While 12 drivers and teams will continue in their quests to hoist the Bill France Cup at the end of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway marked the end of the line for four drivers and teams.
With the sting of a first-round exit from the Playoffs on the docket, what is next for those who were eliminated from championship contention on Saturday night?
Ty Gibbs
No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Team
A season that started off so strongly for Ty Gibbs and his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team fizzled out as the 21-year-old was bounced from the Playoffs with a 15th-place run in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Early in the season, the question wasn’t if Gibbs would pick up his first career win, it was simply a question of when.
At the end of the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, the sixth race of the season, Gibbs ranked second in the championship standings, and he had a pair of third-place finishes. While he had flashes of brilliance in pieces of the season, Gibbs never was able to match the form of that opening six-race stretch, and he also never picked up that first career win.
So, what’s next? Gibbs and his team will attempt to find the magic they had earlier in the season over the final seven races of the 2024 campaign in an effort to build momentum for the 2025 season. While the year has been positive as Gibbs secured his first-career NASCAR Cup Series Playoff berth, he needs to check off his first win sooner, rather than later. If he can play Playoff spoiler at some point through the remainder of the Playoffs by picking up a win, he and his No. 54 team will come out of the gates with a ton of confidence in 2025.
Martin Truex Jr.
No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Team
Martin Truex Jr.’s bid to pile another NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy on his mantle before heading into his anticipated NASCAR Hall of Fame enshrinement in 2028 came to an end on Saturday night with a 24th-place finish.
The night was a true encapsulation of the 2024 season for Truex and the No. 19 team as they had a fast car, evidenced by Truex making it as high up in the field as second, but they shot themselves in the foot. Truex was busted for speeding on pit road with under 170 laps remaining in the race, which sent him back to the 24th position. In a race, where passing was extremely difficult, Truex could make up no ground down the stretch.
So, what’s next? For Truex, he’ll wind down the final seven races of his full-time NASCAR Cup Series driving career and will look to snag a win before the year is over. He’s expected to run the Daytona 500, and possibly a few other NASCAR Cup and Xfinity races in 2025, but he’s taking a big step back. For his No. 19 team, led by crew chief James Small, they know they’re in capable hands next season as Chase Briscoe, who advanced to the Round of 12 driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, will be moving over to their car next season.
Brad Keselowski
No. 6 RFK Racing Team
Brad Keselowski picked up a win at Darlington Raceway in the spring, his first points-paying win with RFK Racing, and made his second consecutive Playoff appearance as an owner/driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, but a first-round exit will, unfortunately, make the 2024 season seem like an overall step backward for RFK Racing.
While the team had two cars reach victory lane for the first time since the 2013 season, only one (Keselowski) made the Playoffs, down from two a season ago. Last year, both Keselowski and Chris Buescher made it through the Round of 16 to the Round of 12, and Buescher worked his way into the Round of 8 of the Playoffs.
So, what’s next? RFK Racing can use the fact that they are no longer chasing points within the Playoffs and can take more chances while attempting to research and develop additional performance items for the 2025 season. If they can find something over the final seven races of the 2024 season, it could set them up for a great start to the 2025 campaign. The team is at a crossroads, will 2023 be seen as its peak? Or will they take another step forward next season?
Harrison Burton
No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Team
The biggest underdog within the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Harrison Burton, exited the Playoffs after a power steering issue in the final race of the Round of 16. While being bounced from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is never a good thing, the No. 21 team has a lot to be thankful for in 2024.
The Wood Brothers finally got their long-awaited 100th win as Burton won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona to secure his Playoff berth. And had it not been for a last-lap crash at Atlanta, and a mechanical issue at Bristol, they very well could have been in the mix to advance.
So, what’s next? Burton will move back to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with AM Racing next year, while Wood Brothers Racing will be paired with Josh Berry. This past weekend, a trade occurred, which sent Corey LaJoie to Rick Ware Racing, and Justin Haley to Spire Motorsports. With seven races left, and neither team in the Playoffs, you wonder if there could be any benefit for the Wood Brothers and fellow Ford team Stewart-Haas Racing to swap their drivers?
