devastating death on May 21 of Kyle Busch<\/a> leaves a much bigger void beyond a seat in the Cup Series. It will likely take some time for Richard Childress Racing to determine how it will move forward for 2027.<\/p>\nThe most recent silly season development came on June 16, when Chris Buescher and RFK Racing announced he had signed a contraction extension.<\/p>\n
Here is how things look at each organization, in order of owner points following the June 14 race at Pocono.\u00a0<\/p>\n
23XI Racing<\/p>\n
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Corey Heim will replace Riley Herbst at 23X1 (Photo by Jeff Robinson\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Corey Heim has been announced as a full-time driver, replacing Riley Herbst (27th in the standings). Tyler Reddick (first in the standings) just signed a contract extension earlier this year. Bubba Wallace (13th) is in an option year and would expect him back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joe Gibbs Racing<\/p>\n
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(L-R) Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell will all be back at JGR next season (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n
It would be a surprise if JGR has any changes for next year. Ty Gibbs (fifth) isn\u2019t expected to be going anywhere and Denny Hamlin (second), Chase Briscoe (12th) and Christopher Bell (10th) are signed beyond this season. The one thing that JGR might need to anticipate is Hamlin retiring from full-time racing after 2027 then having to fill that ride. Brent Crews, who drives for JGR in the O\u2019Reilly Series, is the team\u2019s focus on the development driver side who could be Cup ready.<\/p>\n
Team Penske<\/p>\n
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Ryan Blaney will be back at Team Penske for the 2027 season. (Photo by Krista Jasso\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n
With Ryan Blaney (third) having recently signed a contract extension, Team Penske has its former champions Blaney and Joey Logano (18th) under contact. Austin Cindric doesn\u2019t have a deal yet for next year. He\u2019s 16th in the points, and it appears all those ahead of them could very well return to their same rides next year.<\/p>\n
Hendrick Motorsports<\/p>\n
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Will the Hendrick stable look different next season? (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Kyle Larson (sixth), Chase Elliott (fourth) and William Byron (11th) are signed through next year. Bowman is the question and not just because it could be time for a change. He’s also in limbo because of injuries that have sidelined him three times over the last five years, including four races this year that has him 32nd in the standings. The team does have Corey Day competing in the O\u2019Reilly Series but he\u2019s likely a year away although his recent performances \u2014 including victories at Talladega and Dover \u2014 have some thinking he could move up for 2027. Zilisch is also a possibility. It wouldn\u2019t be out of the question to extend Bowman for another year until HMS can lock down one of those drivers. It also wouldn\u2019t be out of the question if Bowman decides he is too beat up to continue racing.<\/p>\n
RFK Racing<\/p>\n
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Brad Keselowski has noted he’s not yet ready for retirement. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Ryan Preece, at 19th in the standings, is a driver whose future appears mildly unclear. RFK likely will have just two charters for next season (it is leasing one that will go to Legacy Motor Club next year) but it also has strong sponsorship from Kroger and its vendors to the point where running Preece as an open car next year is definitely a possibility. But he still needs to sign a deal. Chris Buescher (seventh) has signed a contract extension (announced June 16). Brad Keselowski (17th) will race at RFK until he is ready to retire, which he says won\u2019t be for several more years.<\/p>\n
Spire Motorsports<\/p>\n
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Carson Hocevar is locked in at Spire. (Photo by Jeff Robinson\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Spire Motorsports has Carson Hocevar (ninth) locked in long-term, while Michael McDowell and Daniel Su\u00e1rez are not. Spire has shown the willingness to eat a year of a contract to get a driver it wants. But who would that be at this point? Su\u00e1rez is eighth in the standings and McDowell is 20th. Spire, which has an alliance with Hendrick, also could be a spot for Day or Zilisch or Bowman, if Hendrick needs to find a Cup spot for any of them.<\/p>\n
Trackhouse Racing<\/p>\n
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Shane Van Gisbergen will have a home again at Trackhouse next year. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n
All three Trackhouse drivers \u2014 Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen and Zilisch \u2014 are signed at least through next season. Zilisch is the one who could be on the move if there is enough money that money talks. Only van Gisbergen (14th in the standings) is having a season to be happy about as Chastain is 23rd and Zilisch is 34th.<\/p>\n
Front Row Motorsports<\/p>\n
