrolet for Mike Harmon Racing.
Cliff Daniels:
2020 – Crew chief for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series.
2021 Status – Following Jimmie Johnson’s retirement from full-time competition, Daniels will be paired with Kyle Larson as crew chief of the No. 5 HMS Chevrolet.
Spencer Davis:
2020 – No. 11 Toyota for Spencer Davis Racing in the Truck Series, part-time
2021 – After three part-time seasons in 2018-2020, Davis will compete full-time this year in the No. 11 Toyota for Spencer Davis Racing in the Truck Series and compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
Hailie Deegan:
2020 – No. 4 DGR-Crosley Ford in the ARCA Menards Series
2021 Status – Deegan will move up to the Truck Series and run a full-time schedule in the No. 17 DGR-Crosley Ford. Mike Hillman Jr., (Raphael Lessard’s former crew chief at KBM) will be Deegan’s crew chief.
Matt DiBenedetto:
2020 – No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in the Cup Series
2021 Status –DiBenedetto signed a one-year contract extension to return for his second season with Wood Brothers Racing in 2021. He will be replaced by Austin Cindric in 2022.
Ty Dillon:
2020 – No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Dillon will attempt to qualify for the Cup Series Daytona 500 with Gaunt Brothers Racing and secure one of four open spots in the event. On Jan. 27, it was announced that Dillon will drive the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota in select NASCAR Xfinity Series races. His first race will be in the season opener at Daytona on Feb. 13. His current schedule also includes races at Homestead on Feb. 27, Las Vegas (March 6) and Talladega Superspeedway (April 24).
Drew Dollar:
2020 – Full-time in the ARCA Menards Series, finishing fourth in the standings
2021 – Drew Dollar will make eight starts in the Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck Series No. 51 Toyota with Mardy Lindley as crew chief. He will compete at the Daytona oval and Charlotte in May, Texas and Nashville in June, Bristol and Las Vegas in Sept., Talladega in Oct. & the season finale at Phoenix in Nov.
Jeffrey Earnhardt:
2020 – Earnhardt competed in 29 races last season for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller in the Xfinity Series.
2021 Status – On Dec. 21 it was announced that Earnhardt will return to drive the No. 0 Chevrolet full-time in the Xfinity Series for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller.
Christian Eckes:
2020 – No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota
2021 Status: Eckes confirmed on Dec. 7 via social media that he will not return to KBM in 2021 and has not announced his future plans.
Ryan Ellis:
2020 – Ellis did not compete in the Xfinity Series in 2020 but has 50 combined starts in the series from 2012-2019, including a partial schedule in 2016 of 16 races.
2021 – Ellis will drive a part-time Xfinity Series schedule in the No. 99 Chevrolet for BJ McLeod Motorsports. His current confirmed race schedule includes Darlington, Mid-Ohio, Road America and Kansas.
Santino Ferrucci:
2020 – NTT IndyCar Series
2021 – Ferrucci will drive a limited schedule for Sam Hunt Racing in the Xfinity Series competing in the No. 26 Toyota with Andrew Abbott as crew chief.
Rudy Fugle:
2020 – Crew chief for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series
2021 Status – Fugle will move up to the Cup Series as crew chief for William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He will replace Chad Knaus who will leave the pit-box after being promoted to vice president of competition at HMS.
Joey Gase:
2020 – Primarily in the No. 51 Ford full-time in the Cup Series with Rick Ware Racing
2021 – On Jan. 15 it was announced that Gase will return to Rick Ware Racing in the Cup Series and will kick off his season at the Daytona 500. The number of races in which he will compete was not specified in the press release.
Brandon Gdovic:
2020 – Competed in two Xfinity Series races for Sam Hunt Racing
2021 – Gdovic will return to the Xfinity Series with Sam Hunt Racing on a limited schedule, focusing primarily on oval tracks. His first race will be at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13.
