With David Ragan retiring from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition, Front Row Motorsports have a seat to fill. Here are five replacement candidates.
David Ragan has been a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver since the 2007 season and has collected two victories, including one at Daytona International Speedway in July of 2011 and another at Talladega Superspeedway in May of 2013.
Ragan started his career with Roush Fenway Racing, and after five years driving for the team, he signed with Front Row Motorsports. He then had a stint with Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2015 season, driving nine races in relief of the injured Kyle Busch, and he drove for Michael Waltrip Racing for the remainder of the season.
He drove for BK Racing in the 2016 season before returning to Front Row Motorsports, where he has driven ever since. But he announced Wednesday that he will be stepping away from full-time driving after the 2019 season.
With the absence of Ragan, Front Row Motorsports are going to have to find a replacement for him behind the wheel of the #38 Ford. There are multiple drivers who could take on that role.
Here are five replacement candidates for Ragan at Front Row Motorsports next year.
Cole Custer
Cole Custer has been incredible this season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving the #00 Ford for Stewart Haas Racing. He has won five races so far this season and is definitely one of the favorites to win the championship. To go along with his five victories, he has also recorded an additional six top five finishes.
This season has been Custer’s best season in the Xfinity Series since he began competing in it full-time two years ago. He currently sits in third place in the championship standings as the highest Ford driver, and he seems to be more than ready to make the next step to the Cup Series given his recent success.
Many have speculated about whether or not Custer will be promoted to the Cup Series next season with Stewart-Haas Racing, perhaps as the replacement for Clint Bowyer or Daniel Suarez. But with Ragan’s ride being open with a Ford-backed team, Custer could very well end up there if Stewart-Haas Racing opt to retain Bowyer and/or Suarez.
It seems like a sure thing that Custer will end up driving for Stewart-Haas Racing at some point in his Cup Series career, but I’m not sold on that being next year.
Austin Cindric
Another Ford driver in the NASCAR Xfintiy Series who could take over for David Ragan at Front Row Motorsports is Austin Cindric. The Team Penske driver is the hottest driver in the Xfinity Series right now, as he has won both of the last two races at Watkins Glen International and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the latter of which he started from the pole position.
The 2019 season is Cindric’s second season as a full-time Xfinity Series driver after he drove in one race for Team Penske in the 2017 season, and it is his first season as a full-time driver for Team Penske.
Last season, Cindric drove for both Team Penske and Roush Fenway Racing before landing his full-time ride with the former this season, and it has paid off this far. This has been a breakout season for him, as he has collected the first two victories of his career, and he has improved upon his average finish, bringing it to 9.0 so far this season after it was 17.0 last season. He is hitting his stride at the right time and appears poised to make a run at this year’s championship.
Even though Cindric is part of Team Penske, there are no openings with the team at the Cup Series level, and I do not see any seats opening up with the team at any point in the near future unless they add a fourth car, which I also do not see happened. As a result, If Cindric ends up competing full-time in the Cup Series, it could very well be with the Ford-backed Front Row Motorsports.
Chase Briscoe
The last of the current full-time Xfinity Series drivers discussed in this article is Chase Briscoe. Briscoe is the teammate to Custer at Stewart-Haas Racing, so he also drives a Ford. Sensing a theme here thus far? He has only ever driven Fords in NASCAR during his time competing in the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series.
Briscoe is in his second season and his first full season in the Xfinity Series this year. He recently secured his second career victory by winning the race at Iowa Speedway.
After competing in 17 races last season, he has improved, as his average finish was 18.2 last season despite the fact that he collected his first career victory in the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. So far this season, his average finish is less than half of that at 8.7.
Briscoe is definitely a driver on the rise, and a full-time Cup Series ride could add to the momentum that he has gained over the last few seasons.
If anybody gets the call to be promoted from the Xfinity Series to the Cup Series to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing, it would probably by Custer. But if nobody gets that call and Custer wants to wait until there is a spot for him on at the team before he moves up to the Cup Series, Briscoe could jump at the opportunity to drive for Front Row Motorsports.
Ross Chastain
Ross Chastain has raced in pretty much everything throughout NASCAR’s three national series this season. He has raced in 22 of the 23 Cup Series races that have been contested so far in 2019, and he has competed in 16 of the 22 Xfinity Series races that have been contested as well.
Chastain was slated to spend the season as a full-time Xfinity Series driver, but he declared for Truck Series points and has driven for Niece Motorsports in each of the season’s first 17 races. He has earned three wins so far this season and is considered one of the favorites to win the championship.
Chastain has been one of the most exciting drivers to watch as of late in the Truck Series. He is definitely must-watch television, especially when he gets into victory lane and smashes a watermelon.
He has been a crowd favorite wherever he races and in whatever series he races. It would be great for the Cup Series for him to land a full-time ride that gives him a chance to advance and succeed at the highest level of the sport.
Chastain landing a ride with an established team that have a decent amount of funding would be welcomed by fans. He would be a great addition for Front Row Motorsports, and he would bring a lot of positive publicity to the team.
Matt DiBenedetto
Matt DiBenedetto announced on Thursday morning that he will not return to Leavine Family Racing for the 2020 season.
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DiBenedetto is in the midst of the best season of his Cup Series career this year, as he currently sits in 23rd place in the championship standings with the first two top five finishes of his career. He has taken on the underdog role this season and really excelled in it. As of right now, it looks like Christopher Bell is going to take over the duties of driving the #95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota after this season.
This is a risky move on the part of Leavine Family Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, which have a technical alliance with one another. DiBenedetto has been coming into his own over the last several weeks with four top eight finishes in the last eight races. He had the potential to be a great addition to Joe Gibbs Racing in the future.
But even though he has lost his ride with Leavine Family Racing beyond the conclusion of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, DiBenedetto has way too much talent to not have a full-time ride.
Even though Front Row Motorsports would be a step down from Leavine Family Racing, DiBenedetto has the skills and knowledge to help that team grow and become competitive, much like what he has done driving the #95 Toyota. It would be silly for Front Row Motorsports to not at least reach out to him about a potential full-time ride for the 2020 season.