NASCAR: Kurt Busch to replace Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019
By Asher Fair
Kurt Busch is set to replace Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing as the driver of the #1 Chevrolet in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season.
It was reported earlier today that Kurt Busch and his primary sponsor, Monster Energy, are both set to leave Stewart-Haas Racing after the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season ends in mid-November. It has also been reported that both Busch and Monster Energy are set to join Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2019 season.
Busch, 40, has not yet signed a contract for next season, meaning that this move is not yet official, but it has been reported that he is set to replace 42-year-old Jamie McMurray as the driver of the #1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet next season. He is set to become a teammate to 26-year-old Kyle Larson, who drives the #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.
Busch, who currently sits in fourth place in the championship standings in his 18th season as a full-time Cup Series driver, is still searching for his first victory since he won the Daytona 500, but he is still pretty much a lock to get into this year’s playoffs even without winning one or more of the final four races of the regular season given the fact that he is 244 points above the playoff cut line.
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McMurray, meanwhile, has driven full-time in the Cup Series since the 2003 season. He has competed in 568 races over the course of his 17-year career in the sport, and he has racked up seven victories, 62 top five finishes, 164 top 10 finishes and 11 pole positions in those 568 races.
The most recent Cup Series race won by McMurray is the 2013 Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. He is currently on a lengthy 170-race win drought, which is the fourth longest win drought among active full-time Cup Series drivers.
McMurray is in the midst of one of his worst seasons as a Cup Series driver. He currently sits in 22nd place in the championship standings, and he sits 113 points below the playoff cut line, meaning that if he does not win one or more of the final four races of the regular season, he will likely fail to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 season.
Through the first 22 races of this season, McMurray has racked up just one top five finish, a third place finish in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, and four top 10 finishes. His average starting position is 17.3, and his average finishing position is 19.5
It is unknown whether or not McMurray will end up driving in the Cup Series next season, but even though he wants to drive for several more seasons, it is hard to imagine him getting a full-time ride with one of the sport’s top teams in 2019 given the fact that he has not had a great 2018 season as well as the fact that he is still searching for his first victory in almost five years.
While hiring Busch to replace McMurray certainly looks like a good move for Chip Ganassi Racing, it remains to be seen how it will play out for Stewart-Haas Racing, especially since Busch has had such a successful season in what has been the most successful season for the team in their history.
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What are your thoughts on Kurt Busch’s reported move to Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series to replace Jamie McMurray as the driver of the #1 Chevrolet? Who do you believe will replace Busch as the driver of the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford if/when this move is confirmed?