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Noah Gragson’s big personality might not save his ride at FRM. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Zane Smith signed a contract extension last year that has him solid at FRM (which is good for FRM as Smith is 24th in the standings. Team owner Bob Jenkins and sponsor Love\u2019s like Todd Gilliland (25th), who should get renewed. Noah Gragson? He\u2019s a strong personality but hasn\u2019t had the results that would wow many, as he sits 29th in the standings. Would FRM move Layne Riggs or Chandler Smith to Cup? That depends on sponsorship most likely. And now that Berry is available, he could be considered a candidate for an opening at FRM but, again, sponsorship likely would be needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Legacy Motor Club<\/p>\n
Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek could very well return next year as some improved performance since April (Jones is now 15th in the standings; Nemechek is 26th) is an indication of progress at the organization. Legacy will add a third chartered car next year as well and that is the expected landing spot for Riley Herbst.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaulig Racing<\/p>\n
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Ty Dillon (L) and AJ Allmendinger are not locked in at Kaulig next year. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Neither AJ Allmendinger nor Ty Dillon are locked in at Kaulig next year. The organization is in a tough spot without manufacturer support, and it would be a huge scramble for Dodge to enter Cup in 2027 although that is still possible. Any changes to this lineup are still TBD. Allmendinger is 21st in the standings; Dillon is 31st. If Kaulig does make a change, Josh Berry could be a candidate, but he currently doesn’t bring sponsorship.<\/p>\n
Hyak Motorsports\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Ricky Stenhouse Jr is set for next season. (Photo by Jeff Robinson\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (22nd in the standings) signed a contract extension in May and is set to remain with the organization.<\/p>\n
Richard Childress Racing<\/p>\n
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Austin Dillon should be back at RCR for the 2027 season. (Photo by Jeff Robinson\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Austin Dillon is expected to return in 2027 as he sits 28th in the standings. Who will fill the open seat is still to be determined. Austin Hill has been the driver of the renumbered No. 33 car, and he will be a candidate for that car long term. If the car continues to have sponsorship from alcohol, THC and nicotine pouches, that could require a driver who is 25 or older, as those companies typically want someone who doesn\u2019t look close to being underage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wood Brothers<\/p>\n
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Josh Berry sits 31st in the NASCAR Cup standings. (Photo by Jeff Robinson\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Josh Berry confirmed June 10 that he will not return to the team after this season. He sits 30th in the standings. Jesse Love, the defending O’Reilly Series champion, is a candidate for this ride.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Haas Factory Team<\/p>\n
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It has not been the best year for Cole Custer. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n
Cole Custer hasn\u2019t had a good year (he\u2019s 33rd in the standings) but whether a change is made is debatable as the team appears to be still trying to find its footing. He did have a respectable month of May.<\/p>\n
Rick Ware Racing<\/p>\n
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Cody Ware should be set for next season. (Photo by Jeff Robinson\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) <\/p>\n
As long as RWR doesn\u2019t sell, this should remain Cody Ware\u2019s ride.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two current Cup drivers hold the keys to the NASCAR silly season. And one isn\u2019t even in a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":742392,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[16600,2331,49,48,26749,20204,10662,4387,24888,10328,9398,124520,28942,37447,3932,8993,5793,8661,20202,22870,634,8354,99102,55760,8994,15224,9706,82,12465,9272,4382],"class_list":["post-742391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-brad-keselowski","tag-bubba-wallace","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-carson-hocevar","tag-chandler-smith","tag-chase-briscoe","tag-chase-elliott","tag-chris-buescher","tag-christopher-bell","tag-connor-zilisch","tag-corey-day","tag-corey-heim","tag-daniel-suarez","tag-denny-hamlin","tag-jesse-love","tag-joey-logano","tag-kyle-busch","tag-layne-riggs","tag-michael-mcdowell","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-cup-series","tag-noah-gragson","tag-riley-herbst","tag-ross-chastain","tag-ryan-blaney","tag-shane-van-gisbergen","tag-sports","tag-todd-gilliland","tag-tyler-reddick","tag-william-byron"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=742391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/742392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=742391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=742391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=742391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}