Ty Gibbs:
2020 – Ran a partial schedule in the No. 18 Toyota in the ARCA Menards Series and earned six wins
2021 – Gibbs will run full-time in the ARCA Menards Series and compete for the championship in the No. 18 Toyota. He will also make his debut in the Xfinity Series in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota with his first race at the Daytona Road Course on Feb. 14. On Feb. 23, the following 14 races were confirmed for Dillon’s Xfinity schedule: March 13–Phoenix, April 9–Martinsville, May 8–Darlington, May 15–Dover. May 29–Charlotte, June 5–Mid-Ohio, June 27–Pocono, July 3–Road America, Aug. 7–Watkins Glen, Aug. 14–Indianapolis road course, Aug. 21–Michigan, Sept. 11– Richmond, Oct. 9–Charlotte Roval, Oct. 23–Kansas
Todd Gilliland:
2020 – No. 38 Ford full-time for Front Row Racing in the Truck Series
2021 – Gilliland will return to drive the No. 38 Ford full time in the Truck Series for Front Row Racing.
Noah Gragson:
2020 – No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – On Aug. 27, it was confirmed that Gragson will return to JR Motorsports for the 2021 Xfinity Series season.
Justin Haley:
2020 – No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Haley will return to drive for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2021. It is his third season with the team and will be his second year with Alex Yontz as crew chief.
Daniel Hemric:
2020 – No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet part-time in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Hemric will move to Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 18 Toyota full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with crew chief, Dave Rogers.
Riley Herbst:
2020 – No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – Herbst is moving to the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in 2021 and will compete full-time in the Xfinity Series.
Austin Hill:
2020 – No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota in the Truck Series
2021 Status – Hill will return to Hattori Racing for a third season in 2021.
Carson Hocevar:
2020 – Part-time in the Truck Series for Niece Motorsports
2021 Status – Hocevar will drive full-time in the Truck Series for Niece Motorsports in 2021.
Bret Holmes:
2020 – No. 23 full-time in the ARCA Menards Series for Bret Holmes Racing
2021 – Holmes will run part-time in the Truck Series No. 32 Chevrolet for Bret Holmes Racing. His Truck Series debut will be at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March with additional races to be announced. He will also compete in several ARCA Menards Series events.
Colby Howard:
2020 – No. 15 JD Motorsports with Gary Keller Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series, part-time
2021 Status – Howard will run a full-time Xfinity Series schedule in the No. 15 JD Motorsports Chevrolet. Wayne Carroll will replace his former crew chief, Mark Setzer, who has teamed up with Jeremy Clements for the 2021 season.
Joe Gibbs Racing:
2021 Xfinity Series – JGR will field a fourth Xfinity Series car, the No. 54, that will rotate different drivers throughout the season. Chris Gayle will serve as the crew chief for the No. 54. The drivers and schedule for this car will be released at a later date.
Jimmie Johnson:
2020 – No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Johnson retired from full-time competition in the Cup Series at the end of the 2020 season. The seven-time champ has indicated that he may run select NASCAR races in the future but for now, IndyCar seems to be his main focus for 2021.
Brandon Jones:
2020 – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Xfinity Series
2021 Status – In October, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Jones would return to drive the No. 19 Toyota in 2021 with crew chief Jeff Meendering.
Erik Jones:
2020 – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the Cup Series
2021 Status – After being notified that JGR would not renew his contract for next year, Jones signed a multi-year deal to drive in the Cup Series for Richard Petty Motorsports in the No. 43 Chevrolet. The opportunity arose after Bubba Wallace signed with 23XI Racing to drive the No. 23 next year.
Matt Kenseth:
2020 – No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Kenseth came out of retirement to take over as driver of the No. 42 after the suspension of Kyle Larson in 2020. On Sept. 21, CGR signed Ross Chastain as the driver of the No. 42 for 2021. Kenseth currently has no plans to return to full-time racing.
Brad Keselowski:
2020 – No. 2 Team Penske Ford in the Cup Series
2021 Status – On Aug. 3, Team Penske renewed Keselowski’s contact and confirmed that he will return as the driver of the No. 2 Ford in 2021. The announcement did not state if the contract extended beyond next season.
Chad Knaus:
2020 – Crew chief for the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Knaus will leave the pit-box after being promoted to vice president of competition at HMS.
