2023 NASCAR Cup Series

• On August 3, 2022, 3F Racing, which will be the first team from Germany to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series, announced plans to run part-time in 2022 starting at the Charlotte Roval.[94][95][96] However, team owner Dennis Hirtz announced that the team's debut would be delayed to 2023, where they plan to attempt 10 races before running full-time in 2024.[97] The team's driver(s), sponsors and crew chief have all yet to be announced.
• On August 25, 2022, Front Row Motorsports announced that Zane Smith will drive a part-time third car for the team in select races including the Daytona 500.[88]
• On August 28, Carson Hocevar was announced as the driver of the No. 42 at the Darlington summer race.[28]
• On November 4, 2022, seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson purchased an ownership stake in Petty GMS Motorsports, which later rebranded to Legacy Motor Club. He will run select races in 2023, including an attempt to make the 2023 Daytona 500.[82]
• On January 18, 2023, Kaulig announced that Chandler Smith will attempt to make his Cup Series debut in the 2023 Daytona 500, driving the No. 13 car. He will also run four additional races, which includes the NASCAR All-Star Race.[98]
• On January 17, 2023, it was announced that Travis Pastrana would drive the No. 67 car for 23XI Racing with sponsorship from Black Rifle Coffee Company. Eric Phillips will be the crew chief.[91][92]
• On February 11, 2023, Bob Pockrass from Fox Sports reported that Finish Line Motorsports Marketing, a marketing agency in business since 1997, would start a race team that would enter the No. 80 Ford driven by J. J. Yeley in the 2023 Daytona 500.[99] However, the team did not enter the race.
• On February 18, 2023, it was reported that MBM Motorsports would not run any Cup Series races in 2023, although team owner Carl Long stated that they do have cars prepared pending sponsorship. The team's last Cup appearance was in 2022, when the No. 55 driven by J. J. Yeley finished 25th at Talladega.[100]

