SATURDAY, DEC. 19, 2020 STARTING GRID YOUR GUIDE TO THE WEEK ON THE NASCAR CIRCUIT SORTING OUT NEXT SEASON Teams to beat and an early look at 2021 driver lineups ALEX ANDREJEV | The Charlotte Observer ASCAR’s silly season nearly has reached its end. Only a handful of rides remain open for 2021 Nand just a few Cup drivers have not announced their plans for next season, but lineups largely remain in place as teams look ahead to the Daytona 500 in February. The Observer has compiled a complete list of expected rosters for next season. Here’s a summary ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS of who’s staying, who’s leaving and how teams should Kyle Busch waits next to his car before the YellaWood 500 race last season at Talladega Superspeedway. stack up next season. Teams to beat championship-winning crew chief Adam While smaller teams typically don’t Lineups are set for the powerhouse Stevens, and they’ll be a duo to watch. run as well as the larger ones, 23XI Racing teams of Joe Gibbs Racing, Team Penske, Experience split at Stewart-Haas certainly has the makings to be an even- Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Stewart-Haas Racing fi nally is expected tual powerhouse with a celebrity investor Racing, with the four-car teams of Hen- to fi eld a lineup that’s split between Cup in Jordan, a rising star driver in Wallace, drick, Gibbs and SHR each replacing experience. Kevin Harvick will remain with signifi cant sponsorship interest and a drivers next season. SHR through 2023 and again could domi- working relationship with JGR. Still, it’s Team Penske will see the return of its nate the regular season in the era of limited the fi rst year for the team and there inevi- three drivers — Brad Keselowski, Ryan practice. Aric Almirola, another veteran of tably will be fi rst-year wrinkles. Blaney and Joey Logano — after a crew the series, will return to the No. 10. Faces returning to the Cup Series chief rearrangement that contributed It then gets interesting with three On the driver side, only Briscoe and Ross to a successful 2020 campaign. Logano Chase Elliott, right, celebrates with a pit crew young drivers in the pipeline: Cole Chastain, who is driving for Chip Ganassi and Keselowski both raced for a title in member following his season championship Custer, 22, will be back in the No. 41 Racing, are the rookies announced so far. this season’s Championship 4. It will be victory last month in Avondale, Ariz. next season, racing alongside Cup rookie Chastain will join 2020 playoff driver Kurt up to Blaney, who signed a multi-year Motorsports. And for everyone else? Chase Briscoe, 25, who is replacing Clint Busch at CGR next season. extension with the team earlier this year, “That alone should terrify opposing Bowyer in the No. 14. Briscoe excelled Other two-car teams are sticking with to get there next season. Team owner teams for years to come,” Smith wrote. in the Xfi nity Series last season, but he’s their lineups from last season: Richard Roger Penske called Blaney a “champion- an enigma in Cup. SHR also recently Childress Racing (Austin Dillon and Tyler ship-caliber driver” in March, but with A 2021 reset for Toyota, JGR announced 21-year-old Riley Herbst as one win and an early postseason exit in As Hendrick rides the championship Reddick), Roush Fenway Racing (Ryan its next Xfi nity driver to replace Briscoe, Newman and Chris Buescher) and JTG 2020, more hinges on the upcoming sea- wave, JGR will be looking to bounce back indicating the team’s desire to build for after the team largely underperformed Daugherty (Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan son for the 26-year-old driver to stake his the future. While those drivers might not last season despite Denny Hamlin’s seven Preece expected to return) should look claim in the championship conversation. roll off wins right away in 2021, give SHR wins and appearance in the title race. the same next season from a driver stand- Of the teams losing a driver, Hendrick a few more years and the team could be Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. both point before Next Gen arrives in 2022. and its addition of Kyle Larson is expected looking more like Hendrick is now. to manifest wins the quickest. While HMS won only one race last season. Busch won Matt DiBenedetto will return to work is losing seven-time champion Jimmie fi ve races and the series championship in New teams in the Cup Series with the Wood Brothers in 2021, while Johnson to a part-time IndyCar schedule 2019. Truex Jr. won seven races that year. Multiple ownership groups