NASCAR: Two teams are changing drivers (again) for Homestead

As a seasoned gamer who’s spent countless hours navigating the twists and turns of virtual race tracks, I can’t help but feel a strange sense of deja vu with this NASCAR Cup Series. The constant driver swaps in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet and the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford are giving me flashbacks to my days playing those ‘driver swap’ mods in old racing games!

Since the start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet has been driven by different drivers from one race to another, with Shane van Gisbergen taking the wheel for the first two events at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International.

This weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, it’s expected that A.J. Allmendinger will carry on a trend from the previous season, as he is slated to race for the 12th time this season, following Scott van Gisbergen who competed in his 10th race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend.

Among five drivers, including Allmendinger and van Gisbergen from Matt Kaulig’s full-time Xfinity Series team, are those who’ve driven the No. 16 Chevrolet this year. In addition to them, Josh Williams, their fellow Xfinity Series teammate, has also taken part in certain races, just like Ty Dillon and Derek Kraus have done as well.

For about a month now, Rick Ware Racing’s Ford hasn’t had the same driver behind the wheel consecutively. Kaz Grala took charge for three races straight at Watkins Glen, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Kansas Speedway. It appears that this pattern will persist during this coming weekend as well.

On Sunday afternoon, it’s Grala who will be taking the wheel for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead, Florida’s 1.5-mile oval, following Cody Ware’s outing in Las Vegas. Between them, Grala and Ware have piloted the No. 15 car a total of 29 times this year, with Grala accounting for the majority with 20 starts. Riley Herbst has also been behind the wheel of the car on four occasions.

Other entry list changes

This week’s changes in the entry list primarily consist of three unchartered vehicles being added. Notably, Legacy Motor Club will not be running car number 84 with Jimmie Johnson, a move they made eight times this season as they did last week. However, two different unchartered teams are returning to the competition.

For the eighth time in the 2024 season, the New York Racing Team is gearing up to compete once more. Notably, driver J.J. Yeley will be steering the No. 44 Chevrolet for their seventh consecutive return.

I’m thrilled as a fan to announce that I’ll be back on track for my 11th race of the 2024 season with MBM Motorsports! This time, it’s Chad Finchum who’ll be taking the wheel of the No. 66 Ford – can’t wait to see him in action!

Start your free trial with FuboTV today and catch NBC’s live coverage of the Straight Talk Wireless 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway, starting at 2:30 p.m. ET this coming Sunday, October 27. Current points leader Christopher Bell, defending race champion and racing for Joe Gibbs Racing, will be in action. Don’t miss out on the excitement!

2024-10-25 15:02

Kesha puts on a sizzling display in a semi sheer bodycon dress as she is joined by rarely seen singer-songwriter mum Pebe Sebert