We are in the midst of NASCAR’s “Silly Season” as drivers get prepared to sign with new teams in the 2018 season. Which drivers will be with which teams in the 2018 season, and how crazy might things get?
The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season is slightly over halfway complete, which means there is still slightly less than 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.
Last week, I released an article predicting which drivers would end up with which teams in the 2018 season. In this article, I will go into the silliest, less silly and least silly (most likely) scenarios for 10 notable drivers in alphabetical order.
Do note that there are plenty of possible scenarios for each of these drivers that are not detailed in this article. Feel free to comment below with any predictions. Also, if there are any drivers you would like to see included on a future post like this one, let us know in the comments below. Without further ado, let’s begin with the first of 10 drivers on this list.
Ryan Blaney
Silliest Scenario
Ryan Blaney has shown strength at all types of tracks in his second full-time season as a NASCAR Cup Series driver, and he even claimed his first career victory at Pocono to lock himself into the playoffs. It would make no sense for him to continue as the driver of the #21 car of the one-car Wood Brothers Racing team. He will certainly be desired by enough other teams at least to the extent that he has no reason to continue on without a teammate.
Less Silly Scenario
Given the fact that Ryan Blaney will likely be gone from Wood Brothers Racing in 2018, he could very well join a larger Ford team like Stewart-Haas Racing, or any larger team with an open seat for that matter. The reason that this is still somewhat of a crazy scenario is the fact that Wood Brothers Racing has a technical alliance with Team Penske, which would become a somewhat larger three-car team if Blaney went there, so the likelihood of him going to another team is slim.
Least Silly Scenario
Roger Penske has stated that he wants to add Ryan Blaney to his Team Penske NASCAR lineup as his third driver. When the Captain wants something, he goes all-in for it, as we saw most recently in IndyCar when he signed Josef Newgarden last offseason. And he will certainly try do it with Blaney given how strong Blaney has been this season. Given the fact that Wood Brothers Racing, the team for which Blaney currently drives, has a technical alliance with Team Penske, as referenced above, this move should not be too much of a challenge to pull off.
Alex Bowman
Silliest Scenario
The craziest scenario for Alex Bowman would be him literally going nowhere from where he is now. He is currently a test/simulator driver for Hendrick Motorsports, but the team will likely have two open seats for the 2018 season. Given his success in his replacement role for Dale Earnhardt Jr. last season, there is no way the team keeps him where he is at while bringing in two completely new faces to fill the vacant seats.
Less Silly Scenario
Last season, Alex Bowman drove 10 races in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car while Earnhardt Jr. recovered from a concussion. It would only make sense that he would join Hendrick Motorsports as a full-time driver. That could get somewhat crazy if he ended up taking Kasey Kahne’s seat in the #5 Chevrolet as opposed to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s. It would still result in him driving for Hendrick Motorsports, but it is not a scenario that many would expect.
Least Silly Scenario
Alex Bowman raced in the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet last season for 10 races in a replacement role for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. He finished in the top 10 three times with a top finish of 6th place at Phoenix, a race he almost won from the pole position. This season, he has maintained his connection with the team by being a test/simulator driver, as referenced above. With the seat of the #88 car open in 2018, that is likely where Bowman will end up.
Kurt Busch
Silliest Scenario
The craziest possible scenario for Kurt Busch, the driver who just three years ago became the fourth driver to ever race the “Memorial Day Double”, would be him hanging up his helmet. There have been talks of Stewart-Haas Racing letting him go after the 2017 season with his contract expiring. While it could happen, this is crazy since he won this year’s Daytona 500, is in the playoffs and could still have at least a good half-decade left in him at age 38.
Less Silly Scenario
A less crazy scenario would involve Kurt Busch staying in NASCAR but not driving for Stewart-Haas Racing. If he were to be dropped from Stewart-Haas Racing’s lineup, which isn’t likely to begin with, retirement would not be his first option. This would leave him searching for another ride. While he wouldn’t be lured by a lot of top-tier teams like some of NASCAR’s current top drivers will be in free agency, he could still find himself a solid ride with another team.
Least Silly Scenario
Kurt Busch has no reason to leave Stewart-Haas Racing, and the team really has no reason to let him go. After all, he is this year’s Daytona 500 champion and a former champion of the sport. While 38 years old isn’t exactly young, it isn’t exactly an age that screams retirement, either. While Busch hasn’t had a very strong season aside of his Daytona 500 victory, he is still locked into the playoffs. Having Busch as the third best driver on any team is a plus for that team, and Stewart-Haas Racing will realize this.
