NASCAR Cup Series: Several major storylines headline 2020 Silly Season
By Asher Fair
Heading into Silly Season for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, there are quite a few major storylines to keep an eye on regarding the driver lineup.
The 36-race 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season is beyond its halfway mark with the season’s 20th race, the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301, scheduled to take place tomorrow at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
As a result, Silly Season rumors have begun to heat up as they pertain to the 2020 driver lineup, and there are several major storylines to keep an eye on moving forward. Here are a few questions that should be answered over the next few months regarding these rumors and storylines.
Will Kurt Busch return to Chip Ganassi Racing for his second season as Kyle Larson‘s teammate behind the wheel of the #1 Chevrolet, or will the team sign Ross Chastain after Chastain was supposed to drive for the team in the Xfinity Series this year before they were forced to shut down operations?
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Will Stewart-Haas Racing change their driver lineup for the fourth consecutive season? If so, will Clint Bowyer lose his ride behind the wheel of the #14 Ford after three seasons or will Daniel Suarez lose his ride behind the wheel of the #41 Ford after one? Could both lose their rides? Will the team’s star Xfinity Series driver, Cole Custer, replace either one of these two drivers.
What’s the deal with Christopher Bell? Set to return to Joe Gibbs Racing, will he be back for his third consecutive season driving for the team in the Xfinity Series, or will he replace Erik Jones behind the wheel of the #20 Toyota in the Cup Series?
If Jones gets replaced by Bell, will he go back to the Xfinity Series or perhaps replace Bowyer or Suarez at Stewart-Haas Racing like Suarez replaced Busch after he was replaced at Joe Gibbs Racing by Martin Truex Jr.?
There are a ton of variables to consider here and no clear answers or even overwhelmingly likely scenarios at this point. There are several other smaller storylines to follow as well, but these are the big ones that will have major implications as they pertain to driver lineups for three of the top five teams in the Cup Series.
Meanwhile, expect the four-car driver lineup and the three-car driver lineup of the other two of these top five teams, Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske, respectively, to remain the same for the third consecutive year next year.
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When the dust settles, which drivers will drive for which teams in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season? Expect lots of driver confirmations to shape the driver lineup for next year in the near future, although the season is not scheduled to begin until the 62nd annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on Sunday, February 16.