NASCAR Cup Series: 5 drivers who could drive for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019

Asher Fair

PHOENIX, AZ - NOVEMBER 09: Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway on November 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

FORT WORTH, TX – NOVEMBER 02: Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 State Water Heaters Ford (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Who will Stewart-Haas Racing’s fourth driver, the driver of the #41 Ford, be in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season? Here are five possibilities.

In August, it was revealed that there was a chance that Kurt Busch, who currently drives the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, would not be returning to the team for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, which would be his sixth season driving for the team since he left Furniture Row Racing after the 2013 season and began driving for them in the 2014 season.

While Busch’s speculated departure, which also came with the speculation that he would replace Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing behind the wheel of the #1 Chevrolet, has not yet been officially confirmed, what has been confirmed is that Stewart-Haas Racing are in the process of signing a driver to drive the #41 Ford for the 2019 season.

Stewart-Haas Racing, a four-car team, have confirmed who three of their four drivers are set to be for next season. Kevin Harvick is set to return to the team for the sixth season while Clint Bowyer is set to return to the team for the third season and Aric Almirola is set to return to the team for the second season.

Who will be the teammate to Harvick, Bowyer and Almirola behind the wheel of the #41 Ford in the 2019 season? Here are five possible candidates to sign with Stewart-Haas Racing.

Cole Custer

Cole Custer currently competes for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and he has done so on a full-time since the 2017 season after driving in five races for JR Motorsports in the 2016 season. He drives the #00 Ford.

In his rookie season in the Xfinity Series, Custer advanced to the round of 8 but could not get into the Championship 4. However, that did not stop him from dominating the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway en route to claiming his first career Xfinity Series victory.

Had Custer been in last season’s Championship 4, he would have been the champion as a result of this dominant performance. This season, his victory in the round of 8 race at Texas Motor Speedway, which was just the second victory of his Xfinity Series career, locked him into the Championship 4.

After recording seven top five finishes and 19 top 10 finishes last season, the 20-year-old Ladera Ranch, California native has already recorded 13 top five finishes, 25 top 10 finishes and the first five pole positions of his career through the first 32 races of the 33-race 2018 season. His average starting position so far this season is 6.1 while his average finishing position is 9.2. Last season, these statistics were 8.6 and 13.3, respectively.

Also this season, Custer competed in the Cup Series for the first time. He drove the #51 Rick Ware Racing Ford in three races, and he performed respectably considering the fact that he did not drive for a top-tier team.

Custer finished in 25th place in the March race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 26th in the June race at Pocono Raceway and 26th in the September race at Richmond Raceway after starting in 30th, 28th and 10th in those three races, respectively.

As a young and promising Xfinity Series driver for Stewart-Haas Racing, don’t be surprised if Custer ends up being promoted to the organization’s Cup Series team sooner rather than later, possible even as Kurt Busch’s replacement behind the wheel of the #41 Ford.

Christopher Bell

Christopher Bell currently competes for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and he has done so since the start of this season. He drives the #20 Toyota, and he gives Toyota a ton of credit for getting them to where he is in his racing career.

That said, the 23-year-old Norman, Oklahoma native believes that he is ready to compete in the Cup Series, and it is hard to disagree with him. After he won last year’s Truck Series championship to cap off a five-win season behind the wheel of the #4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota, he is set to compete to win this year’s Xfinity Series championship as one of the four Championship 4 drivers in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Bell has set a new record for most victories by a driver in his rookie Xfinity Series season, as he has won 32 of the season’s 33 races. However, there are no seats available at Joe Gibbs Racing for the talented young prospect next season, and the team that are set to have a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, Leavine Family Racing, beginning next year have already confirmed that Matt DiBenedetto is set to be their driver for the 2019 season.

If Bell ends up being offered a ride by Stewart-Haas Racing, arguably the top team in the Cup Series, would he take it even though he would have to leave Toyota to join a Ford team?

Here is what Bell had to say in August about potentially making the move to the Cup Series, according to NASCAR.

"“Going into next season, I am set for another year of Xfinity, and there are no holes in the Cup side, so that’s what makes it difficult. But as far as what I need, honestly I don’t feel like I need another year of Xfinity. I think the best way for me to win at the Cup level is to get there and start trying at it. “Toyota was the one that really ‑‑ they’re the reason why I’m here. I would love to stay with them, and hopefully it works out in the future. The biggest thing is I’ve learned throughout my years, and especially in NASCAR, is you are only as good as the race car that you sit in. Right now I’m at the best organization that I can be at, so I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else, honestly. “Even if the Cup deal doesn’t work out for next year, which it looks like it’s not going to, I’m still going to be sitting in a really fast race car at a level in motorsports where I never really dreamed I’d be at. So I’m going to be thrilled either way. But I definitely ‑‑ like I said, I’m 23 years old. I feel like I’m at my prime, and I don’t want to waste another year if the opportunity comes to make the jump.”"

