NASCAR Cup Series: Fourth Stewart-Haas Racing driver still not confirmed for 2019
By Asher Fair
Stewart-Haas Racing have still not yet confirmed who their fourth driver will be for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season despite recent speculation.
Kevin Harvick is set to return to Stewart-Haas Racing as the driver of the #4 Ford in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, which is set to be his sixth season driving for the team. Meanwhile, Clint Bowyer is set to return to the team as the driver of the #14 Ford for what is set to be his third season driving for the team, and Aric Almirola is set to return to the team as the driver of the #10 Ford for what is set to be his second season driving for the team.
However, with two months to go until the 2019 season opener, the Daytona 500, at Daytona International Speedway, the team have still not confirmed who their fourth driver will be despite the fact that there has been tons of speculation about it in recent months.
Kurt Busch drove for the team from the 2014 season through the 2018 season, but he will no longer drive the #41 Ford in the 2019 season.
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Just as it was speculated in August that he would, the 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native left the team following the 2018 season and is now set to replace Jamie McMurray at Chip Ganassi Racing as the driver of the #1 Chevrolet.
As a result, Stewart-Haas Racing have been given the task of finding a driver to replace the 2004 Cup Series champion as a teammate to Harvick, Bowyer and Almirola.
There have been several drivers who have emerged as potential options to replace Busch behind the wheel of the #41 Ford. Of these drivers, the most notable one is Daniel Suarez. Much of the recent speculation regarding this open seat points toward the 26-year-old Mexican signing with Stewart-Haas Racing.
Suarez, who lost his ride at Joe Gibbs Racing as the driver of the #19 Toyota to former Furniture Row Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. after spending his first two Cup Series seasons driving for the team, would likely bring along sponsorship from ARRIS, and several of the other potential candidates to replace Busch are either out of the running or appear to be out of the running to do so.
That said, there has still not yet been an official announcement made regarding who Busch’s replacement behind the wheel of the #41 Ford will be, meaning that one of the most competitive rides in the Cup Series is still without a confirmed driver for the 2019 season as 2019 nears.
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Which driver will end up becoming a teammate to Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series, and when will this driver, who is set to be Kurt Busch’s replacement, be confirmed as the driver of the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford? Hopefully this announcement will come sooner rather than later with the halfway mark of the offseason quickly approaching.