NASCAR driver announcement leaves one team with no drivers for 2025

It’s been confirmed that Zane Smith, winner of the 2022 NASCAR Truck Series title with Front Row Motorsports, will be part of their Cup Series team from the 2025 season, strengthening their three-vehicle squad for the upcoming years.

Smith will be taking over the No. 38 Ford previously driven by Todd Gilliland, whereas Gilliland will stay with the team and take over the role from Michael McDowell, who is moving to Spire Motorsports, in the No. 34 Ford.

Previously with Stewart-Haas Racing, Noah Gragson will now drive the third vehicle in their team. They intend to operate this third car using a charter they purchased from their own team. The car’s number has recently been announced as #4, which was previously used by Stewart-Haas Racing before its closure.

Due to Smith’s confirmation, along with the announcement that 23XI Racing intends to increase from two cars to three and has hired Riley Herbst for their additional chartered entry alongside Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, it is expected that 35 out of the total 36 chartered entries will be operated by full-time drivers in the year 2025.

The only remaining vacancy among chartered teams is at Rick Ware Racing.

In contrast to their plans for 2024, Rick Ware’s team intends to operate a single chartered vehicle in 2025. The charter that enabled them to field the No. 15 Ford in 2024 has been rented out to RFK Racing, a team they have had a technical partnership with since 2023. RFK Racing is expanding their fleet with the addition of the No. 60 Ford for driver Ryan Preece, who will race alongside Chris Buescher and team co-owner Brad Keselowski in 2025.

Initially, Justin Haley was set to drive the No. 51 Ford for Rick Ware Racing in 2025. However, a move similar to a trade occurred before the 2024 season concluded, and he was officially assigned to Spire Motorsports for the 2025 season as well, according to their team confirmation.

Corey LaJoie temporarily took his place, yet it hasn’t been determined if Rick Ware Racing will retain LaJoie past 2024, leaving him seatless for the 2025 season as of now.

Corey LaJoie filled in for him, but his future with Rick Ware Racing beyond 2024 is uncertain, and he currently finds himself without a ride for the year 2025.

Consequently, it’s still uncertain who will be driving the No. 51 Ford, and LaJoie isn’t the one rumored to take up that position.

Corey LaJoie hasn’t finalized his plans for 2025 yet, and it seems unlikely he will drive the RWR No. 51 full time next year. Instead, it looks like Cody Ware may take on that role.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 2, 2025

Based on reports from Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, it appears that Cody Ware is the top contender for driving that particular vehicle. If he’s officially announced as a full-time driver, all 36 chartered entries for the year 2025 would be driven by permanent drivers. This means there wouldn’t be any shared charters like we’ve seen every year since their introduction to the sport in 2016.

In 2022, it was Rick Ware’s son who took the wheel on a full-time basis for our team. Since 2017, he’s participated in chosen races for us annually.

As a devoted NASCAR enthusiast, the clock is running out for Rick Ware Racing to take action, as the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off in just about a month with the iconic Daytona 500. Known as “The Great American Race,” this thrilling event will be broadcast live on Fox from the esteemed Daytona International Speedway, starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 16. I can hardly wait!

2025-01-08 16:02

Lily Allen says she refused David Harbour’s requests for kinky sex and used AI chatbot to script responses during argument as HE is hit by cheating claims

All of the racy moments in Nicole Kidman’s controversial age-gap erotic thriller Babygirl after the director was forced to defend the steamy film