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NASCAR Cup Series: 5 bold predictions for the 2019 season

By William Richard

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 10: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Car2Can Ford, walks with crew chief Rodney Childers during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 61st Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 10: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Car2Can Ford, walks with crew chief Rodney Childers during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 61st Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 10: (L-R)Tyler Reddick, driver of the #9 BurgerFi Chevrolet, Spencer Gallagher, driver of the #23 ISM Connect Chevrolet (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 10: (L-R)Tyler Reddick, driver of the #9 BurgerFi Chevrolet, Spencer Gallagher, driver of the #23 ISM Connect Chevrolet (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

#3: Chip Ganassi Racing introduce new driver for 2020

Chip Ganassi Racing have had a busy offseason. Not only is long-time veteran Kurt Busch joining the organization for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, but their Xfinity Series program has been completely shut down due to an investigation into primary sponsor DC Solar.

I’ll get to why the Xfinity Series aspect will play a role in this prediction a little bit later.

Speaking of this prediction, I believe that Chip Ganassi Racing will announce a new driver for the #1 Chevrolet for the 2020 season. Ironically, this marks the second year in a row that I have predicted the retirement of Busch, but this time around, I believe that it will happen.

Busch signed a one-year deal with Chip Ganassi Racing and is clearly on his way out of the sport. He is definitely a hard driver to read considering his back-and-forth with sponsor Monster Energy over the last couple of years, but the veteran driver’s days are numbered.

So who will be the lucky driver to get the opportunity at a winning Cup Series ride? My guess is one of two drivers: Ross Chastain or John Hunter Nemechek.

Here is where the DC Solar situation comes into play. Remember, Chastain was tapped to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing on a full-time basis at the Xfinity level with DC Solar as the primary sponsor in the 2019 season. After an investigation into the company, DC Solar backed out, forcing the team to close their program for the 2019 season.

This is why I believe that Chastain could still be on Chip Ganassi Racing’s radar. He is still tied to the team per the team themselves, leading me to believe that he could find himself in one of their Cup Series cars in the future.

As for Nemechek, he has made starts for Chip Ganassi Racing in the past and could be primed for a future Cup Series ride if his first full-time Xfinity Series season with GMS Racing is successful. He has proven to have winning ability in solid equipment and could put his name on the radar of Cup Series teams with a solid season.

No matter how you cut it, Busch’s time is limited in the Cup Series and the team will have to find a new face for the future. Chastain has made a lot of noise and Nemechek has a lot of promise. Don’t be surprised to see either of these drivers make the move up to the Cup Series for the 2020 season.

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