The Seats That Remain to Be Filled For the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Season

Published 12/06/2020, 1:24 PM EST

The 2021 NASCAR Silly Season is now in full swing. Although most of the seats have been confirmed, there are still plenty of empty seats to fill. This largely stems from the full-time lineups ahead of the offseason.

Firstly, Front Row Motorsports are yet to confirm their two drivers for the coming season. However, Michael McDowell is largely expected to return behind the wheel of the #34 Ford. Meanwhile, John Hunter Nemechek has officially left the team and joined Kyle Busch’s Truck Series team.

Another team with an empty slot is Spire Motorsports. The outfit has never run a full-time gig with their #77 Chevrolet car. Now, the team has recruited Corey LaJoie on a full-time basis in the #7 Chevrolet.

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However, the team is fielding a second full-time car, which is the #77 Chevrolet. This was made possible after the acquisition of the erstwhile Leavine Family Racing team.

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Which other NASCAR teams have vacancies?

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The final full-time team to be on the hunt for drivers is Rick Ware Racing. RWR boasts of 4 charters for the coming season, but are yet to put pen to paper. However, many suggest that the outfit will not go for a full-time driver, but run multiple drivers in each car.

Rick Ware Racing managed to acquire the #15 car from Premium Motorsports, as well as the #27 car. They also have the services of the #51 car and the #53 car. It is worth noting that the #51 car is officially classified as a Petty Ware Racing entry.

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In terms of the non-chartered teams, Gaunt Brothers Racing and MBM Motorsports are yet to confirm their plans. Additionally, limited-schedule teams like Kaulig Racing, Team Penske, and the returning NY Racing team are in a similar situation.

In NY Racing’s case, the team also needs to confirm its official manufacturer for the coming season. One thing is for sure, the puzzle pieces are still floating around. Hopefully, everyone in the NASCAR community will get a clearer picture in the next few weeks.

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.