NASCAR Cup Series: Martin Truex Jr. to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019?

The future of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. is far from certain. Could he sign with Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2019 Cup Series season?

Furniture Row Racing were hit with bad news last month when 5-hour ENERGY announced that they will not be returning to the team as a sponsor in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The energy shot company have been in NASCAR as a sponsor since the 2012 season, and they have been with the Denver, Colorado-based team since last season.

With the $10 million sponsor set to leave the team, the future is uncertain for Furniture Row Racing. But while team owner Barney Visser was quick to shut down these rumors of the team closing, the fact is, they need sponsors.

Here is what Visser had to say about the matter, according to NBC Sports.

"“Furniture Row Racing continues to develop sponsorship opportunities for 2019 and beyond. We have aligned ourselves with great partners over the years and are very proud of the success our organization has achieved, especially the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship with Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing not fielding a team in 2019 is not an option and we have every intention of continuing to build on our success for years to come.”"

Here is what Martin Truex Jr., the defending Cup Series champion who drives the team’s lone full-time car, the #78 Toyota had to say about Furniture Row Racing needing sponsors and his chances to return to the team next season, according to ESPN.

"“That’s hard to put a number on. Honestly, I really don’t know. I think in another week or two, I’ll have a better answer for you, a better percentage. Right now, we need sponsorship. That’s as simple as it gets. So it’s hard to say. Is there a 50 percent chance we get that in a couple weeks or is there a 100 percent chance or is there 2 percent, I don’t know. I can tell you that everything really is based upon that.”"

If Furniture Row Racing are unable to get more sponsors and they shut down, leaving Truex Jr. without a ride for next season, for which team would the 38-year-old Mayetta, New Jersey native drive next year?

Seeing as how Truex Jr. is the defending Cup Series champion and he more than doubled his career victory total in the 2016 and 2017 seasons by winning four races in the 2016 season and eight races in the 2017 season, there is no doubt that he would want to continue driving for a top-tier team, and there is no doubt that there would be interest in signing him among the sport’s top-tier teams.

With Joe Gibbs Racing, the only competitive full-time Toyota team in the Cup Series aside of Furniture Row Racing, likely set to have all four of their full-time drivers return to the team next season, Truex Jr. could end up driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, the sport’s top Ford team.

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

Truex Jr. has spent six seasons driving for Chevrolet teams over the course of his 13-year Cup Series career, and he is currently in his seventh season driving for a Toyota team, so he has never driven for a Ford team.

But there is nothing that says that this statement can’t change.

The driver who Truex Jr. would likely replace at Stewart-Haas Racing is Kurt Busch, who drives the #41 Ford for the team. There are already rumors swirling that the 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native is in his final season driving for the team. In fact, reports from last week suggest that Busch could be on his way to Chip Ganassi Racing to replace Jamie McMurray as the driver of the #1 Chevrolet.

However, Busch himself has stated that nothing has been confirmed as far as his 2019 contract is concerned, and there are certainly drivers other than Truex Jr. who could replace him at Stewart-Haas Racing if he does leave.

These drivers include Stewart-Haas Racing Xfinity Series driver Cole Custer and Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series driver Christopher Bell, although the former would appear to be a more likely option at this point.

But would Stewart-Haas Racing really sign one of these two youngsters over one of the “big three”? After all, signing Truex Jr. would give the team two of the “big three”, as Kevin Harvick drives the #4 Ford for the team.

Harvick and Truex Jr. have combined to win 11 of the 24 races that have been contested so far this season with Harvick having earned seven of those victories and Truex Jr. having earned the other four. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch, the other member of the “big three”, has earned six victories so far this year.

Another thing to keep in mind the fact that it was Kurt Busch who Truex Jr. replaced when he signed with Furniture Row Racing ahead of the 2014 season. History may very well repeat itself with Truex Jr. signing with Stewart-Haas Racing as Busch’s replacement ahead of the 2019 season.

Don’t rule it out.

Will Martin Truex Jr. end up driving for Stewart-Haas Racing in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series, or will he continue driving for Furniture Row Racing? Which other teams might he end up driving for next year if he does not end up driving for either team?