NASCAR Cup Series: Stewart-Haas Racing driver announcement coming next week?
By Asher Fair
Stewart-Haas Racing are expected to announce early next week who their fourth driver for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season will be.
After spending the last five seasons driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, Kurt Busch will not return to the team as the driver of the #41 Ford in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, leaving one of the team’s four seats open for the time being.
Instead, the 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native is set to replace Jamie McMurray as the driver of the #1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet and become Kyle Larson’s teammate. This news was confirmed early last month, but a new driver for the #41 Ford has not yet been named.
However, now we know that Stewart-Haas Racing are expected to confirm who their fourth driver will be in the 2019 season next week, and we know that this driver will likely be former Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez, which has been speculated for several months.
.@StewartHaasRcng's No. 41 car driver announcement is likely to come early next week, per a person familiar.
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) January 2, 2019
➖ As has long been reported, it is still expected to be @Daniel_SuarezG.
➖ Precise sponsorship plans not yet clear, but @Arris has been expected to be part of the mix. pic.twitter.com/0GdmfMXxA8
Other than Busch’s departure and the speculated addition of Suarez to their driver lineup for the 2019 season, Stewart-Haas Racing’s driver lineup is set to look the same this season as it did last season.
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This means that for the third consecutive season, one of the team’s cars is set to be driven by a different driver than it was in the previous season while the team’s other three cars are set to be driven be the same drivers who drove them in the previous season.
Kevin Harvick is set to enter his sixth season driving for Stewart-Haas Racing having driven for them since the 2014 season when he replaced Ryan Newman. Clint Bowyer is set to enter his third season driving for the team having driven for them since the 2017 season when he replaced Tony Stewart. Finally, Aric Almirola is set to enter his second season driving for the team having driven for them since the 2018 season when he replaced Danica Patrick. Harvick, Bowyer and Almirola drive the #4 Ford, the #14 Ford and the #10 Ford, respectively.
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Will Stewart-Haas Racing confirm who Kurt Busch’s replacement behind the wheel of the #41 Ford will be early next week like they are expected to? Will Daniel Suarez end up being who they confirm as their fourth driver for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season?