Derek Kraus:
2020 – McAnally-Hilgemann Racing No. 19 Toyota Tundra in the Truck Series
2021 Status – On Dec. 22 the team announced that Kraus will return for his second full-time season with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the No. 19 Toyota. Matt Noyce will join the team as crew chief (former crew chief at ThorSport Racing for Ben Rhodes in 2019, 2020).
Corey LaJoie:
2020 – No. 32 Go Fas Racing Ford in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Announced on Nov. 30 on his “Sunday Money” podcast, Lajoie has signed a multi-year agreement with Spire Motorsports to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet in the Cup Series. Ryan Sparks, former crew chief for LaJoie at Go Fas Racing, will make the move with LaJoie to serve as the crew chief for the Spire No. 7 team.
Kyle Larson:
2020 – Previous driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the Cup Series. Larson was suspended in April and fired from CGR after using a racial slur during an iRacing event. He was reinstated by NASCAR in October and is eligible to return to racing on Jan. 1, 2021.
2021 Status – Larson was signed by Hendrick Motorsports to a multi-year deal on Oct. 28. He is slated to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in the Cup Series in 2021 with Johnson’s former crew chief, Cliff Daniels, on the pit box. Tyler Monn has been named as Larson’s spotter.
Raphael Lessard:
2020 – No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota in the Truck Series
2021 Status – GMS Racing announced on Jan. 7 that Lessard will compete full time in the Truck Series in the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado with Chad Walter as crew chief.
Jesse Little:
2020 – No. 4 JD Motorsports Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series
2021 – Little will drive full-time in the Xfinity Series with BJ McLeod Motorsports in the No. 78 Chevrolet in 2021.
Mason Massey:
2020 – 10 Xfinity Series races with BJ McLeod Motorsports, Inc. in the No. 99 Toyota
2021 – Massey will return to BJ McLeod Motorsports to drive the No. 99 Toyota for 12 Xfinity Series races.
Sam Mayer:
2020 – Part-time in the Truck Series (six races) and competed in select races in the ARCA Menards Series for GMS Racing
2021 Status – Mayer will move to JR Motorsports and drive the second half of the Xfinity Series season in 2021. He will drive full-time in the series in 2022. He will also compete in six ARCA races and five Truck Series events for Bret Holmes Racing in 2021.
Michael McDowell:
2020 – No. 34 Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series
2021 Status – McDowell will return to Front Row Racing in the No. 34 Ford to compete full-time in the Cup Series.
BJ McLeod:
2020 – Part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series primarily as a driver/owner
2021 Status – McLeod will drive the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time next year. He is a co-owner of Live Fast Motorsports with Matt Tifft. The team will have a partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing.
Matt Mills:
2020 – Full-time in the No. 05 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series for BJ McLeod Motorsports
2021 Status – On Dec. 16 the team announced that Mills will return to drive the No. 05 full-time in the Xfinity Series for BJ McLeod Motorsports in 2021.
Brett Moffitt:
2000 – No. 02 Our Motorsports Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series/No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the Truck Series
2021 Status – Moffitt will drive full-time in the No. 02 Chevrolet for Our Motorsports in the Xfinity Series and will also run a full-time schedule in the Truck Series in the No. 45 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports. He will declare for points in the Truck Series and compete for the Truck Series championship.
John Hunter Nemechek:
2020 – No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Announced on Nov. 23, Nemechek will drive the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 4 Toyota in the Truck Series. He replaces Raphael Lessard. Nemechek will also compete in select Xfinity races this year for Sam Hunt Racing in the No. 26. His first start with the team will be at Dover in May.
Miguel Paludo:
2020 – Paludo competed in Brazil in the Porsche GT3 Carrera Cup Series. He also has two previous Xfinity Series starts (2012) and 73 Truck Series starts (2010-2013).
2021 – Paludo will drive the JR Motorsports No. 8 Chevrolet in three Xfinity Series road course events in 2021. His first event will be the second race of the season at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Feb. 20. His schedule also includes the races at Circuit of the Americas (May 22) and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 5.
