NASCAR: Daniel Suarez still the favorite to replace Kurt Busch at Stewart-Haas Racing
By Asher Fair
Former Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez is still the favorite to replace Kurt Busch at Stewart-Haas Racing in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season.
It has been one month since Kurt Busch announced that he would not be returning to Stewart-Haas Racing for what would have been his sixth season with the team in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native is instead set to replace Jamie McMurray behind the wheel of the #1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet and become Kyle Larson’s teammate.
It was revealed on Thursday that Stewart-Haas Racing will likely announce early next week who Busch’s replacement behind the wheel of the #41 Ford and thus the new teammate to Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer for the 2019 season will be.
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For several months, even several months before Busch confirmed that he would be leaving Stewart-Haas Racing after the 2018 season, it had been speculated that former Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez would end up replacing Busch behind the wheel of the #41 Ford and thus becoming Stewart-Haas Racing’s fourth driver.
Following Busch’s official departure from the team, rumors that the 26-year-old Mexican would be his replacement heated up. While several months have passed since it was first rumored that Suarez could replace Busch in the 2019 season, nothing has changed in the meantime; he is still the favorite to drive the #41 Ford this year and is expected to be confirmed as Stewart-Haas Racing’s fourth driver early next week.
Suarez will likely bring sponsorship with him from ARRIS, which sponsored him throughout his two-year stint at Joe Gibbs Racing, but this has not yet been confirmed.
.@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
Suarez replaced Carl Edwards behind the wheel of the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for the 2017 season after Edwards unexpectedly retired following the 2016 season. Suarez had not competed in the Cup Series prior to the 2017 season.
Suarez, who won the 2016 Xfinity Series championship, is set to be replaced by former Furniture Row Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. as the driver of the #19 Toyota in the 2019 season. Furniture Row Racing shut down following the 2018 season, and they had a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing since the 2016 season.
In 72 career Cup Series starts, Suarez has not yet won a race, but he has earned four top five finishes, 21 top 10 finishes and one pole position. His career-high finish is his second place finish in the July race at Pocono Raceway in the 2018 season, which is the lone race for which he has taken a pole position. He finished in 20th and 21st in the championship standings in the 2017 season and the 2018 season, respectively.
Suarez has led 75 of the 19,766 laps that he has completed in his Cup Series career so far. His average career starting position is 15.7 and his average career finishing position is 17.4.
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Will Stewart-Haas Racing end up confirming Daniel Suarez as the driver of the #41 Ford for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season like they have been expected to? Expect to have an answer to this question early next week.