NASCAR: 5 possible Chip Ganassi Racing drivers for 2021
By Asher Fair
Kyle Larson lost his ride with Chip Ganassi Racing after using a racial slur, and he was replaced by Matt Kenseth for the rest of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. But who are five possible drivers for the team in the 2021 season?
Kyle Larson, whose contract with Chip Ganassi Racing was set to come to an end at the conclusion of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, was widely considered the hottest pending free agent on the market, especially after Ryan Blaney signed a multi-year extension with Team Penske.
Larson, who had driven the #42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing since he replaced Juan Pablo Montoya and began competing full-time in the Cup Series back in 2014, had been rumored to join a few other teams next year.
He had been considered one of the frontrunners to replace retiring seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson behind the wheel of the #48 Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports, and he had been rumored as a potential replacement for one of the Stewart-Haas Racing drivers whose contracts are set to expire after this year.
After all, Stewart-Haas Racing team co-owner Tony Stewart, who shares a similar illustrious dirt racing background with Larson, wanted the 27-year-old Elk Grove, California native to replace him after he retired following the 2016 season.
But because Stewart announced his retirement more than one year before he actually retired, Larson was unable to sign a contract with another team at the time, per the specifics of his deal with Chip Ganassi Racing. Stewart ended up going with Clint Bowyer, who still drives the #14 Ford and is one of the team’s drivers who is in a contract year.
However, Larson lost his ride after using a racial slur back in April, and he remains suspended indefinitely by NASCAR. Chip Ganassi Racing replaced him with Matt Kenseth for the rest of the 2020 season, but there is no word yet on who will be behind the wheel of the #42 Chevrolet next year.
Kurt Busch, meanwhile, is under contract with Chip Ganassi Racing through the 2021 season after signing a two-year extension in November prior to the conclusion of his first year behind the wheel of the #1 Chevrolet. So who will pilot the #42 Chevrolet next year?
Here are five possible teammates for Busch in 2021.