Chase Purdy:
2020 – Part-time in Truck Series for GMS Racing
2021 Status – Purdy will compete full-time with GMS Racing next year in the Truck Series with Jeff Hensley as crew chief.
Tyler Reddick:
2020 – No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Reddick will return for his second season in the Richard Childress Racing No. 8 Chevrolet in the Cup Series next year.
Mark Setzer:
2020 – Crew Chief for JD Motorsports w/Gary Keller
2021 Status – Setzer will serve as crew chief for the No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet next season, replacing Andrew Abbott.
Chandler Smith:
2020 – No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota in the Truck Series, part-time
2021 Status – Announced Dec. 7, Smith will compete full time in the Truck Series in the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18 Tundra next year, replacing Christian Eckes.
Zane Smith:
2020 – No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet in the Truck Series
2021 Status – Smith will return to GMS Racing for a second season with Kevin “Bono” Manion as crew chief.
Garrett Smithley:
2020 – Cup Series with various teams, primarily with Rick Ware Racing
2021 – Smithley will run a partial Cup Series schedule for Rick Ware Racing. The races in which he will compete will be announced at a later date.
Adam Stevens:
2020 – Crew chief for the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series.
2021 Status – Stevens will move to the No. 20 JGR team as crew chief for Christopher Bell next season. He worked with Kyle Bush from 2015–2020, winning two championships.
Daniel Suarez:
Current ride – No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota in the Cup Series
2021 Status – Suarez will compete full-time in the No. 99 Chevrolet with the newly formed Cup Series team of Trackhouse Racing with owner Justin Marks and musical artist, Pitbull (Armando Perez), who announced his partnership with the team on Jan 15. Ty Norris will serve as president of race operations and Travis Mack joins the team as crew chief. Mack is the former crew chief for the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Ryan Truex: 2020 – No. 40 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, part-time
2021 Status – Announced on Nov. 24, Truex will return to drive the No. 40 Niece Motorsports Chevy in the Camping World Truck Series but will upgrade to a full-time season. It will be his first full-time ride in the series since 2017.
Ryan Vargas:
2020 – No. 15 Chevrolet (two starts) and No. 16 Chevrolet (seven starts) with JD Motorsports w/Gary Keller
2021 – Vargas will run a full schedule in the JD Motorsports w/Gary Keller No. 6 Chevrolet and compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series.
Bubba Wallace:
2020 – No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series
2021 Status – On Sept. 21, Wallace and Denny Hamlin announced that Wallace would drive the No. 23 car for 23XI Racing in 2021, a new team formed by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. Freddie Kraft will transition from RPM to continue as spotter for Wallace at 23XI Racing with Mike Wheeler as crew chief.
Cody Ware:
2020 – Competed in one race in the Xfinity Series and one race in the Cup Series for Rick Ware Racing. He has 23 career Cup starts and 21 Xfinity starts.
2021 Status – Ware will run a full schedule in the Cup Series for Rick Ware Racing.
Kyle Weatherman:
2020 – No. 47 Chevrolet for Mike Harmon Racing in the Xfinity Series
2021 – Weatherman will return to drive the No. 47 Chevrolet for Mike Harmon Racing in the Xfinity Series full-time.
Mike Wheeler:
2020 – Competition director for Leavine Family Racing in the Cup Series.
2021 Status – Wheeler will join 23XI Racing to serve as the crew chief for Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 team.
Kris Wright:
2020 – He competed in one race in the No. 24 Chevrolet for GMS Racing in the Truck Series at the Daytona Road Course. Wright also ran select races in the ARCA Menards Series, CARS Super Late Model Tour Series and one race in the
Weathertech SportsCar Championship Series. In 2018, he won the IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 championship.
2021 – Wright will compete in seven Xfinity Series road course events for Sam Hunt Racing. His schedule includes the Daytona Road Course, COTA, Mid-Ohio, Road America, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis Road Course and the Charlotte ROVAL.
Salute to all the men and women behind this event for making it a huge success despite the challenges of the pandemic.