• On July 15, 2022, Petty GMS Motorsports (now Legacy Motor Club) announced that Ty Dillon would not return to the No. 42 in 2023.[101] On August 10, 2022, Noah Gragson was announced to replace Dillon, having signed a two-year contract with LMC.[102][103] On June 8, 2023, LMC announced that Gragson would not run the race at Sonoma due to experiencing concussion-like symptoms after his crash in the previous week's race at Gateway. Grant Enfinger, who drives for LMC co-owner Maury Gallagher's GMS Racing team in the Truck Series, filled in for Gragson in the No. 42 car and made his Cup Series debut.[24] It was Enfinger's first Cup Series attempt since 2011, when he failed to qualify for the season-finale at Homestead driving for Sinica Motorsports in the team's only attempt. On August 5, 2023, LMC announced that Gragson was suspended after he liked an offensive image on social media related to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, one day before the scheduled Cup Series race at Michigan, with NASCAR suspending him indefinitely as well. Legacy Motor Club announced later that day that Josh Berry would fill in for Gragson at Michigan.[25] Mike Rockenfeller was announced as the driver of the No. 42 at Indianapolis and Watkins Glen.[27] On August 10, 2023, Gragson requested to be released from his contract with LMC so he can focus on the reinstatement process.[104] Carson Hocevar was announced as the driver of the No. 42 at Darlington, Kansas, and the Bristol night race.[105] On September 12, NASCAR lifted Gragson's suspension after he completed diversity and inclusion training; he has yet to announce his plans following his reinstatement.[106] On October 4, Hocevar was signed to drive the No. 42 for the final four races.[107] On October 15, it was announced that John Hunter Nemechek would drive the No. 42 at Homestead.[29]
• After suffering a concussion in qualifying for the 2022 race at Pocono, Kurt Busch announced on October 15, 2022, that he would not run full-time in 2023. Tyler Reddick, who was set to join the team in 2024,[108] will move over from Richard Childress Racing a year earlier and replace Busch in the No. 45. After his move to 23XI for 2024 was announced, Reddick was going to return to RCR for one more year[109][110][111] but was bought out of his last year of his contract in order to replace Busch in the No. 45 in 2023.[41] (Busch has a multi-year deal with 23XI[112] and will stay with the team in an advisory role and could drive part-time for the team once he gets cleared to race again).[6] On August 26, 2023, Busch formally announced his retirement from Cup Series racing.[113]
• On August 26, 2022, although Aric Almirola announced he would retire from driving full-time after the 2022 season, he announced that he has signed a multi-year deal with Stewart-Haas Racing, delaying his retirement.[114]
• After months of rumors and speculation over his 2023 plans and contract negotiations with Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch announced that he would leave JGR and join Richard Childress Racing beginning in 2023 in a multi-year deal. Busch will replace Tyler Reddick, who was originally announced to drive a third RCR car in 2023 before leaving for 23XI Racing in 2024, but after Kurt Busch's decision to not run full-time after his concussion, Reddick's contract was bought out by 23XI Racing, allowing him to go to 23XI a year early.[40]
• On November 15, 2022, it was announced that Ty Gibbs would replace Busch and the car would be renumbered to the No. 54, the number Gibbs used in the Xfinity Series. Gibbs' Xfinity Series crew chief, Chris Gayle, will also move up to the Cup Series, replacing Ben Beshore.[79]
• On October 3, 2022, Beard Motorsports owner Linda Beard told Dustin Albino from Jayski that the team will enter the 2023 Daytona 500. Noah Gragson will not return to this car in 2023 as he will drive the Petty GMS No. 42 car full-time.[115] On October 28, 2022, the team announced that Austin Hill, who drives full-time for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series, would drive the car in seven races (both Daytona and both Talladega races, Atlanta, Michigan and the Charlotte Roval in 2023).[80]
• On October 3, 2022, Jordan Bianchi from The Athletic reported that A.J. Allmendinger, who has driven this car part-time as well as Kaulig's No. 16 Xfinity Series car full-time, would drive the No. 16 Cup Series car full-time in 2023. It would be his first full season in the Cup Series since 2018.[116] On October 5, 2022, Allmendinger was officially announced as the full-time driver of the No. 16.[117] Matt Swiderski will return as crew chief.[21]
• On November 16, 2022, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Ryan Preece will replace Cole Custer in the No. 41 in 2023 while Custer will move back to the Xfinity Series.[118]
• On December 12, 2022, Josh Bilicki was announced to drive the No. 78 on a part-time schedule.[119]
• On January 31, 2023, Rick Ware Racing announced that Riley Herbst had signed to drive the No. 15 at the 2023 Daytona 500.[53]
• On February 7, 2023, Front Row Motorsports announced that Zane Smith will attempt to make the 2023 Daytona 500 in the No. 36. In addition, Smith will drive the No. 38 at Phoenix, Talladega,Charlotte, Sonoma, Texas, and the Charlotte Roval, sharing the ride with Todd Gilliland.[50]
• On March 3, 2023, Chase Elliott suffered a leg injury while snowboarding in Colorado. JR Motorsports Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry would substitute for him in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 car in the race at Las Vegas two days later.[14] On March 7, 2023, Hendrick announced that Berry would continue to fill in for Elliott in the No. 9 for five of the next six races. The only one of those six where he will not be in the car is the race at COTA, where IMSA driver Jordan Taylor will make his NASCAR debut filling in for Elliott. Taylor was teammates with Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon in the 2017 24 Hours of Daytona which they won.[15] On May 30, 2023, NASCAR suspended Elliott for one race after deliberately wrecking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte. Corey LaJoie was announced to be driving the No. 9 at Gateway, with Craftsman Truck Series regular Carson Hocevar making his series debut in the No. 7 for Spire Motorsports, taking LaJoie's regular place.[16][44]
• On March 8, 2023, Trackhouse Racing announced that 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen would return to the No. 91 at COTA. Räikkönen previously drove the No. 91 at Watkins Glen in 2022. He also scored his final F1 victory at COTA in 2018.[86] On May 18, three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen was announced to drive the No. 91 at the Chicago street race.[120]
• On March 9, 2023, Kaulig Racing announced that dirt track racing driver Jonathan Davenport would drive their No. 13 car at the Bristol dirt race. He will attempt to make his Cup Series debut and first NASCAR start since failing to qualify for the Truck Series spring race at Martinsville in 2013.[81]
• On March 9, 2023, it was announced that 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button would drive the Rick Ware Racing No. 15 in a collaboration with Stewart-Haas Racing at Circuit of the Americas, the Chicago Street Course, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.[56]
• On April 8, 2023, Cody Ware stated that he will not be driving the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 at the Bristol dirt race. He was substituted by Truck Series driver Matt Crafton for the race.[121] On April 10, 2023, Ware was indefinitely suspended by NASCAR after being arrested and charged with a felony assault by strangulation as well as a misdemeanor assault on a woman in Iredell County, North Carolina.[122] On April 12, 2023, Rick Ware Racing announced that Zane Smith would drive the No. 51 at Martinsville.[123] On May 5, 2023, Rick Ware Racing announced that Ryan Newman will drive the No. 51 in select races in 2023, starting with Darlington.[59]
• On June 5, 2023, it was announced that Andy Lally would drive for Rick Ware Racing in the five remaining road course races of 2023: Sonoma, the Chicago Street Course, the Indianapolis Road Course, Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval.[57] He will take over the No. 15 car for Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and the Roval, and the No. 51 car for the Chicago Street Course and the Indy Road Course,[60] due to Jenson Button already being scheduled to drive the No. 15 car at those tracks.[56]
• On June 7, 2023, it was announced that multi-time FIA World Endurance champion and 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Kamui Kobayashi would drive the No. 67 for 23XI Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.[93]

