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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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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 28: NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Christopher Bell (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 28: NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Christopher Bell (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

#1: Christopher Bell moves to Stewart-Haas Racing (continued)

The second part of this problem would be an open seat at Stewart-Haas Racing. They currently field four cars as well, and Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer and Daniel Suarez are the drivers of those four cars.

I could see one of two possible rides opening up with the team for the 2020 season in the form of Harvick retiring or Bowyer being released. Though I will not predict that Harvick will retire at the end of the 2019 season, his contract expires at that time.

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We’ve seen Harvick become more of a family man over the last few years, and he continues to hint at playing a bigger role in NASCAR. Though unlikely, Harvick could find the end of the 2019 season to be the perfect time to step away from driving to play a much bigger role in the sport.

As for Bowyer, Stewart-Haas Racing have to look at future potential. Suarez was a solid young acquisition during the offseason, but team co-owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas need to find a young generational talent to carry the team into the future. Harvick and Bowyer are aging, and I personally don’t see Almirola becoming a championship-caliber driver.

It’s time for Stewart-Haas Racing to find their once-in-a-generation driver. I could see Bowyer being told to walk at the end of the season, especially given his struggle to find sponsorship. Bowyer performed well in the 2018 season, but his upside is much lower than that of Bell.

At the end of the day, this is probably the most unlikely of my bold predictions to happen, but I still have faith it could occur. Bell has stated that Stewart is one of his childhood heroes, and with Joe Gibbs Racing at capacity, who knows what the possibilities could be moving forward?

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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this years bold prediction. I can’t wait for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season to get underway! Don’t forget to tune in to this year’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway this Sunday, February 17 at 2:30 p.m. on Fox. See you next time!

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