By: Ashley McCubbin

Throughout the off-season, NEWS FROM THE PITS kept track of everything going on silly season wise via their Tracking the Changes series, which consisted of three-parts for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. But were the moves that occurred the right moves? Let’s grade them based on how the year has gone to date.

Cole Custer returning to the second-tier series was a good change for him, as he has been able to showcase his ability as a driver currently ranked fourth in points with two victories and 12 top-10’s in 21 races. Will it result in what he’d hope for with an opportunity to return back to the NASCAR Cup Series? He certainly has the highest stock right now with Riley Herbst ranked ninth in points, but it may not come together as envisioned. There may not be a seat open at Stewart-Haas Racing for him if Aric Almirola doesn’t retire and the addition of Josh Berry.

It may have seemed great for Blain Perkins to gain an opportunity with SS Green Light Racing to move up from the ARCA Menards Series, but it is not a good change if you consider his average finish is the worst it’s been in three years racing Xfinity.

#9: Brandon Jones, JR Motorsports, Menards / Criterion Appliances Chevrolet Camaro

Brandon Jones was hoping to prove himself with a move from Joe Gibbs Racing to JR Motorsports, but it has not been a good change. He has yet to reach victory lane, ranked 13th in the series standings. It’s not a good look for his prospects moving forward – even if bad luck has played a factor, when you consider Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer have both won this year, and all of his teammates are inside the top-six in the standings.

Ryan Truex took advantage of the situation, as it has been a good change for him with a win and three top-five’s in six races. There is a very distinct possibility of seeing him go full-time down the road if the sponsorship is there.  The same could be said for his teammate John Hunter Nemechek, who just picked up his series leading fifth victory to top the standings. With discussions surrounding a possible Cup ride next season with Legacy Motor Club, he is currently on the right path. Now whether that is the right next step to take – there’s another debate.

Connor Mosack scoring only a single top-10 with Sam Hunt Racing is not a good change for the organization, given the success they’ve been able to find with other drivers behind the wheel. An average finish of 28th is also not something to brag about either. It is also not a good change when you consider Tyler Reddick placed outside the top-10 in both of his appearances. Parker Chase‘s stick to gauge is different than the others, and it’s a good change when he has bested his career-best from 2022 on two occasions.

Chandler Smith partnering with Kaulig Racing is a good change for both, currently ranked seventh in points with a win and eight top-10 finishes. It is not the Championship 4 caliber that you have come to expect when they had A.J. Allmendinger, but the inexperience of Smith has to be factored here.

#31: Justin Haley, Kaulig Racing, LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro

The ability to gain additional time behind the wheel as a young driver is never a bad thing, as evident by Justin Haley returning to Kaulig for 2023. He picked up three top-10’s in four races, including a fourth at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

AM Racing was not known for the greatest performances in the Truck Series, but yet they still went Xfinity Series racing with Brett Moffit behind the wheel. It’s proven to be a good change surprisingly, with six top-10’s including a season-best fourth on the streets of Chicago. Those are certainly numbers you like to see for a first-year team.

Going from Our Motorsports to Jordan Anderson Racing worked out to be a good change for Jeb Burton. He scored the victory at Talladega Superspeedway and is ranked 14th in points (two spots better than last year) with an average finish 14.6 (six spots better than last year). You also cannot shake your head at his teammate Parker Retzlaff with five top-10’s to his credit in his rookie campaign.

The drop in average finishes for both Ryan Ellis and Jeffrey Earnhardt purely show it was not a good change for neither of them with Alpha Prime Racing. Just look at Sage Karam, whose decision to run with Sam Hunt at Road America paid off with his first top-five of 2023 in fourth. Guess we’ll call that a good change of pace.

Even though Parker Kligerman has not found victory lane like Ty Dillon did the year before, it has been a good change for him driving for Big Machine Racing. He has taken the little team that could up to 12th in points with four top-five’s and 10 top-10’s.

A lack of top-10’s this season compared to four last season has Anthony Alfredo probably thinking this is not a good change. However, compared to what B.J. McLeod Motorsports has done in the past, it’s not all bad news with nine top-20 finishes. So it could turn into something good if the trend carries forward.

Joe Graf Jr. joining RSS Racing started off as a good change with a seventh-place finish at Daytona. Since then, though, Graf has failed to score another top-10 despite having opportunities with Joe Gibbs Racing. You need to take advantage of those chances when they come your way, or else they may not happen again – which may be the case here moving forward. Therefore, overall, this is not a good change for all parties involved.