NASCAR Cup Series: Kurt Busch to leave Stewart-Haas Racing after 2018
By Asher Fair
Kurt Busch and Monster Energy are set to leave Stewart-Haas Racing after the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season reaches its conclusion.
Kurt Busch, 40, is reportedly set to leave Stewart-Haas Racing after the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season comes to a close, as is his primary sponsor, Monster Energy.
Busch, who currently drives the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, has driven full-time in the Cup Series since the 2001 season. He has competed in 634 races over the course of his 19-year career in the sport, and he has racked up 29 victories, 134 top five finishes, 271 top 10 finishes and 25 pole positions in those 634 races.
The most recent Cup Series race won by Busch is the 2017 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. He is currently on a lengthy 56-race win drought. That said, he still sits in fourth place in the championship standings through the first 22 races of the 2018 season, which is the highest position among all drivers who have not yet won a race this year. In fact, he is the only driver without a win so far this season who sits in the top six in the standings.
Busch currently sits 244 points above the playoff cut line, meaning he will likely get into this year’s playoffs whether or not he wins one or more of the final four races of the regular season.
More from NASCAR Cup Series
- NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
- NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
- NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
- NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
- NASCAR team adds third car, names driver for 2024 Daytona 500
Through the first 22 races of this season, Busch has racked up three top five finishes, 13 top 10 finishes and three pole positions. His best finish of the season so far is his second place finish in the GEICO 500 at Talladega. His average starting position in 2018 is a career-best 9.8, and his average finishing position is an impressive 12.8.
The other top five finishes that Busch has recorded so far this season are his fifth place finish in the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway and his third place finish in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway and the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway are the three races for which Busch has taken the pole positions for so far this season. He finished those races in seventh, third and eighth place, respectively.
dark. Next. Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time
What are your thoughts on Kurt Busch reportedly being set to leave Stewart-Haas Racing after the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season comes to an end, especially since he has had such a solid season so far?