• On August 26, 2022, Greg Ives, crew chief of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 driven by Alex Bowman, announced that he would be stepping down from the role to spend more time with his family.[124] On October 14, 2022, Blake Harris, who was the crew chief of the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 car in 2022, was announced to replace Ives as Bowman's crew chief.[125]
• On September 2, 2022, Justin Alexander, crew chief of the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 driven by Austin Dillon, announced that he would be stepping down from the role.[126] On October 28, 2022, RCR announced that Keith Rodden, who crew chiefed in the Cup Series from 2014 to 2017 for Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing and then for Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports, would be Dillon's new crew chief in 2023.[37]
• On October 25, 2022, Noah Gragson's Xfinity Series crew chief Luke Lambert was announced to move from JR Motorsports to Petty GMS (later renamed Legacy Motor Club) on their No. 42 car.[23]
• On November 9, 2022, it was announced that Brian Pattie would leave for Kyle Busch Motorsports to crew chief their No. 51 truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Mike Kelley was announced as the new crew chief of the No. 47.[127]
• On November 16, 2022, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Chad Johnston would replace Mike Shiplett as the crew chief of their No. 41 car. Johnston was previously the crew chief of the No. 17 truck for David Gilliland Racing (now TRICON Garage) in the Truck Series where he worked with multiple drivers including Preece. Johnston is returning to SHR having previously worked for the team as the crew chief of their No. 14 car in 2014 and 2015 when it was driven by team co-owner Tony Stewart.[64]
• On November 23, 2022, Front Row Motorsports announced that Travis Peterson, who was the engineer and interim crew chief for the RFK Racing No. 17 in 2022, will be the new crew chief of the No. 34, replacing Blake Harris, who left for Hendrick Motorsports to be the new crew chief of the No. 48 car.[125] Ryan Bergenty, who was the car chief for McDowell, will be the new crew chief for the No. 38 car replacing Seth Barbour, who was the crew chief for that car in 2022, who has been promoted to technical director for FRM.[49]
• On January 12, 2023, Live Fast Motorsports announced that David (George)[35] Ingram Jr. would be the new crew chief of their No. 78 in 2023. Ingram moves to LFM from team co-owner B. J. McLeod's Xfinity Series team, B. J. McLeod Motorsports, where he was previously a crew chief for them in that series.[34] Lee Leslie, who was the crew chief of the No. 78 car in 2022, switched teams and series with Ingram and became a crew chief for BJMM in the Xfinity Series in 2023.[128]
• On January 23, 2023, Legacy Motor Club announced that Todd Gordon would crew chief the No. 84 for Jimmie Johnson.[31]
• On January 26, 2023, it was revealed through the release of the Clash entry list that Jerry Kelley would be the new crew chief of Rick Ware Racing's No. 51, replacing Billy Plourde, who moved to the team's No. 15 car in 2023, replacing Kevyn Rebolledo.[35]
• On June 20, 2023, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Xfinity Series crew chief Richard Boswell would replace Johnny Klausmeier as the crew chief of the No. 14 driven by Chase Briscoe starting at Nashville. Klausmeier was transferred to SHR's vehicle performance group following his four-race suspension in late-May.[67]
• On July 25, 2023, Spire Motorsports announced that Kevin Bellicourt would be replaced as the crew chief of the team's No. 77 car driven by Ty Dillon due to poor performance from the team in comparison to their other car, the No. 7 driven by Corey LaJoie. Kevin Manion, the crew chief of Spire's Xfinity Series No. 77 car and Truck Series No. 7 truck, was announced as the interim crew chief of the No. 77 car for the rest of the year except for the race at Daytona where he will be at the Milwaukee Mile on the same weekend crew chiefing in the Truck Series race.[45]
• On August 28, 2023, Team Penske announced that Jeremy Bullins, the crew chief of their No. 2 car driven by Austin Cindric, and Brian Wilson, the crew chief of the Penske-aligned Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 car driven by Harrison Burton, would switch cars for the rest of the season starting at Darlington in September after both cars failed to qualify for the 2023 playoffs. Wilson and Cindric reunite after the two of them won the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship for Penske and Bullins reunites with the Wood Brothers after previously working as the team's crew chief when Ryan Blaney drove the No. 21 car from 2015 to 2017.[69]

• On March 15, 2023, NASCAR suspended all four Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs (Cliff Daniels, Alan Gustafson, Rudy Fugle and Blake Harris) as well as Kaulig Racing No. 31 car crew chief Trent Owens for four races (Atlanta, COTA, Richmond, and the Bristol dirt race) after it was discovered during practice for the race at Phoenix in March that the hood louvers on all five cars were illegally modified. As a result, each team received an L2 penalty.[11] On March 16, Kaulig announced that they would appeal the penalty and Owens' suspension was deferred until after the appeal date.[22] On March 15, Hendrick announced that they would appeal the penalty but would choose to not delay their crew chiefs' suspensions until after the appeal date. The next day, the team announced their interim crew chiefs:[12]
  • Kevin Meendering will crew chief the No. 5. He returns to the same role he had in four races in 2022 when Cliff Daniels was suspended. He was also Jimmie Johnson's permanent crew chief for part of the 2019 season.
  • Tom Gray will crew chief the No. 9. He is the car's engineer and was also the interim crew chief for it at Watkins Glen in 2021 when Alan Gustafson was suspended.
  • Brian Campe will crew chief the No. 24. He works as a technical director for Hendrick and was also the crew chief for the JR Motorsports No. 5 car in what is now the Xfinity Series in 2009.
  • Greg Ives will crew chief the No. 48. He was the previously the permanent crew chief of the car until the end of the 2022 season, stepping down from the job for a non-crew chiefing job at Hendrick that would allow him to spend more time with his family.
• On April 6, 2023, NASCAR announced another penalty to Hendrick Motorsports as William Byron's No. 24 car and Alex Bowman's No. 48 car were found to have illegally modified greenhouse areas (the car's roof as well as the front and back windows) after the race at Richmond. Interim crew chiefs Brian Campe and Greg Ives were suspended for two races (Martinsville and Talladega, and not the next race, the Bristol dirt race, due to the penalty being announced late). Hendrick chose not to appeal the penalty. The permanent crew chiefs of those cars, Rudy Fugle for the No. 24 and Blake Harris for the No. 48, would return at Martinsville after their four race suspensions ended, so the team did not need to have third-string crew chiefs for both cars.[129]
• On April 19, 2023, NASCAR announced that Keith Rodden, the crew chief of the No. 3 car for Richard Childress Racing driven by Austin Dillon, would be suspended for two races (as part of an L1 penalty) after the team's car from the race at Martinsville was found to have an improperly assembled underwing when the car was taken to their R&D Center after the race.[38] Although RCR appealed the penalty, they chose not to delay Rodden's suspension until after the appeal date. Justin Alexander, who was the permanent crew chief of the No. 3 car in 2022 and now works as RCR's director of vehicle performance, returned to served as the car's interim crew chief at Talladega and Dover.[39]
• On May 12, 2023, NASCAR ejected 23XI Racing No. 45 car crew chief Billy Scott at Darlington after his car, driven by Tyler Reddick, failed pre-qualifying inspection twice. Dave Rogers, the performance director for 23XI, was the interim crew chief for the No. 45 car at Darlington.[73]
• On May 31, 2023, NASCAR issued an L3 penalty to Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team after a counterfeit part was found on the car after it was taken to the NASCAR R&D Center after the Coca-Cola 600. Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier was suspended for the next six races (Gateway, Sonoma, Nashville, the Chicago Street Course, Atlanta and New Hampshire)[65] The team decided not to appeal the penalty and the team's performance director, Mike Bugarewicz, was announced as the interim crew chief for those six races.[66]
• On June 7, 2023, NASCAR issued an L1 penalty to Erik Jones and the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club team after an illegally modified greenhouse area was found on their Gateway car after it was taken to the NASCAR R&D Center. On that day, the team had not yet decided if they would appeal the penalty but did decide that they would start crew chief Dave Elenz's two race suspension and Joey Cohen, the team's Vice President of Race Operations, would be the interim crew chief at Sonoma.[32][33] The team did eventually decide to appeal the penalty and Elenz was the crew chief of the No. 43 car at Nashville. After the team lost their appeal, Danny Efland, the No. 43 car's engineer, would be the interim crew chief at the Chicago Street Course when Elenz served the second race of his suspension.
• On August 20, 2023, Rodney Childers announced that he would not crew chief the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 driven by Kevin Harvick at Watkins Glen due to a family emergency that took place the morning before the race. Stephen Doran served as the interim crew chief for the race.[63]

