Motorsport News

Who Didn’t Return to NASCAR in 2024?

#4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Busch Light Peach Ford Mustang

Another year, another group of drivers whose 2024 racing plans didn’t involve any of NASCAR’s national series.

But unlike some years, which see a handful of retiring racers among the ranks (which is to say: yes, of course this driver didn’t come back; they explicitly said they wouldn’t), just one — Kevin Harvick — stayed away from the sport in 2024.

The remainder is a diverse group of (currently) former NASCAR competitors, from a past Daytona 500 winner to a journeyman owner-driver who’d made at least one appearance every year since the mid-2000s, from former Formula 1 champions to drivers who simply didn’t have a place on the schedule with the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series removing dirt tracks from their 2024 programs.

Below, check out each driver who made at least one appearance in a national series in 2023 but did not in 2024, and click through each year to see past editions of this article on Frontstretch.

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

Trevor Bayne: Trevor Bayne‘s on-again-off-again NASCAR career was again dormant in 2024, following similarly inactive years in 2021 and 2019. He remained part of the sport as the driver optimization leader at Legacy Motor Club and as an analyst at FOX Sports.

Jenson Button: The 2009 Formula 1 champion didn’t make a return foray to NASCAR after a three-race Cup stint in 2023. Jenson Button‘s 2024 activity included a podium finish at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, plus starts in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Casey Carden: Though he didn’t make another attempt at his first NASCAR start, Casey Carden remained a presence in the ARCA Menards Series, making three appearances between Rise Motorsports and Clubb Racing Inc., with a best finish of 23rd for Rise at Michigan International Speedway.

Tyler Carpenter: Dirt phenom Tyler Carpenter was one of a handful of 2023 NASCAR competitors who had little use for the sport in 2024 with dirt racing off its schedule. He was the champion in the steel block late model division of the Dirt Track World Championship.

Tanner Carrick: Like Carpenter, Tanner Carrick returned to the dirt racing circuit in 2024, racking up multiple wins.

Parker Chase: Road course specialist Parker Chase didn’t make a NASCAR appearance in 2024 after three years of NASCAR Xfinity Series and Truck starts.

Chad Chastain: Ross Chastain‘s younger brother Chad snapped a three-year…

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