are joining Erik Jones will start his contract with next season, it’s adding Larson — who Those three drivers — Hamlin, Truex NASCAR next season, including Michael Richard Petty Motorsports. Then there’s had one win and eight top fi ves in 2019. Jr. and Busch — also were the only three Jordan and Hamlin’s 23XI Racing (Bubba Ty Dillon, who has not announced his Larson is back in NASCAR for 2021 after Toyota drivers to win a race in 2020, while Wallace as the driver), Justin Marks’ plans for 2021 but is a free agent after the a six-month suspension for using a racial fi ve diff erent Ford drivers and fi ve Chev- Trackhouse Racing (Daniel Suarez) and sale of Germain Racing’s charter. slur in the spring. He will race the No. 5 rolet drivers won at least once. President Matt Tiff t and B.J. McLeod’s Live Fast Cup rides remain open where Dillon Chevy and joins a stacked HMS roster that of Toyota Racing Development David Motorsports (McLeod). could land, however. Front Row Motor- includes reigning Cup champion Chase Wilson called the manufacturer’s perfor- Spire Motorsports also is fi elding a sports has not named its next driver for Elliott, as well as 2020 playoff drivers Alex mance in October “unacceptable.” second Cup entry driven by Corey LaJoie the No. 38 to replace John Hunter Ne- Bowman and William Byron. JGR and Toyota are looking to their next after purchasing the charter formerly mechek, who will drive full-time in the “It’s clear that the iteration of Chase No. 20 driver Christopher Bell and a few owned by Leavine Family Racing. The Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports Elliott that won a Cup Series champion- crew chief changes to ignite a spark in 2021. new entries introduce some unknowns next season. Go Fas Racing, Gaunt Broth- ship won’t be the best version of Elliott Bell could be the breakout star of the series into the series and add teams for each ers Racing, Rick Ware Racing and Spire we’ll ever see,” David Smith of Motor- next year, as could Bubba Wallace, who manufacturer — 23XI for Toyota, Track- also still have openings. sports Analytics wrote this week. also will drive a Camry. Bell, a rookie last house for Chevrolet and Live Fast Motor- While much is set for next season, That’s a promising sign for Hendrick season, is working with Busch’s former sports for Ford. there is still more to come. 2021 Cup Series schedule APRIL 26 Cup race at Pocono 1 Long Pond, Pa. 11 Race at Richmond Richmond, Va. 10 Cup race at Martinsville Martinsville, Va. 27 Cup race at Pocono 2 Long Pond, Pa. 18 Bass Pro Shops Night Race Bristol, Tenn. FEBRUARY 18 Cup race at Richmond Richmond, Va. JULY PLAYOFFS — ROUND OF 12 9 Clash at Daytona Daytona Beach, Fla. 25 GEICO 500 Talladega, Ala. 4 Cup race at Road America Elkhart Lake, Wis. 26 South Point 400 Las Vegas 11 Duel 1 and 2 Daytona Beach, Fla. MAY 11 Quaker State 400 Atlanta OCTOBER 14 Daytona 500 Daytona Beach, Fla. 2 Cup race at Kansas Kansas City, Kansas 18 Cup race at New Hampshire Loudon, N.H. 3 Race at Talladega Talladega, Ala. 9 Cup race at Darlington Darlington, S.C. 21 Dixie Vodka 400 Homestead-Miami AUGUST 10 Charlotte road course Concord, N.C. 16 Drydene 400 Dover, Del. 8 Go Bowling at the Glen Watkins Glen, N.Y. PLAYOFFS — ROUND OF 8 28 Auto Club 400 Fontana, Calif. 23 Cup race at COTA Austin, Texas 15 Cup race at Indianapolis Indianapolis, Ind. 17 Race at Texas Fort Worth, Texas MARCH 30 Coca-Cola 600 Concord, N.C. 22 Cup race at Michigan Brooklyn, Mich. 24 Race at Kansas Kansas City, Kansas 7 Pennzoil 400 Las Vegas JUNE 28 Coke Zero Sugar 400 Daytona Beach, Fla. 31 Race at Martinsville Martinsville, Va. 14 Cup race at Phoenix Avondale, Ariz. 6 Toyota Save Mart 350 Sonoma, Calif. SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER 21 QuikTrip 500 Atlanta 13 All-Star Race Fort Worth, Texas PLAYOFFS — ROUND OF 16 CHAMPIONSHIP — 4 28 Dirt track race Bristol, Tenn. 20 Cup race at Nashville Nashville, Tenn. 5 Southern 500 Darlington, S.C. 7 Cup Series Championship Avondale, Ariz. 2020 LOOKBACK Season restarts with Harvick’s win at Darlington ZACH DEAN morning at 6 a.m., pacing around body came together in a real spirit since 2017, averaging a 3.7 rating race car,” Newman said. “Proud of The Daytona Beach News-Journal my porch trying to decide when I of collaboration,” NASCAR Ex- and 6.32 million viewers. It was how everybody worked, not just Editor’s note: This is the second was going to leave. I was excited to ecutive Vice President and Chief the most-watched Darlington our team, but everyone in NA- in a series counting down the most get back in the car.