NASCAR Cup Series: Two key drivers still not signed for 2019
By Asher Fair
Two key drivers in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series silly season puzzle, Daniel Suarez and Kurt Busch, have not yet been signed for next year.
Several driver signings for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season have been confirmed in recent weeks, but two drivers who have been key players throughout the court of this silly season have still not yet been signed.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Daniel Suarez and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kurt Busch are these two key drivers, as neither one of them has signed a contract to drive for any team next season even though both have been heavily rumored to sign with certain teams.
Suarez is set to be replaced behind the wheel of the #19 Toyota by Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing have had a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing since the start of the 2016 season, but they are set to shut down following the conclusion of the 2018 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
Truex Jr. has not officially signed with Joe Gibbs Racing for next year, but it would appear to be a done deal at this point even without official confirmation.
With Leavine Family Racing set to switch from Chevrolet to Toyota and form a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing in the process as they were expected to, Suarez had been rumored as a potential candidate to replace Kasey Kahne, who just announced his immediate retirement from the sport after announcing in mid-August that the 2018 season would be his last, behind the wheel of the #95 car.
However, Go Fas Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto has signed with Leavine Family Racing as Kahne’s replacement for next year, meaning that Suarez is still on the free agent market.
That said, Suarez has also been rumored as a possible replacement candidate to replace Busch behind the wheel of the #41 Ford assuming that Busch departs from Stewart-Haas Racing. A rumor began back in August that he will do so and that he will replace Jamie McMurray behind the wheel of the #1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet next year.
At this point in time, Chip Ganassi Racing had not yet confirmed that McMurray would not be returning to the team. However, roughly one month later, they did, effectively opening the door for Busch to replace him and causing rumors regarding Suarez potentially replacing Busch to heat up even more despite the fact that other potential replacement candidates such as Xfinity Series drivers Cole Custer and Christopher Bell were and still are in the mix.
That said, neither one of these two moves involving Suarez or Busch has been confirmed, so we will have to wait and see just what, exactly, the driver lineups of Stewart-Haas Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing will look like for 2019.
Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time. dark. Next
Will Daniel Suarez end up replacing Kurt Busch at Stewart-Haas Racing in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season like he is expected to and will Busch end up replacing Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing like he is expected to? With the 2018 season rapidly coming to a close, expect these two teams to finalize their driver lineups for next year in the very near future.