NASCAR: Martin Truex Jr. tipped to sign with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019
By Asher Fair
Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. has been tipped to sign with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season.
After it was announced the Furniture Row Racing will be shutting down following the conclusion of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season, it has been revealed that defending Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., the lone driver for the Denver, Colorado-based team, has been tipped to sign with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Truex Jr., who has earned 19 Cup Series victories over the course of his 13-year full-time career in the sport, is reportedly set to replace Daniel Suarez as the driver of the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota next year. Cole Pearn, Truex Jr.’s crew chief, is reportedly set to continue working as his crew chief at the four-car powerhouse team.
Suarez, who has not yet won a race in his Cup Series career, is in his second season as a full-time Cup Series driver and his second season driving the #19 Toyota as the replacement for Carl Edwards. Assuming he does not win the regular season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this Sunday, he will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
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All three of the other Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth, qualified for the playoffs last season. All three of the team’s other drivers this season have done so as well, although Kenseth no longer drives for the team. Erik Jones was named his replacement for 2018 before last season ended.
As far as what will happen with Suarez if Truex Jr.’s move to Joe Gibbs Racing is confirmed, that is still up in the air. However, in a way, an option may exist that would technically keep him driving within the Joe Gibbs Racing organization.
Joe Gibbs Racing have had a technical alliance with Furniture Row Racing since the 2016 season. The fact that the defending Cup Series champions are set to shut down means that Joe Gibbs Racing are set to become the lone top-tier Toyota team in the sport.
However, there is the possibility that they will form a technical alliance with another team. If they do so, the team with which they do so would likely be Leavine Family Racing. Leavine Family Racing are currently a one-car Chevrolet team.
Their car, the #95 Chevrolet, is driven by Kasey Kahne, who is set to retire at the end of the 2018 season, meaning that if Joe Gibbs Racing would form an alliance with them, the #95 Chevrolet would become the #95 Toyota and could be a possible landing spot for Suarez next year.
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Will Martin Truex Jr. end up signing with Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series? If so, when will this deal be confirmed? If not, for which team, if any team, will he drive next year?