• On November 28, 2022, Rick Ware Racing announced that they would have a technical alliance with RFK Racing beginning in 2023, ending their alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing that they had for one year in 2022.[130]
• On December 1, 2022, Live Fast Motorsports announced that they would switch from Ford to Chevrolet and have ECR Engines in 2023.[131]

• On December 20, 2021, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 car primary sponsor M&M's and parent company Mars, Incorporated announced they would be leaving NASCAR and not return in 2023.[132] JGR was unable to find a replacement sponsor.[133] (A deal with Oracle Corporation fell through.)[134] As a result, driver Kyle Busch left JGR for Richard Childress Racing and was replaced by Ty Gibbs who brought sponsorship from Monster Energy, which sponsored him in the Xfinity and ARCA Series. They will sponsor him in the Cup Series in a "strong capacity".[135]
• On January 4, 2023, it was revealed that Adrenaline Shoc (A SHOC Energy), which had been a sponsor of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 for two races in each of the last two years, will not return as a sponsor in 2023.[136] On February 16, 2023, driver Chase Elliott was announced as the latest member of the Coca-Cola Racing Family. Coca-Cola has had a rich history with the Elliott family, with Bill Elliott being a founding member of the Coca-Cola Racing Family in 1998. This also marks the iconic soft drink brand's return to Hendrick Motorsports since it last sponsored Jeff Gordon in 1996.[137]
• On January 16, 2023, Richard Childress Racing announced that Netspend, a financial solutions company, will sponsor the No. 8 for the COTA race and select races in 2023.[138]
• On January 31, 2023, SunnyD was announced as the sponsor of the Rick Ware Racing No. 15 driven by Riley Herbst at the 2023 Daytona 500. In addition, the orange juice brand will sponsor the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 driven by Kevin Harvick at Darlington and the Kansas playoff race.[139]
• On February 3, 2023, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Monster Energy will sponsor the No. 54 driven by Ty Gibbs for majority of the 2023 season. Monster Energy has supported Gibbs since 2019, including his 2021 ARCA Menards Series and 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series championships.[140]
• On February 15, 2023, hard rock band Guns N' Roses announced it will sponsor the Legacy Motor Club No. 43 driven by Erik Jones for the 2023 Daytona 500.[141]
• On April 4, 2023, Procter & Gamble were announced as the sponsor of Kaulig Racing at the Bristol dirt race, with the No. 16 driven by A. J. Allmendinger sporting a Gain paint scheme and the No. 31 driven by Justin Haley in the Tide colors.[142]
• On May 9, 2023, Live Fast Motorsports announced that YouTuber Eric Estepp's channel Out of the Groove and podcast The Daily Downforce will sponsor the No. 78 driven by B. J. McLeod at Darlington.[143]
• On May 9, 2023, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Jinya Ramen Bar signed on to sponsor the No. 5 driven by Kyle Larson through 2024.[144]
• On June 5, 2023, it was announced that Camping World would sponsor Andy Lally in the five road course races he would drive the Rick Ware Racing No. 15 car in. This is their first time back in NASCAR since ending their title sponsorship of the Truck Series after the 2022 season.[57]
• On September 25, 2023, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Old Spice and Wonder Bread would sponsor the No. 14 driven by Chase Briscoe and the No. 41 driven by Ryan Preece, respectively, at Talladega as a tribute to the 2006 film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.[145]

Bolded races indicate a NASCAR Major, also known as a Crown Jewel race.

After NASCAR used a Chicago Street Course track in the 2021 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, it was speculated that NASCAR would like to make it a reality and have a street race in Chicago on the Cup Series schedule in the future. On July 7, 2022, Jordan Bianchi from The Athletic reported that an official announcement of this being added to the Cup Series schedule would come on July 19.[166] On June 17, Adam Stern from Sports Business Journal suggested that the Chicago Street Course could replace Road America on the 2023 Cup Series schedule as the street race would likely replace one of the road course races and Road America does not have a contract to have a Cup Series race in 2023.[167] Both the addition of the Chicago street race to the schedule and the fact that it would replace the race at Road America came on July 19.[160]

On June 24, 2022, Adam Stern also reported that Fox Sports, which has the TV rights to the All-Star Race, has been trying to convince NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports to move the NASCAR All-Star Race to a different venue each year as is the case in other sports. After the 2022 All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway, which was widely considered unpopular and controversial by fans and the industry, the track tweeted that they would be hosting the All-Star Race again in 2023. However, the tweet was deleted amidst negative reactions to the announcement, leading to speculation that plans could change.[168] On September 7, it was revealed that the All-Star race will take place on the renovated North Wilkesboro Speedway.[169] It would be the first NASCAR Cup race on the track since 1996, after its dates were replaced by races at Texas Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 1997.

