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NASCAR: Early Silly Season Driver Lineup for 2018

Asher Fair
Asher Fair

Beyond the Flag

SPARTA, KENTUCKY - JULY 08: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Children's Hospital Chevrolet, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 8, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

SPARTA, KENTUCKY – JULY 08: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Chevrolet, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 8, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
SPARTA, KENTUCKY – JULY 08: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Chevrolet, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 8, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

Silly Season is in full swing for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Which drivers will be with which teams in the 2018 season?

The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season is halfway complete, which means there is still half of it left on the schedule. But with the regular season winding down, “Silly Season” has begun as we begin to speculate which drivers will end up with which teams in the 2018 season.

The future is uncertain for a number of teams and drivers. From Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s retirement announcement to Matt Kenseth saying he doesn’t have a ride to the uncertainty surrounding struggling drivers like Kasey Kahne and Danica Patrick, there is sure to be a lot of movement of drivers among teams this offseason.

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While determining which drivers will go where is one thing, determining which drivers will end up on the sport’s top-tier teams is another. Right now, there are six solid teams in the series that stand well above the rest. Two are Chevrolet teams, two are Ford teams and the other two are Toyota teams.

We will start off this article with predictions for the drivers of the sport’s top Chevrolet teams before continuing to the top Ford teams and top Toyota teams.

SPARTA, KENTUCKY – JULY 07: Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 7, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
SPARTA, KENTUCKY – JULY 07: Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 7, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – JULY 01: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – JULY 01: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

SPARTA, KENTUCKY – JULY 07: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 7, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
SPARTA, KENTUCKY – JULY 07: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 7, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

Team Penske, Ford

DOVER, DE – JUNE 02: Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 Aspen Dental Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway on June 2, 2017 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
DOVER, DE – JUNE 02: Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 Aspen Dental Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway on June 2, 2017 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford

SONOMA, CA – JUNE 24: Erik Jones drives the #77 5-hour Energy Extra Strength Toyota during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 24, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA – JUNE 24: Erik Jones drives the #77 5-hour Energy Extra Strength Toyota during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 24, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Furniture Row Racing, Toyota

SONOMA, CA – JUNE 23: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 DeWalt Flexvolt Toyota, drives during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 23, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA – JUNE 23: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 DeWalt Flexvolt Toyota, drives during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 23, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota

Next: Top 5 Candidates To Replace Danica Patrick in 2018

Which drivers do you think will end up with which teams in the 2018 season? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Finally, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.

Asher Fair

Asher Fair

Asher has been with FanSided since Feb. 2017, primarily covering motorsport – NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1 – for Beyond the Flag. He became an officially accredited media member in Sep. 2019 and was hired as Junior Editor in Oct. 2020. Following a promotion to Associate Editor in Jul. 2021, he continues to manage the site and also occasionally contributes on FanSided's NFL and NCAA sites.