NASCAR: What does Furniture Row news mean for Stewart-Haas?

What does the fact that Furniture Row Racing are closing after the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season mean for Stewart-Haas Racing?

The announcement that Furniture Row Racing will be closing after the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season comes to a close carries with it many implications for many teams and drivers alike. One of these many implications pertains to Stewart-Haas Racing.

A few weeks ago, reports suggested that Kurt Busch, who currently drives the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, was set to replace Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing as the driver of the #1 Chevrolet beginning next year, meaning the seat of the #41 Ford would become open ahead of 2019.

With 5-hour ENERGY having announced in mid-July having announced that the 2018 season would be their final season sponsoring Furniture Row Racing, rumors began to circulate that that they team might shut down after this year since 5-hour ENERGY’s sponsorship money comes in the amount of $10 million.

While Barney Visser, the owner of the Denver, Colorado-based team, shot down rumors that the team might shut down, defending Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., the driver of the team’s lone car, the #78 Toyota, admitted that the team needed to find additional sponsorship to continue operating beyond the conclusion of the 2018 season.

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With the reports of Busch’s apparent departure from Stewart-Haas Racing having been made, rumors suggested that Truex Jr. could be on his way to replace him behind the wheel of the #41 Ford next year if Furniture Row Racing did end up shutting down.

Now we know that Furniture Row Racing will, in fact, shut down once the 2018 season ends. As soon as this was announced, Truex Jr. immediately became the top free agent on the market. Shortly thereafter, he was tipped to sign with Joe Gibbs Racing to replace Daniel Suarez as the driver of the #19 Toyota, meaning he likely won’t be replacing Busch at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019.

This means that the driver situation of the #41 Ford is completely up in the air. Had Truex Jr. been available, it would have been tough to see Stewart-Haas Racing passing him up. But he likely will not be available, so what will the team decide to do?

It was initially believed that Busch would not return to the team this season after reports last summer suggested that he would be leaving after the 2017 season concluded. However, he ended up re-signing with the team for 2018 this past December. So even with reports suggesting that the 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native will be leaving the team after this season, he could very well return, and it may end up being Stewart-Haas Racing’s best option to bring him back.

If Busch does indeed depart from Stewart-Haas Racing after 2018, the most obvious selection to replace him would be Cole Custer, the 20-year-old Ladera Ranch, California native who is a championship contender in his second season as a full-time driver for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Xfinity Series.

However, whether or not Joe Gibbs Racing form a technical alliance with Leavine Family Racing to replace their current technical alliance with Furniture Row Racing could play a huge role in whether or not Christopher Bell, the 23-year-old Norman, Oklahoma who is a championship contender in his first season as a full-time driver for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series, signs a contract to drive in the Cup Series for 2019.

If Joe Gibbs Racing do not form a technical alliance with Leavine Family Racing next year or even if they do so and Christopher Bell does not end up driving a Toyota for Leavine Family Racing in 2019, Stewart-Haas Racing could attempt to snag him from Toyota. This is not a likely scenario, but if Bell has to choose between staying with Toyota or driving in the Cup Series next year, it’s anybody’s guess regarding what he might decide, especially if the latter involves driving for the top-tier Stewart-Haas Racing organization.

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With Martin Truex Jr. seemingly off the table in terms of who Stewart-Haas Racing might sign to drive the #41 Ford in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, which driver, if any driver, will replace Kurt Busch? Could the team perhaps bring Busch back for another year despite the recent rumors that he is heading to Chip Ganassi Racing as Jamie McMurray’s replacement behind the wheel of the #1 Chevrolet?

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