On January 2, 2023, thespun.com reported that the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway will be reduced to 400 miles. The article states that it is an attempted overall effort by NASCAR to hopefully reduce race times, so that they are closer to 2.5 hours, than the normal 3.5 to 4 hours.[170] The Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was likewise shortened from 500 miles for similar reasons.

Exhibition: Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum

Aric Almirola won the pole from the heat races. Ryan Blaney spun and collected Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and Daniel Suarez. Blaney would spin two more times while Bubba Wallace, who led a lot of laps, spun and got into the wall. Martin Truex Jr. would hold off Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch for the win.[171]

Speedweeks 2023

In Daytona 500 qualifying, Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports won the pole and was joined on the front row by teammate Kyle Larson. Jimmie Johnson and Travis Pastrana made the Daytona 500 on speed.[172]

In the first Duel, Bowman started on pole. Joey Logano dominated and won the caution free Duel by holding off Christopher Bell. In the second Duel, Larson started on pole. Kyle Busch spun while leading after contact with Daniel Suárez and collected Riley Herbst, Austin Hill, and Justin Haley. Aric Almirola held off Austin Cindric to win the second Duel. Conor Daly and Zane Smith made the race while Hill and Chandler Smith failed to qualify.[173]

Round 1: Daytona 500

Alex Bowman started on pole. Brad Keselowski won the first stage. Tyler Reddick spun after contact with Kevin Harvick and collected Chase Elliott and Erik Jones. Ross Chastain won the second stage. Ryan Preece spun into the pack and collected Harvick, Michael McDowell, and Martin Truex Jr. Daniel Suárez spun, sending the race to overtime. Austin Dillon spun after contact with William Byron and collected Chastain, Jimmie Johnson, Zane Smith, and Harrison Burton. On the restart, Kyle Larson spun and collected Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, and Travis Pastrana as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the race over Joey Logano under caution.[174]

Round 2: Pala Casino 400

Christopher Bell was awarded the pole after qualifying was canceled due to rain. Kyle Larson went to the garage with an electrical issue and returned several laps down. A. J. Allmendinger spun after contact with Corey LaJoie. Ross Chastain dominated, winning both stages and leading the most laps. A wreck occurred when the field stacked up on a restart, collecting Bell, Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick, Justin Haley, Ryan Preece, Todd Gilliland, and Ryan Blaney. Kyle Busch overtook Chastain on the final round of green flag pit stops and pulled away to score his first win with Richard Childress Racing and Lucas Oil, and breaking the tie with Richard Petty for the most consecutive seasons with at least one win with 19 straight seasons.[175]

Round 3: Pennzoil 400

Joey Logano won the pole. William Byron dominated, winning both stages and leading the most laps. Logano got into the wall after contact with Brad Keselowski and spun through the grass. Kyle Larson was headed to the win when Aric Almirola got into the wall, sending the race to overtime. A. J. Allmendinger got into the wall after contact with Ryan Preece as Byron took the lead from Martin Truex Jr. and held off teammates Larson and Alex Bowman for the win.[176]

Round 4: United Rentals Work United 500

Kyle Larson won the pole. William Byron won the first stage while Larson won the second stage. Aric Almirola had a tire come off after a pit stop. Kevin Harvick, who was looking for his 10th career win at Phoenix Raceway, was leading comfortably with 10 laps to go, but a caution came out for a Harrison Burton spin on the frontstretch. On the caution pit stops, Harvick took 4 tires and fell back to 7th. On the ensuing restart, A. J. Allmendinger and Noah Gragson got together and collected Ty Gibbs, sending the race to overtime. Byron took the lead from Larson and held off Ryan Blaney for his second straight win.[177] The Wednesday following the race, NASCAR handed L2 penalties to all 4 Hendrick Motorsports teams as well as the No. 31 Kaulig Racing team of Justin Haley for a loss of 100 points (owners only for No. 9, as Elliott was injured and Josh Berry, his replacement, is a Xfinity Series regular), 10 playoff points, and fined $100,000 for illegally modifying hood louvers prior to practice, while Denny Hamlin was fined $50,000 and docked 25 points for intentionally wrecking Ross Chastain on the final restart (Hamlin's penalty came after an admission on his Actions Detrimental podcast).[178]

Round 5: Ambetter Health 400

Joey Logano won the pole. Bubba Wallace got into the wall early as Logano won the first stage while Austin Cindric won the second stage. Kevin Harvick spun while leading and collected Josh Berry, Chris Buescher, Harrison Burton, William Byron, and BJ McLeod. Aric Almirola blew a tire while leading and spun, collecting Kyle Larson. Logano made a last lap pass on Brad Keselowski to win.[179]

Round 6: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix

William Byron won the pole. Ty Dillon made contact with Brad Keselowski and collected Jimmie Johnson, who exited the race early. Bryon won the first stage while Tyler Reddick won the second stage. Austin Dillon got a flat tire, sending the race to overtime. On the restart, Ryan Preece got into Ryan Blaney, causing heavy damage. On the next restart, Daniel Suárez got a flat tire. On the third restart, Reddick pulled away from the field and picked up his first win with 23XI Racing and Monster Energy.[180]