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart, who has a dirt racing background, has to have at least considered hiring Bell, who also has a dirt racing background. But will that translate to Bell, who has stated that he would be willing to race in any series next year, replacing Kurt Busch behind the wheel of the #41 Ford starting next year?

Trevor Bayne

Not many people believe that Trevor Bayne has a future in the NASCAR Cup Series at this point. After driving the #6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford full-time from the 2015 season through the 2017 season and starting the 2018 season doing the same, Bayne became a part-time driver when the team decided to hire Matt Kenseth to split time with the 27-year-old Knoxville, Tennessee native behind the wheel of the #6 Ford.

But while Bayne has certainly struggled over the course of his Cup Series career since winning the Daytona 500 just one day after his 20th birthday back in 2011 and he recorded just four top five finishes and 13 top 10 finishes in the 129 races in which he competed from the 2015 season through the 2018 season, the return of the 46-year-old Cambridge, Wisconsin native to the team proved that Bayne is not the issue when it comes to the lack of good results produced by the #6 Ford.

The 2003 Cup Series champion has competed in 14 races behind the wheel of the #6 Ford so far this season, and he is set to compete in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway as well. Many people expected that he would blow Bayne’s statistics out of the water. But that has not been the case whatsoever. His average finish in these 14 races is 20.86, and in the 13 races that he has actually finished, it is 19.69.

Trevor Bayne (continued)

Meanwhile, Trevor Bayne recorded an average finish of 23.90 in the 21 races in which he competed this season. Of those 21 races, he finished 15. His average finish in those 15 races was 20.20, which is only slightly worse than Kenseth’s in the races that he finished.

Look at who Stewart-Haas Racing hired as Danica Patrick’s replacement this season: Aric Almirola. Almirola entered the 2018 season at the age of 33. He had competed in the Cup Series since the 2007 season, and he had competed in the Cup Series on a full-time basis since the 2012 season (aside of a few missed races in the 2017 season due to an injury). He had earned one career victory in a race at Daytona International Speedway and had never driven for a top-tier team.

In his first season driving for a top-tier team, which was made possible in large part due to his sponsorship from Smithfield Foods, he doubled his career win total and qualified for the round of 8. In fact, he was close to qualifying for the Championship 4 as well.

Bayne has competed in the Cup Series since the 2010 season. He has competed in the Cup Series on a full-time basis since the 2015 season (aside of a few missed races during Kenseth’s time spent with the team in the 2018 season). He has earned one career victory in a race at Daytona International Speedway and has never driven for a top-tier team. His sponsorship from AdvoCare is a huge reason why he has been able to compete in the Cup Series.

I certainly wouldn’t put it past Stewart-Haas Racing to at least give Bayne a second look, especially considering the fact that their signing of Almirola, whose resume looked almost exactly like Bayne’s prior to the 2018 season, has paid off so far.

Kurt Busch

As stated on the first slide of this article, Kurt Busch’s departure from Stewart-Haas Racing has only been speculated, not confirmed. The team are currently in the process of finding a driver to drive the #41 Ford next season, and Busch is certainly still in that mix.

While Chip Ganassi Racing have confirmed the rumor that Jamie McMurray will not be returning to the team as the driver of the #1 Chevrolet next season, Busch has not officially been named his replacement, which was a part of this initial rumor.

Last season, rumors emerged in August that Busch would not be returning to the team as the driver of the #41 Ford in the 2018 season, much like the rumors that emerged this August. However, he ended up signing a contract to drive for the team through the 2018 season last December, so rumors don’t always turn out to be true, especially when it relates to any kind of racing “Silly Season”.

At this point, what reason or reasons do Stewart-Haas Racing have to cut ties with Busch? Had it not been for his involvement in a late wreck in the round of 8 finale at ISM Raceway, the 2004 Cup Series champion may very well be set to compete to win his second career championship in this Sunday’s Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 2018 season has been the best season that the 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native has had in quite a while. His top 10 finish total of 21 is tied for his career-high, and he currently sits in sixth place in the championship standings. If he finishes there, it would be his best finish in the standings since he finished in fourth in the 2009 season.

Daniel Suarez

At this point, Daniel Suarez is the most likely candidate to drive the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford as Kurt Busch’s replacement in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, and this has been the case for quite some time.

Suarez had been speculated to lose his ride behind the wheel of the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for next season when it was revealed that Furniture Row Racing, the team that have had a technical partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing since the 2016 season, will be shutting down following the conclusion of the 2018 season.