Chris Buescher will not return to JTG Daugherty Racing in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season after being confirmed at Roush Fenway Racing as the replacement for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Who will replace Buescher?
In his fourth season in the NASCAR Cup Series and in his third consecutive season driving for JTG Daugherty Racing, Chris Buescher and the team were reportedly nearing a deal to keep Buescher behind the wheel of the #37 Chevrolet in the 2020 season.
But before a deal could be reached between the two-car Chevrolet team and the 26-year-old Prosper, Texas native, Buescher was confirmed at Roush Fenway Racing.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had previously been confirmed as the driver of the #17 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing through the 2021 season. But the team ended up announcing that he would not return next year, and they confirmed Buescher as his replacement.
Buescher drove for Roush Fenway Racing in the Xfinity Series in the 2014 and 2015 seasons before he was promoted to the Cup Series. He won the 2015 Xfinity Series championship driving for the team.
Ryan Preece, the rookie driver of the #47 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing, is believed to be set to return to the team next year. But as for the #37 Chevrolet, who will replace Buescher?
Daniel Hemric
Rookie Daniel Hemric signed with Richard Childress Racing ahead of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season to drive the #8 Chevrolet. He signed a two-year contract, although the team had the option of ending that contract after one season.
It was recently announced that that is exactly what they will do, likely to promote superstar Xfinity Series driver Tyler Reddick to the Cup Series. Hemric will not return to Richard Childress Racing next year, and he does not currently have another ride lined up.
Hemric has not had a terrible rookie season, so many found Richard Childress Racing’s decision to axe him after just one season unfair, aside of the fact that Reddick appears to be far more ready for a full-time Cup Series ride with the team. Many fans took exception to the fact that Childress’s grandson Austin Dillon still has his ride with the team.
Hemric finished in a career-high fifth place finish in the race at Talladega Superspeedway in late April, and he finished in seventh in the race at Pocono Raceway in late July. He currently leads the Rookie of the Year standings over current JTG Daugherty Racing driver Ryan Preece.
Across NASCAR’s top three national series, Hemric has never won a race in five seasons, including two full seasons in the Truck Series and two full seasons in the Xfinity Series. But it was his consistency in the Truck Series that landed him in the Xfinity Series, and it was his consistency there, which resulted in two Championship 4 appearances, that landed him in the Cup Series.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better driver who hasn’t won in any of NASCAR’s top three national series than the 28-year-old Kannapolis, North Carolina native, and with Chris Buescher’s consistency having been through the roof with 16 consecutive top 18 finishes at one point this season, Hemric and JTG Daugherty Racing could be a perfect match.
Ross Chastain
Ross Chastain, also known as the “Busiest Driver in NASCAR”, has proven over the last year that he is deserving of a solid ride in NASCAR, regardless of the series. After beginning the year as a full-time Xfinity Series driver for JD Motorsports, he declared for Truck Series points and is a championship contender driving for Niece Motorsports.
In addition to winning three Truck Series races in 19 starts so far this season, four if you include his victory at Iowa Speedway that was stripped from him after his #44 Chevrolet failed post-race inspection, the 26-year-old Alva, Florida won the Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway driving for Kaulig Racing.
The Watermelon Man has been rumored to join Chip Ganassi Racing in the Cup Series when the seat of the #1 Chevrolet becomes available, although it is believed that Kurt Busch will return to the team for at least another year with Monster Energy as his primary sponsor.
In three races driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Xfinity Series last season, Chastain showed what he can do in top-tier equipment — even before he did so in the Truck Series this year. In fact, he was slated to drive for the team in the Xfinity Series on a full-time basis this season, but the team ended up folding due to legal issues involving sponsor DC Solar.
Chastain already competes in the Cup Series — and full-time, albeit not for points. He drives for Premium Motorsports, so a move to JTG Daugherty Racing would definitely be a step up for him from a backmarker team to a mid-pack team.
The question is whether or not he would be willing to give up a competitive ride in the Truck Series/Xfinity Series to compete for points in a mid-pack Cup Series team.
Perhaps a Truck Series championship this November could make his decision easier.