Round 7: Toyota Owners 400

Alex Bowman won the pole after qualifying was canceled due to rain. J. J. Yeley spun after contact with Denny Hamlin as William Byron won the first stage. Hamlin would win the second stage. Byron spun after contact with Christopher Bell. Kyle Larson would hold off teammate Josh Berry for the win as Berry scored his best career Cup Series finish filling in for Chase Elliott.[181]

Round 8: Food City Dirt Race

Kyle Larson won the pole from the heat races. Joey Logano got in the wall after contact with William Byron, collecting Todd Gilliland and Bubba Wallace. Larson won the first stage while Tyler Reddick won the second stage. Ryan Preece got loose and got into Larson, putting them into the wall. On a restart, Ryan Blaney spun but continued on. Christopher Bell held off Reddick as a caution came out on the final lap for the win.[182]

Round 9: NOCO 400

Ryan Preece won the pole. Preece dominated and won the caution free first stage, but after leading the next few laps on the restart, Precce was penalized for speeding. Kevin Harvick won the second stage after a spin by Harrison Burton. Chase Briscoe took the lead and led a lot of laps. Joey Logano had the lead late, but Kyle Larson took the lead from Logano and pulled away to his second win of the season.[183]

Round 10: GEICO 500

Denny Hamlin won the pole. Chase Elliott won the first stage while Aric Almirola won the second stage. Harrison Burton spun from the lead after contact with Noah Gragson. Late in the race, several drivers were coming close on fuel. Joey Logano got into the wall after contact with Daniel Suárez and collected Corey LaJoie and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., sending the race to overtime. On the restart, Gragson got into the wall after contact with Ross Chastain and collected Almirola, Kevin Harvick, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Preece. On the final lap, Bubba Wallace spun from the lead trying to block a run by Ryan Blaney and brought out the caution. Kyle Busch had the lead at the moment of caution and had enough fuel to make it back to the flags for his second win of the season and his first at Talladega since 2008.[184]

Round 11: Würth 400

The Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway in May

Kyle Busch won the pole after qualifying was canceled due to rain. The race was postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain. Brennan Poole got into the wall after contact with Ross Chastain and collected Kyle Larson. William Byron won the first stage while Chastain won the second stage. Joey Logano lost a tire and got into the wall. On the restart, Martin Truex Jr. held off Chastain for his third Dover win on a Monday to snap a 54-race winless streak and complete a brother sweep as his brother Ryan Truex won his first Xfinity Series race two days prior.[185]

Round 12: AdventHealth 400

William Byron won the pole. Kyle Larson spun from the lead early after contact with Tyler Reddick. Byron would get into the wall and fall back in the field. Denny Hamlin won the first stage while Joey Logano won the second stage. Kyle Busch spun and got into the wall after a flat tire. Late in the race, Noah Gragson got into the wall after contact with Ross Chastain. Larson and Hamlin battled for the lead and on the final lap, Larson got into the wall and Hamlin made the pass for the win, tying Tony Stewart on NASCAR's All-Time Wins List and earning the 400th NASCAR win for Joe Gibbs Racing.[186]

Round 13: Goodyear 400

Martin Truex Jr. won the pole. Truex won the first stage, but spun after contact with Ross Chastain, who won the second stage. Late in the race, Erik Jones lost a tire and spun collecting Michael McDowell, Daniel Suárez, Austin Dillon, and Ryan Newman. Truex got turned into the wall by Joey Logano and collected Aric Almirola and Tyler Reddick. On the restart, Chastain and Kyle Larson got into the wall while battling for the lead, sending the race to overtime. On the restart, William Byron held off Kevin Harvick for his third win of the season and the 100th Cup Series victory for the #24.[187]

Exhibition: NASCAR All-Star Race

In The Open, Ty Gibbs started on pole. Noah Gragson got into the wall and collected Todd Gilliland, Chandler Smith, and Ryan Newman. Josh Berry held off Gibbs to win the Open and advanced to the All-Star Race with Gibbs and Gragson, who won the fan vote.

In the All-Star Race, Daniel Suárez started on pole. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun after contact with Erik Jones. Kyle Larson dominated and held off Bubba Wallace to win the $1 million for his third All-Star Race win, his third in five years.[188]

Round 14: Coca-Cola 600

William Byron won the pole after qualifying was canceled due to rain. The race was postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain. Jimmie Johnson spun twice early as Byron won the first stage. After a small delay due to rain, the race resumed. Denny Hamlin got turned into the wall by Chase Elliott, taking both out of the race. Chris Buescher won the second stage while Ryan Blaney won the third stage. Kevin Harvick spun after contact with Tyler Reddick. Kyle Larson spun and collected Joey Logano and Ty Gibbs. On the restart, Blaney pulled away and held off Byron for the win.[189]

Round 15: Enjoy Illinois 300

Kyle Busch won the pole. The race was red flagged due to lightning. When the race resumed, Busch won the first stage while Ryan Blaney won the second stage. Several drivers had brake rotor issues including Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick, and Noah Gragson. Austin Dillon got into Ricky Stenhouse Jr. after contact with Austin Cindric. Bubba Wallace got into the wall, sending the race to overtime. Busch held off Denny Hamlin for his third win of the season.[190]

Round 16: Toyota/Save Mart 350

Denny Hamlin won the pole. Hamlin won the first stage while Kyle Busch won the second stage. Hamlin spun and got into the wall after breaking the toe link. Tyler Reddick spun after a flat tire. Martin Truex Jr. dominated, passing Chase Elliott for the lead and holding off Busch for his second win of the season and fourth at Sonoma.[191]

