2023 season preview: Rick Ware Racing, Live Fast Motorsports, non-charters
Editor‘s Note: Today‘s preview begins NASCAR.com‘s countdown of team previews for the 2023 Cup Series season, ranked in reverse order of best finish in last year‘s owner standings.
RICK WARE RACING
Manufacturer: Ford
Engine: Roush-Yates
Driver-crew chief pairings: Cody Ware-Billy Plourde (No. 51), TBD (No. 15)
Drivers:
Cody Ware, No. 51
Experience: Second full-time season in NASCAR Cup Series
2022 stats: 32nd in final standings, one top 10
2023 championship odds (BetMGM): N/A
TBD, Rick Ware Racing, No. 15
Team/driver(s) outlook:
A collective effort from two combined entries and seven drivers in 2022 totaled out to three top-10 finishes, headlined by David Ragan‘s two and Cody Ware‘s one. As such, 2023 will revolve around improving the margins and working with new equipment. A technical alliance with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing beginning this year will look to propel the program to newer heights. Although the driver of the No. 15 entry has yet to be fully decided, the two-car operation will look to work through these new changes in the hopes of finding more consistency on the track.
LIVE FAST MOTORSPORTS
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: ECR Engines
Driver-crew chief pairings: Multiple-David Ingram
Drivers:
BJ McLeod, No. 78
Experience: Eighth part-time season in NASCAR Cup Series
2022 stats: 29 starts, one top 10
2023 championship odds (BetMGM): 1,000-1
Josh Bilicki, No. 78
Experience: Seventh part-time season in NASCAR Cup Series
2022 stats: 16 starts; zero top 10s
Team/driver(s) outlook:
One defining word could emphasize Live Fast Motorsports in 2023: Change. David Ingram‘s entry atop the pit box will be one particular giveaway. Another comes in the form of a manufacturer switch. In what will be its third year at the full-time Cup level, the team will transition from Ford to Chevrolet. After 2022 results included one top-10 finish (a career-best seventh for McLeod in August at Daytona), the team will look to continue the momentum. When combining the efforts between McLeod, Bilicki and other potential drivers depending on sponsorship, this change should produce positive fruit.
BEARD MOTORSPORTS
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: ECR Engines
Driver-crew chief pairings: Austin Hill-Darren Shaw (No. 62)
Drivers:
Austin Hill, No. 62
Experience: First part-time season in NASCAR Cup Series
2022 stats: 1 start
Team/driver(s) outlook:
An 18th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway last year is the only piece of Hill‘s resume he could say was Cup-related. Despite only holding one Cup race under his belt heading into 2023, the 28-year-old will have the opportunity to add to it with a six-race Cup stint. In addition to having to race their way into a Daytona 500 starting spot, races on the team‘s docket include Talladega Superspeedway (April 23), Chicago Street Course (July 2), Michigan International Speedway (Aug. 26) and a second appearance at Talladega and Daytona (Aug. 26 and Oct. 1, respectively). With a blossoming driver behind the wheel in Hill — who finished sixth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series points standings in his first full year in the circuit — the team will look to make its 2023 expansion from four races to six a worthwhile one.
THE MONEY TEAM RACING
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: ECR Engines
Driver-crew chief pairings: N/A
2022 drivers:
Kaz Grala, No. 50
2022 stats: 3 starts
Conor Daly, No. 50
2022 stats: 1 start
Team/driver(s) outlook:
A limited 2022 schedule included appearances in the Daytona 500, where the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-led team took to the track and eventually finished 26th in the No. 50 Chevrolet. The team participated in four total races in 2022, and while the team‘s 2023 plans have yet to be decided, a similar schedule could help build the program further. Patience is key.
TEAM HEZEBERG
Manufacturer: Ford
Engine: N/A
Driver-crew chief pairings: N/A
2022 drivers:
Loris Hezemans, No. 27
2022 stats: 5 starts
Jacques Villeneuve, No. 27
2022 stats: 1 start
Team/driver(s) outlook:
Competing at the Daytona 500 and Circuit of The Americas were just a pair of highlights for the team and drivers collectively. Villeneuve even turned in his second-best finish in the Cup Series after his 22nd-place finish in last year‘s Daytona 500 (he finished 21st at Talladega in 2007). Although 2023 plans and decisions have yet to be decided, the team and racers could once again make an appearance at a host of high-profile races during the season.
NY RACING
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine: ECR Engines
Driver-crew chief pairings: Greg Biffle-Jay Guy (No. 44)
2022 driver:
Greg Biffle, No. 44
2022 stats: 5 starts
Team/driver(s) outlook:
The 14-year Cup Series veteran (2003-16) in Biffle returned to the track in nostalgic fashion last season, racing at Daytona International Speedway in the Daytona 500 and Talladega, among a handful of additional races. Although the team‘s 2023 schedule has yet to be fully decided, Biffle is once again expected to return and could vie for another steady Cup performance or two.
MBM MOTORSPORTS
Manufacturer: Ford
Engine: MBM Motorsports
Driver-crew chief pairings: N/A
2022 drivers:
J.J. Yeley, No. 55
2022 stats: 19 starts (1 start for MBM)
Timmy Hill, No. 66
2022 stats: 0 starts (failed to qualify at Daytona 500)
Boris Said, No. 66
2022 stats: 1 start
Team/driver(s) outlook:
Although 2023 plans have yet to be revealed, MGM Motorsports has shown itself to be a mainstay in both the Xfinity and Cup Series. When speaking about the latter, the team turned in two total starts during the 2022 campaign (Circuit of The Americas and Talladega).
NASCAR.com 2023 team previews schedule
Jan. 23: Non-chartered and teams outside the top 30
Jan. 24: Spire Motorsports
Jan. 25: Wood Brothers Racing
Jan. 26: JTG Daugherty Racing
Jan. 27: Front Row Motorsports
Jan. 30: Kaulig Racing
Jan. 31: RFK Racing
Feb. 1: Legacy Motor Club
Feb. 2: Richard Childress Racing
Feb. 7: 23XI Racing
Feb. 8: Stewart-Haas Racing
Feb. 9: Joe Gibbs Racing
Feb. 10: Hendrick Motorsports
Feb. 13: Trackhouse Racing
Feb. 14: Team Penske
