NASCAR 'Silly Season' coming into focus, still some question marks

With this week's announcement that John Hunter Nemechek will be taking over the Legacy Motor Club No. 42, and news that Harrison Burton is expected to remain in the Wood Brothers No. 21, NASCAR's "Silly Season" picture for next season is starting to become much clearer.

That being said, there are still several full-time spots on the 2024 Cup Series grid that have yet to be confirmed and plenty of speculation as to who they may go to. Let's take a look.

Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10

This seat currently belongs to Aric Almirola, who was supposed to retire after 2022 but returned when SHR was unable to find a replacement. It's believed Almirola will be stepping away for real this time, leaving his ride open.

Burton, Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland were among the names formerly rumored as options. All three are now returning to their respective teams. There are also SHR's Xfinity Series drivers Cole Custer and Riley Herbst, but neither has been generating much chatter for Cup rides in 2024.

That leaves another Ford driver, Zane Smith. Smith is the 2022 Truck Series champion and has run some Cup Series races for Front Row Motorsports in 2023, including earning a top 10 in the Coca-Cola 600. He's a hot prospect for a full-time ride, and the No. 10 seems like the logical place for it to be.

Kaulig Racing No. 31

With Justin Haley departing Kaulig Racing for Rick Ware Racing, this leaves at least one of the team's two cars open for 2023. Austin Hill was considered the favorite initially but surprisingly re-signed with Richard Childress Racing's Xfinity Series program.

Some of the names that have been brought up recently include Daniel Hemric, Ty Dillon, Chandler Smith and Shane van Gisbergen, who is looking to make a full-time NASCAR move in 2024. However, team president Chris Rice has alluded that the hiring will be a surprise.

Some cryptic social media posts seem to indicate that the driver in question may be Matt DiBenedetto. DiBenedetto competed in the Cup Series between 2015 and 2021 but stepped down to the truck level for the past two seasons. He recently announced he won't be returning to his current team -- perhaps there's a reason for that.

Kaulig Racing No. 16

Kaulig Racing may have more than just its No. 31 car open in 2024. It's been additionally rumored that A.J. Allmendinger could also be departing the team, or moving back down to the Xfinity Series, for 2024. Allmendinger himself has stated he is unsure of his plans.

Some of the names mentioned in talks for the No. 31 could also be options here. However, it seems unlikely that Kaulig would want to replace both of its drivers in one off-season, so it's reasonable to predict that Allmendinger will return in 2024.

Spire Motorsports No. 77

Spire Motorsports will likely be looking for a new driver to fill its second entry, as Ty Dillon has underwhelmed in 2023. There's only been one name routinely brought up in rumors as a replacement, and it's Carson Hocevar.

Hocevar drove for Spire at Gateway this season, as the team's normal driver Corey LaJoie was substituting for Hendrick's Chase Elliott. He has also driven for the team in select Xfinity Series races and has been tabbed as a temporary sub in the Legacy No. 42 for at least the next several weeks.

Hocevar is a promising talent who will likely be competing at the Cup level for years to come. He's shown an ability to overachieve in subpar equipment, and Spire seems like a good place for him to get started.

Rick Ware Racing second car

It's unclear whether or not Rick Ware Racing will run a second full-time driver in 2024 in addition to Justin Haley, and if so, whether that would be the team's No. 15 or No. 51 car. 

Several drivers have taken turns in both of Ware's Cup entries in 2023. Cole Custer is one of them, and his plans for 2024 are uncertain, though it's generally assumed that he will remain with Stewart-Haas Racing -- where he currently competes full-time in the Xfinity Series -- in some capacity given his family's ties to the organization. 

However, if Custer wants to go back to full-time Cup racing -- and it doesn't seem like he's a candidate for SHR's No. 10 opening -- he may need to bet on himself. Ware would provide that opportunity for him.