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NASCAR: Richard Childress Racing adds Tifft, retains Hemric for 2018

By Alex Herbst

SPARTA, KY - SEPTEMBER 23: Ryan Preece, driver of the #20 Hurricane Relief Toyota, leads Daniel Hemric, driver of the #21 Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet, and Matt Tifft, driver of the #19 VstMyrtleBch.com/RnJnShp/SrfcSnscrn Toyota, during the NASCAR XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway on September 23, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
SPARTA, KY - SEPTEMBER 23: Ryan Preece, driver of the #20 Hurricane Relief Toyota, leads Daniel Hemric, driver of the #21 Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet, and Matt Tifft, driver of the #19 VstMyrtleBch.com/RnJnShp/SrfcSnscrn Toyota, during the NASCAR XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway on September 23, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images) /
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The NASCAR Xfinity Series lineup for 2018 is already taking shape, with Richard Childress Racing announcing two of their drivers for the next year.

The series where “Names Are Made Here” is continuing to churn out top talent into the Cup Series. In 2017, three drivers – Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez, and Erik Jones – moved from full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competition to Cup rides. In 2018, William Byron will follow in their footsteps. But what names are replacing them? Those rides are now beginning to take shape.

Just a few weeks ago, Richard Childress Racing got two of his Xfinity Series cars locked into the series playoffs. Today, RCR announced two full-time rides for the upcoming 2018 campaign. The team has confirmed that Daniel Hemric will return to the team for his sophomore drive in the #21 Chevrolet next year. Joining him as one of his teammates will be newcomer Matt Tifft, driving the #2 Chevy.

The move to keep Hemric in the #21 ride is a no-brainer for Childress. By far the fastest and most competitive of his five cars in the 2017 campaign, Hemric adapted quickly as a rookie to the new series. If not for the outstanding season by William Byron, Hemric would likely be the Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year. RCR and Hemric likely hope to be championship contenders once again in 2018.

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Matt Tifft’s arrival at RCR is perhaps a bit more surprising. Tifft has been driving in 2017 for the venerable Joe Gibbs Racing squad, with the same team that Daniel Suarez raced to a championship with a year prior. However, inconsistent performances, a spin at Road America, and minimal sponsorship likely gutted Tifft’s chances of continuing with the team. It could also be a move to open up a ride for Christopher Bell, currently the favorite to win the Truck Series championship with satellite team Kyle Busch Motorsports.

With Tifft coming into the RCR fold for the 2018 season, could this force out one of their other current full-time drivers? Brandon Jones has struggled in his sophomore season in the #33 Chevy, and could be losing some key sponsorship with Menards shifting their support to Team Penske. Meanwhile, the ageless wonder Brendan Gaughan will once again have to battle rumors of retirement ahead of 2018. Could either of these drivers be leaving at the end of 2017?

Of course, the shifting of full-time drivers among teams ahead of 2018 could have been spurred on by the adjustment of series regulations regarding Cup drivers. With more limitations in place for the coming year, perhaps teams like RCR felt incentivized to hire more Xfinity Series regulars. Already in 2017, Childress has used part-time drivers including Ben Kennedy, Scott Lagasse Jr., and Brian Scott to fill holes in the schedule where the Dillon brothers would have otherwise driven.

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What do you think of the Richard Childress Racing lineup for the 2018 season so far in the Xfinity Series? Will the team continue to run five cars in the coming year, or shrink down to two, three, or four rides?

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