Analyzing a busy week of NASCAR free-agency signings

After months of waiting to see who will fill various seats in all three of NASCAR's top series, it seems that the garage has decided to collectively dump all of its 2024 driver news at once this past week.

Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Kaulig Racing and Front Row Motorsports are all among the teams that have made driver-related announcements in recent days. Let's take a look.

Sheldon Creed, Chandler Smith, Aric Almirola and others: Joe Gibbs Racing (Xfinity Series)

On Wednesday, it was announced that Creed and Smith will join Joe Gibbs Racing's Xfinity Series program in full-time cars; Creed in the No. 18 and Smith in the No. 81. Both drove in the same series in 2023 for other teams, Creed with Richard Childress Racing and Smith with Kaulig Racing.

Additionally, Almirola will run most of the season in JGR's No. 20 after stepping down from full-time Cup Series competition. The team will also run a fourth car, the No. 19, for a rotation of drivers including Taylor Gray, Ryan Truex, Joe Graf Jr. and William Sawalich.

Creed and Smith both have the potential to break out into title-caliber performers with Gibbs, while Almirola should also still be able to compete for some wins. JGR certainly could've ended up a lot worse off after losing 2023 full-time drivers John Hunter Nemechek to the Cup Series and Sammy Smith to rival Xfinity team JR Motorsports.

Noah Gragson: Stewart-Haas Racing (Cup Series)

Gragson had been rumored to be taking over SHR's No. 10 Cup Series ride for some time, and it's now official. This is a controversial hire after Gragson was suspended in August due to racially insensitive social media activity, but aside from that, it's a head-scratching move at best. 

Gragson's 2023 season was one to forget. In 21 races with Legacy Motor Club's No. 42 entry, he scored exactly one finish inside the top 20. His most notable on-track moment of the season was at the Chicago Street Course when he drove straight into a tire barrier multiple times, unassisted.

Some will blame his poor performance on overdriving to compensate for a slow car, but SHR may not be that much (if at all) of an upgrade, and it's hard to envision him faring much better. It feels like SHR could have aimed higher here, such as by promoting Cole Custer back to the Cup after winning the 2023 Xfinity Series championship.

Shane van Gisbergen: Koverdriveaulig Racing (Xfinity Series) and Trackhouse Racing (Cup Series)

Ever since his stunning win on the streets of Chicago, Shane van Gisbergen has been the wild card of this NASCAR free agency period. Whether he would make the full-time move to the United States, and if so which series he would run in and what team he would drive for, were all in question.

Now, we have answers. The New Zealand native will run a full Xfinity Series season for Kaulig Racing in the No. 97 car, while also running a partial Cup Series schedule with Trackhouse Racing (though some reports suggest this may also be a Kaulig entry, with a Trackhouse alliance).

van Gisbergen is taking a similar path that another Australian V8 Supercars alum, Marcos Ambrose, took in the late 2000s by running full seasons in NASCAR's lower series before graduating to the top level. Fans should expect some growing pains as he gets himself acclimated to oval racing, but he will certainly be a threat on road courses.

Grant Enfinger, Jake Garcia, Layne Riggs: Various Truck Series Rides

Finally, a trio of Truck Series driver announcements have been made in recent days, starting with Enfinger to CR7 Motorsports' No. 9 truck. Enfinger, who was the championship runner-up in 2023, previously drove for this team for nine races during the 2021 season. CR7 isn't a powerhouse by any means, but Enfinger should be expected to compete at a high level regardless.

Meanwhile, Garcia, building off of a promising rookie season in 2023, will join ThorSport Racing in its No. 13 entry, replacing Hailie Deegan. This is the team that houses defending champion Ben Rhodes, so Garcia should have a great chance to break out into a regular contender for wins.

Then just as it seemed like the dust had settled, Front Row Motorsports announced on Thursday that Riggs will pilot its No. 38 machine. Riggs, who is the son of longtime NASCAR competitor Scott Riggs, has turned some heads in various part-time rides in 2022 and 2023 and will now finally have a full-time opportunity.

Which of these hires will pan out, and which will fall flat? We won't know for sure until Daytona arrives, but at the very least, the 2024 NASCAR grid is finally starting to come into focus.