NASCAR Cup Series: Rides with unconfirmed drivers for the 2019 season

With the halfway mark of the offseason approaching, there are three notable full-time rides without confirmed drivers for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The driver lineup for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season has been slowly taking shape over the course of the last few months both during and after the 2018 season. That said, there are still several full-time rides that do not have full-time drivers.

In particular, there are three teams that each have one full-time ride that will likely end up with one full-time driver in the 2019 season. Of these three full-time rides, two were full-time rides this past season while one is set to be a new entry. Both of the two that were full-time rides this past season had one full-time driver this past season.

While there are other rides without confirmed drivers for the 2019 season, these rides have typically been shared by multiple drivers in the past and will likely continue to be shared by multiple drivers. They are not discussed in this article.

Go Fas Racing

Matt DiBenedetto drove the #32 Go Fas Racing Ford in the 2018 season, but he will not return to the team in the 2019 season. Instead, he is set to replace Kasey Kahne, who recently retired from Cup Series competition, at Leavine Family Racing. Kahne drove the #95 Chevrolet for the team, but DiBenedetto is set to drive the #95 Toyota, as the team switched their manufacturer from Chevrolet to Toyota and formed a technical alliance with the Toyota powerhouse team of Joe Gibbs Racing.

Spire Sports + Entertainment

Spire Sports + Entertainment are set to be a new team in the 2019 season, so it is unknown whether they will only end up hiring one driver to drive the #77 Chevrolet. However, all signs are currently pointing in this direction. They purchased the charter that the now defunct Furniture Row Racing team used to field the #78 Toyota on a full-time basis for 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., and it has been reported that the sale of this charter was the most expensive charter sale in Cup Series history.

Stewart-Haas Racing

By far the most notable of the three notable full-time rides without confirmed drivers for the 2019 season is the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, which was driven by Kurt Busch this past season. As speculated in August, the 2004 Cup Series champion left the team after the 2018 season and signed with Chip Ganassi Racing to replace Jamie McMurray, who is set to join Fox Sports as an analyst on their broadcast team, behind the wheel of the #1 Chevrolet.

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Which drivers will end up being the full-time drivers of the #32 Go Fas Racing Ford, the #77 Spire Sports + Entertainment Chevrolet and the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, and when will these drivers be confirmed? The offseason is nearing its halfway mark, so expect announcements regarding these full-time rides to be made in the near future.

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