NASCAR Xfinity Series: Chip Ganassi Racing won't compete in 2019

Chip Ganassi Racing will not field the #42 Chevrolet, which was set to be driven by Ross Chastain, in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

After competing in three races behind the wheel of the #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, Ross Chastain was set to drive the #42 Chevrolet on a full-time basis in the 2019 season.

In his three starts driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2018 season, Chastain earned one victory in the September race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a second place finish in the September round of 12 playoff race at Richmond Raceway.

Chastain finished in 25th place in the other race, the September race at Darlington Raceway, but he led 90 of that race’s 147 laps after starting from the pole position, as he was caught up in a late incident that prevented him from winning the race or at least securing another solid result.

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Chastain led 270 of the 597 total laps in the three races in which he drove for Chip Ganassi Racing.

While he did not lead any of the 250 laps in the race at Richmond Raceway, he dominated the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by leading 180 of its 200 laps en route to earning the victory.

However, the 26-year-old Alva, Florida native is no longer set to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2019 season, as the team have decided not to field the #42 Chevrolet and not to compete at all this year.

This news comes after a recent FBI raid on the team’s primary sponsor, DC Solar. The FBI reportedly conducted twin raids on the company’s headquarters and on the home of the company’s CEO, Jeff Carpoff, in late December.

Here is what Chip Ganassi Racing team owner Chip Ganassi had to say about the matter, according to NASCAR.

"“Due to a lack of sponsorship funding we will cease operation of the No. 42 Xfinity team in 2019. This was a difficult decision for me to make and it comes with much anguish as this is a championship caliber team (having won six races and finished second in the owners championship) and more importantly because it affects a number of good people’s livelihoods. Running a car without proper funding is difficult to do.”"

In total, there were five drivers of the #42 Chevrolet last season, and they combined to earn six victories, eight additional top five finishes and seven additional top 10 finishes throughout the 33-race season. The #42 Chip Ganassi Racing team finished in second place in the owners’ championship standings.

Chastain is still set to compete in the Cup Series in the 2019 season, but he is set to do so for Premium Motorsports as the driver of the #15 Chevrolet, so the odds that he will be competitive enough to record decent results on a regular basis are extremely slim. In 36 career Cup Series starts for the team, his best finish is an 18th place finish in the April race at Texas Motor Speedway in the 2018 season.

Unfortunately for Chastain, his opportunity to be competitive enough to record decent results on a regular basis this year may have gone out the window with Chip Ganassi Racing shutting down their Xfinity Series team.

Chastain did compete full-time for JD Motorsports, a mediocre Xfinity Series team, as the driver of the #4 Chevrolet from the 2015 season through the 2018 season, but Blake Koch is already set to replace him for the 2019 season.

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Will Ross Chastain end up competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at all in the 2019 season, or will his lone role in the sport be driving the #15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series?

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NASCAR Xfinity Series: Chip Ganassi Racing won’t compete in 2019

By Asher Fair | Jan 4, 2019

Chip Ganassi Racing will not field the #42 Chevrolet, which was set to be driven by Ross Chastain, in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.