Round 17: Ally 400

Ross Chastain won the pole. Tyler Reddick won the first stage. During Stage 2, Reddick spun coming down pit road due to a right rear wheel separation, resulting in a penalty. On the restart, Ryan Blaney spun and hit the bare concrete wall near the infield. Denny Hamlin won the second stage. Chastain would get the lead back in the final stage and held off Martin Truex Jr. for the win.[192]

Round 18: Grant Park 220

Denny Hamlin won the pole. Erik Jones locked up on Lap 1 and hit Brad Keselowski, sending him into Noah Gragson, with all three hitting the tire barrier. Kyle Busch sled and hit the tire barrier, causing a caution. Alex Bowman exited the race early with a blown engine. Christopher Bell won both stages. The race was then red flagged because of heavy rain and the remainder of the race was postponed until the following day. When the race resumed, Bell sled into the tire barrier and caused several cars to clog the track. Austin Dillon would get into the wall while he and Justin Haley were fighting for the lead. Martin Truex Jr. spun into the tire barrier. On the restart, New Zealand-born V8 Supercars driver Shane van Gisbergen took the lead from Haley. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got into the tire barrier after contact with Bubba Wallace, sending the race to overtime. On the restart, van Gisbergen held off Haley to win the race for Trackhouse Racing, earning his first Cup Series victory in his NASCAR debut, and becoming the first driver to win in their first career start since Johnny Rutherford in 1963.[193]

Round 19: Quaker State 400

Aric Almirola won the pole. Ryan Blaney won the first stage while Brad Keselowski won the second stage. Kyle Larson spun after contact with Erik Jones. Alex Bowman got loose and spun into Denny Hamlin. Ryan Preece spun out and collected Bubba Wallace. William Byron, despite spinning out on Lap 80 and being dealt a pit road penalty, was in the race lead. The race went seven laps under caution before NASCAR officials waved the Red flag at Lap 185 and ordered all cars to pit road as rain began to hit the track and lightning was spotted several miles from the track. With heavy rain showers and lightning, NASCAR officials declared the race official after 185 laps with Byron named the winner.[194]

Round 20: Crayon 301

Christopher Bell won the pole. Kyle Busch slammed into the wall along with Corey LaJoie. Aric Almirola hit the wall hard due to a loose wheel while leading the race. Martin Truex Jr. dominated, leading 154 laps and winning both stages. Bell slammed into the wall late. On the restart, Truex would hold off Joey Logano for his third win of the season.[195]

Round 21: HighPoint.com 400

William Byron won the pole. Joey Logano won stage one, but crashed out on a restart with Daniel Suárez. Kyle Larson would stretch his fuel and win the second stage. Austin Dillon crashed hard into the wall after contact with Tyler Reddick in the final stage, resulting in Dillon throwing his helmet at Reddick's car while the race was under caution. Various pit strategies would occur during the final stage with Larson cycling to the lead on a two tire gamble. On a late race restart, Denny Hamlin would force Larson into the wall for the lead. Hamlin would pull away on the final restart as Ryan Preece spun and was unable to get his car re-fired on the final lap. Hamlin won under caution for his second win of the season, his 50th career win, and earned his record seventh Pocono win, breaking a tie with Jeff Gordon.[196]

Round 22: Cook Out 400

Tyler Reddick won the pole. Reddick led every lap in a caution-free stage 1 and won the stage. Brad Keselowski won a caution-free stage 2. At the start of the final stage, Keselowski stayed out front. During a pit stop on lap 285, Keselowski almost missed his stall and ended up partially sideways, resulting in a lengthy pit stop and never retook the lead. After differing tire strategies throughout the final stage, Chris Buescher cycled to the lead on lap 305. Daniel Suárez spun after contact with Noah Gragson. After pit stops and the restart with 3 laps to go, Buescher retained the lead and pulled away from Denny Hamlin for his third career win and locked himself into the playoffs.[197]

Round 23: FireKeepers Casino 400

Christopher Bell won the pole. Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott both exited the race early due to damage from tire issues. Martin Truex Jr. won the first stage as William Byron got into the wall after a flat tire. Bell would get back to the lead, but got into the wall battling Alex Bowman for the spot. The race was red flagged due to rain and the remainder of the race was postponed until the following day. When the race resumed, Truex passed Daniel Suarez for the lead and won the second stage. Front Row teammates Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland got together and collected Bowman. Chris Buescher would take the lead after the final round of green flag pit stops and held off a charging Truex for the second straight win.[198]

Round 24: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard

Daniel Suárez won the pole. The race featured international drivers like Shane van Gisbergen, Brodie Kostecki, Mike Rockenfeller, Jenson Button, and Kamui Kobayashi. Justin Haley got into the tire barrier after contact with Joey Logano. Michael McDowell won the first stage while Denny Hamlin won the second stage. McDowell was able to hold off Chase Elliott to score the win for his second career victory.[199]

Round 25: Go Bowling at The Glen

Denny Hamlin won the pole. Michael McDowell would win the first stage while William Byron won the second stage. McDowell exited the race due to an electrical issue. Chase Elliott ran out of fuel during the race and stalled on the track, causing the only caution of the day. Byron outdueled Kyle Busch and then pulled away to his fifth win of the season and his first career win on a road course.[200]

Round 26: Coke Zero Sugar 400

Chase Briscoe won the pole. Martin Truex, Jr. would win the first stage and clinch the regular-season championship. On the final lap of stage 2, Ty Gibbs would spin from the lead after a shove from Christopher Bell on turn 4 and cause "The Big One" involving multiple cars including Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Riley Herbst, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as Brad Keselowski won the second stage. Kevin Harvick was leading when his teammate Ryan Preece spun after contact with Erik Jones and went airborne and flipped in the infield grass a dozen times before coming to rest on its wheels with 5 laps to go, also collecting Briscoe. In overtime, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski drove past Harvick and got a 1-2 finish for the team and Buescher’s third win in five races. Bubba Wallace got the final playoff spot, beating out favorites Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman.[201]