William Byron
Silliest Scenario
William Byron is the best young driver in any of NASCAR’s lower series. He is currently in 2nd place in the Xfinity Series standings with a shot at winning the championship for JR Motorsports. He has half the amount of total wins in the series in races not won by Cup Series drivers. It would be just plain foolish for a Cup Series team not to sign him in the 2018 season, and would thus be crazy for him to stay in the Xfinity Series.
Less Silly Scenario
William Byron drives for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, and team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. happens to be retiring from his full-time ride in the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series. It would make perfect sense for the top young non-Cup Series driver to step into his current seat, especially since Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick also co-owns JR Motorsports. However, it may not happen given how many other candidates there are for the spot.
Least Silly Scenario
This scenario is much like the scenario above in that it entails William Byron heading to Hendrick Motorsports. What makes this scenario far more likely is that in entails him landing behind the wheel of the #5 Chevrolet as opposed to the #88 Chevrolet. The future of Kasey Kahne, the current driver of the #5 car, with the team is in doubt, and Rick Hendrick will likely go after a young driver to fill his seat as opposed to a veteran. After all, he already has seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson in the #48 car to teach the “kids” some things. Who better to take the spot than Byron, who drives and does exceptionally for JR Motorsports, the team Hendrick co-owns in the Xfinity Series?
Kasey Kahne
Silliest Scenario
It would be crazy if Kasey Kahne maintained his ride in the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet beyond the conclusion of the 2017 season. He currently sits in 22nd place in the championship standings, which would be his lowest finish since the 2005 season if it holds, despite the fact that he had the best two-race start to a season of his career this season. He is also losing GreatClips and Farmer’s Insurance as his sponsors after this season.
Less Silly Scenario
It wouldn’t be the craziest scenario, but it would be rather crazy to see Kasey Kahne walk away from NASCAR after the 2017 season. While he is currently having his worst season since 2005, he has still had speed. As mentioned above, he did have the best two-race start to a season of his career this season, as he averaged a finish of 5.5 at Daytona and Atlanta. However, in the 17 races since then, he has been unable to capitalize on that speed and has finished higher than 12th place just once.
Least Silly Scenario
The least crazy and most likely scenario for Kasey Kahne in the 2018 season is that he ends up driving the #10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford currently driven by Danica Patrick. Patrick has never finished in the top 5 in 173 career Cup races, so she will likely be gone from the team after this season. A move to another top-tier organization could help rejuvenate Kahne’s declining career. After all, when he first came to the top-tier Hendrick Motorsports organization in his ninth season in 2012, he had his best career season by far, finishing in 4th place in the standings.
Matt Kenseth
Silliest Scenario
Despite the recent announcement that Matt Kenseth’s current #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will be driven by Erik Jones in the 2018 season, Kenseth has stated that he still wants to drive in the Cup Series despite the fact that he is 45 years old. He still delivers solid results, so some team will likely take advantage of the opportunity to sign him. The craziest scenario for Kenseth in the 2018 season would be him retiring and sitting at home watching races as an ex-driver.
Less Silly Scenario
A less crazy scenario for Matt Kenseth would be him ending up the the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet currently driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Many drivers want to end up in that car in the 2018 season, which makes the idea in general a bit far-fetched. However, none of those drivers would appear to have as few seasons left in NASCAR as Kenseth, and he is still delivering solid results as a former champion of the sport and is deserving of the ride. Still, the chances are slim of this happening.
Least Silly Scenario
Joe Gibbs Racing team owner Joe Gibbs stated that they “didn’t want to do this” in regard to no longer letting Matt Kenseth driver the #20 Toyota next season. Since Kenseth still wants to race and he is still producing at a relatively high level, the most likely scenario for him would be to end up in the #77 Toyota currently driven by his future replacement, Erik Jones, at Furniture Row Racing. The team has a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, so the move makes sense in many ways.
Brad Keselowski
Silliest Scenario
The craziest scenario for Brad Keselowski would be him ending up the the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet currently driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. While Keselowski, who has not yet signed a contract extension with Team Penske, is still one of the best drivers in NASCAR five years after his first series championship, many drivers want to end up in that car in the 2018 season and he, unlike some others, is driving for a great team in Team Penske as it is.
Less Silly Scenario
This scenario is almost as crazy as the one above, but not quite. It would make sense for Brad Keselowski to join Stewart-Haas Racing as the driver of the #10 Ford because it is a larger team than Team Penske as well as the fact that it is a Ford team like Team Penske while Hendrick Motorsports is a Chevrolet team. He also recently called Danica Patrick, the current driver of the #10 car, one of the greatest female athletes of all-time, so he may see it as an honor to take her seat if he gets the chance to do so.