Plus, even if Chastain does end up at JTG Daugherty Racing, it’s hard to see him falling off Chip Ganassi’s radar. A one-year deal with JTG Daugherty Racing could be the way to go for the blossoming star with Busch looking like he won’t be competing in the Cup Series for too many more years.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Not even two months after it was “confirmed” that Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would continue driving the #17 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing through the 2021 season, it was “really” confirmed that Stenhouse will not be returning to the team even for the 2020 season.
As a result, the 31-year-old Olive Branch, Mississippi native is currently without a full-time ride for the 2020 season, something he hasn’t been able to say since the 2009 season before he joined Roush Fenway Racing as a full-time Xfinity Series driver.
Stenhouse has only ever driving for Roush Fenway Racing in NASCAR, as he drove for the team from the 2010 season through the 2012 season in the Xfinity Series and won the 2011 and 2012 championships before he was promoted to Roush Fenway Racing’s Cup Series team as the replacement for Matt Kenseth. He has driven the #17 Ford ever since.
With Chris Buescher set to replace him from JTG Daugherty Racing even after JTG Daugherty Racing were confident that Buescher would return to the organization for a fourth season next year, could an effective driver swap be in order?
The team clearly weren’t ready for Buescher to leave, and Stenhouse clearly wasn’t ready to leave Roush Fenway Racing. The two sides agreeing to a one-year contract with an additional option could be the best-case scenario for everyone involved given Stenhouse’s experience and JTG Daughtery Racing’s established place as a mid-pack team.
Brett Moffitt
Ex-NASCAR Cup Series driver Brett Moffitt, who has competed in one of NASCAR’s top three national series on some level since the 2012 season, got his first proper (and full-time) chance to compete in NASCAR last year.
Moffitt drove for Hattori Racing Enterprises in the Truck Series in 2018. He entered the season with one career Truck Series victory in the 2016 race at Michigan International Speedway driving for Red Horse Racing.
In the 2018 season, Moffitt delivered Hattori Racing Enterprises their first championship after earning a series-high six victories. But due to funding issues, the team had to cut him after the season ended, and they ended up signing Austin Hill for the 2019 season.
Moffitt ended up landing with GMS Racing for the 2019 season, and he has picked up exactly where he left off. With a series-high (not including Kyle Busch) four victories, he is well-positioned to make another championship run and perhaps win two championships for two teams in two seasons.
The 27-year-old Grimes, Iowa native has done nothing but make the most of the the two true chances he has been given in NASCAR over the course of his eight-year career in the sport, and having already competed in 45 Cup Series races, he is one of the few Truck Series drivers who could be promoted straight to the Cup Series and fit right in with a decent team.
JTG Daugherty Racing are certainly a decent team, and with a seat open, they could be the perfect fit for Moffitt to take that step.
John Hunter Nemechek
After four consecutive seasons, including two full-time seasons, of winning at least one Truck Series race driving for the family-owned NEMCO Motorsports, John Hunter Nemechek landed his first full-time Xfinity Series ride for the 2019 season.
Nemechek currently drives the #23 Chevrolet for GMS Racing after driving part-time and winning one race for Chip Ganassi Racing in what was his first season in the Xfinity Series last year.
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He landed his ride with GMS Racing after Chip Ganassi Racing named Ross Chastain their full-time Xfinity Series driver for this season, although that ended up falling through due to a legal issue involving sponsor DC Solar, which prevented the team from competing at all this year.
The 22-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina native is one of the more under-the-radar Cup Series prospects as it pertains to both the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. He hasn’t yet won a race this season, but he has recorded 13 top 10 finishes, including four top five finishes, through the first 27 races driving for the mid-pack team, and he qualified for the playoffs as a result of his success.
There are already rumors that GMS Racing may shutter their Xfinity Series team after the 2019 season comes to an end, which would leave Nemechek without a ride for the 2020 season.
He has demonstrated over the course of several seasons in the Truck Series and Xfinity Series that he has what it takes to compete in the Cup Series. The opening at JTG Daugherty Racing could give him the opportunity to do that.
With Chris Buescher on his way to Roush Fenway Racing to replace Ricky Stenhouse Jr. behind the wheel of the #17 Ford in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, who will replace Buescher behind the wheel of the #37 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing next year?