Round 27: Cook Out Southern 500

Christopher Bell won the pole. Denny Hamlin swept the stages and led the most laps. The race came to a halt as the lights inside the track in Turns 3 and 4 did not illuminate when the sun set. Hamlin later pitted because of a loose wheel and would never return to the front. Kevin Harvick, who was second at the time, went to pit during green flag stops. Tyler Reddick, who was the leader at the time, tried to do the same at the last second, resulting in him checking up, hitting Ryan Newman and causing him to spin. The caution came and closed pit road before Harvick crossed the pit entry line. Harvick was penalized as he took a full pit-stop, which placed him at the end of the lead lap. Kyle Larson was able to pass Reddick for the lead during pit stops. Alex Bowman and Daniel Suarez got together and collected Harrison Burton. Larson held the lead on the restart and won the race, advancing to the next round of the playoffs.[202]

Round 28: Hollywood Casino 400

Christopher Bell won his second straight pole. Martin Truex Jr. suffered a broken suspension and got into the wall on Lap 4, exiting the race and hurting his points. Kyle Larson won the first stage while Brad Keselowski won the second stage. Chris Buescher got into the wall after a flat tire, sending the race to overtime. Daniel Suarez stayed off pit road while the leaders pit and Erik Jones, Kyle Busch, and Joey Logano took two while everyone else took four. On the restart, Tyler Reddick made a three-wide pass on Logano and Jones and won the race to advance to the next round of the playoffs.[203]

Round 29: Bass Pro Shops Night Race

Christopher Bell won his third straight pole. Bell dominated and won both stages. Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs both also had dominant cars. In the final stage, Corey LaJoie spun and slammed into Joey Logano, knocking Logano out of the race and ended his hopes of a second straight title. Martin Truex Jr. got into the wall after a flat tire. Hamlin would pull away from the field and score the win, advancing to the next round of the playoffs while Kevin Harvick, Logano, Michael McDowell, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were eliminated.[204]

Round 30: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400

Bubba Wallace won the pole. RCR teammates Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch both got into the wall after tire issues, taking them both out of the race. Tyler Reddick won the first stage while Kyle Larson won the second stage. Wallace continued his dominance and late in the race was battling Larson for the lead when Larson got loose and spun hard into the wall. Bubba pulled away on the restart, but Reddick and Erik Jones got in the wall and collected Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, and AJ Allmendinger. On the restart, William Byron made a three-wide pass on Wallace and Chase Briscoe and pulled away and held off Ross Chastain to advance to the next round of the playoffs and earning the 300th Cup Series victory for Hendrick Motorsports.[205]

Round 31: YellaWood 500

Aric Almirola won the pole. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran out of fuel at the end of the first stage and slowed up causing Ross Chastain to get into the wall with Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell as Ryan Blaney won the stage. Brad Keselowski won the second stage, but would later make contact with Carson Hocevar and start a big wreck collecting Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher, Harrison Burton, Ty Gibbs, and others which brought out the red flag. On the last lap, the field wrecked involving Chase Elliott, Riley Herbst, Chase Briscoe, and Austin Cindric as Blaney beat Kevin Harvick to the line to win the race and advance to the next round of the playoffs. Harvick would later be disqualified after failing post-race inspection and was credited with last place.[206]

Round 32: Bank of America Roval 400

Tyler Reddick won the pole. Reddick won the first stage while Chase Elliott won the second stage. However, Elliot just missed his planned stop when a caution came out just as he was approaching pit road, resulting in him being shuffled to the back of the pack due to pitting under caution. Denny Hamlin got stacked up, spun, and made contact with Mike Rockenfeller, taking him out of the race. Erik Jones spun after contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Michael McDowell, who had power steering issues, slammed into the back of Jones. A. J. Allmendinger took the lead from Kyle Busch halfway through the race and held off William Byron for his third career win. Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Busch, and Bubba Wallace were eliminated from the playoffs.[207]

Round 33: South Point 400

Christopher Bell won the pole, his fourth in the playoffs. Kyle Larson dominated, winning both stages. Legacy Motor Club drivers Erik Jones and Carson Hocevar both had flat tires along with Chase Briscoe, resulting in the latter two spinning. Alex Bowman slammed the wall and exited the race after losing power steering. Larson, despite minor damage after getting loose into the wall during Stage 2, held off a charging Bell to win and advance to the Championship 4 in Phoenix. Ryan Blaney, who had finished sixth, was originally disqualified after post-race inspection found his car's left front shock didn't meet the overall specified length, but NASCAR rescinded the disqualification after the damper template used for post-race inspection was discovered to have an issue.[208]

Round 34: 4EVER 400

Martin Truex Jr. won the pole. Kyle Larson won the first stage while Ryan Blaney won the second stage. During green flag pit stops, Larson slammed into the sand barrels at the entrance of pit road, causing him to exit the race. Denny Hamlin got a flat tire and slammed the wall and Truex suffered a blown engine, taking them both out. Their teammate Christopher Bell took the lead from William Byron and held off Blaney to win the race and advance to the Championship 4 in Phoenix.[209]

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by competition-based formula. * – Most laps led. ¹ – Stage 1 winner. ² – Stage 2 winner. ³ – Stage 3 winner.[N 1]^1–10 - Regular season top 10 finishers.
. – Eliminated after Round of 16 . – Eliminated after Round of 12 . – Eliminated after Round of 8

Notes

After 34 of 36 races