Least Silly Scenario
Brad Keselowski is still one of the best drivers in NASCAR, so despite the fact that he does not yet have a contract extension with Team Penske, there is no reason to believe that Roger Penske will go after any other driver he may see as better than Keselowski and let him go to another team. The 2012 series champion can still compete up from with the best of them despite the fact that he has been in a slight slump as of late, so Team Penske will want to keep him around.
Kyle Larson
Silliest Scenario
The craziest thing that could happen is Kyle Larson leaving Chip Ganassi Racing for another team. What would make this even crazier is if he went to a Ford team like Stewart-Haas Racing despite the fact that they are a four-car team. Him going to Team Penske would probably be the craziest scenario since that Ford team only has two cars, but in general, Kyle Larson driving anything other than a Chevrolet car in the 2018 season is the craziest scenario.
Less Silly Scenario
If Kyle Larson were to leave Chip Ganassi Racing, he will be aiming to land with the top team in the sport. That team is Hendrick Motorsports, the team that has won 12 championships over the course of the past 22 seasons. Larson filling the seat of the #88 Chevrolet currently driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 14-time defending winner of NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award, would be the best possible scenario in terms of the sport’s popularity. It would also put him on the same team with young rising star Chase Elliott and seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.
Least Silly Scenario
Let’s get real here. Chip Ganassi Racing would be crazy to let Kyle Larson end up anywhere but in the seat of his current #42 Chevrolet in the 2018 season and beyond. Larson is the top young driver in the sport and he has risen to that position on only a two-car team. As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Right now, there is nothing broken and thus nothing to fix. Also, Larson has expressed interest in driving in the Indianapolis 500 one day, and Chip Ganassi gives him a real chance to do that as both a NASCAR and IndyCar team owner.
Danica Patrick
Silliest Scenario
The craziest scenario for Danica Patrick would be Stewart-Haas Racing letting her go and another top-tier team like Hendrick Motorsports giving her another chance. She has no top 5 finishes in 173 races despite driving for a top-tier team for five seasons, but she can provide teams with lots of money, including that from sponsors. While it is possible that she’ll end up in the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet currently driven by the struggling Kasey Kahne, that move would be crazy to say the very least.
Less Silly Scenario
It’s not as crazy to think that Stewart-Haas Racing will hold onto Patrick for another season. As mentioned above, she does bring lots of money to the table, and money is almost everything if not everything in racing. She has done poorly for over almost five seasons and yet nothing has changed in terms of her ride in the #10 car. It would not be unbelievable if Stewart-Haas Racing failed to change the driver of that car once again.
Least Silly Scenario
The most likely scenario is that Danica Patrick is out of the Cup Series full-time in 2018. While she may drive a few races here and there, she will either be in the Xfinity Series or totally out of NASCAR. Seeing as how she has never even finished in the top 5 with Stewart-Haas Racing, her moving to a smaller team would seem to be out of the question as she would likely perform even worse, so her full-time Cup days may be over after 2017.
Darrell Wallace Jr.
Silliest Scenario
The craziest possible scenario for Darrell Wallace Jr. would be that he ends up in one of the vacant seats in one of Hendrick Motorsports care. Wallace Jr. drove four races in a Richard Petty Motorsports Ford in a replacement role for the injured Aric Almirola this season and had a top finish of 11th place with an average finish of 17.75. He is better than a solid amount of current full-time Cup Series drivers, but he is not good enough to get a ride in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after just four career races.
Less Silly Scenario
A less crazy scenario would be Darrell Wallace Jr. driving a Stewart-Haas Racing car in the 2018 season and sticking with Ford. There is a potential for two open seats with that team, and seeing as how that team successfully exploited the novelty of Danica Patrick being a woman, something very rare in NASCAR, despite the fact that she has never performed well, they could do the same thing with Wallace Jr. being an African-American, something also very rare. And Wallace Jr. has already proven to be a better driver than her. This move could work out well.
Least Silly Scenario
The most likely scenario is that Ryan Blaney will leave Wood Brothers Racing and Darrell Wallace Jr. will replace him in the #21 Ford. The team has a technical alliance with Team Penske, yet they are still a small one-car team. Wallace Jr. had success in his replacement role with the one-car Richard Petty Motorsports operation, but probably not enough to move him to a top-tier team. This outcome would be perfect for him.
Next: NASCAR Early Silly Season Driver Lineup for 2018
Which crazy scenarios could you actually see happening in terms of which drivers land 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. Also, 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.