NASCAR: 5 possible Stewart-Haas Racing drivers for 2021
By Asher Fair
Possible 2021 Stewart-Haas Racing drivers: Erik Jones
Erik Jones is another member of what was a loaded class of free agents for the 2021 Cup Series season, but he is also one of the drivers who entered the 2020 season on the hot seat.
In the 2019 season, he was the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver who failed to qualify for the Championship 4, and he did not make it out of the round of 16, just like in the 2018 season. Since he joined the team in 2018, he has won two races. Joe Gibbs Racing’s other drivers have won 34 races since then.
More from NASCAR Cup Series
- NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
- NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
- NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
- NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
- NASCAR team adds third car, names driver for 2024 Daytona 500
With Christopher Bell waiting in the wings at the Joe Gibbs Racing-affiliated Leavine Family Racing team and Leavine Family Racing set to shut down after 2020, Jones was given the boot and will not be back in the 2021 season.
While Jones is even younger than Bell and more than 11 years younger than any of the other three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, none of the other drivers have any plans to retire anytime soon, so it made more sense for Joe Gibbs Racing to replace him with Bell than to keep him around just to ensure that he is there for five or 10 years down the road.
But that doesn’t mean another team such as Stewart-Haas Racing wouldn’t want him.
This path would closely mirror that of Daniel Suarez. In 2017, he was the only one of the four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers who failed to qualify for the playoffs. In 2018, the same was the case, and he was the only one of the team’s drivers (over both seasons) who failed to win a race in either year.
Stewart-Haas Racing gave him another chance in 2019.
Don’t rule out the same being done for Erik Jones, especially given the fact that he has proven that when he is on a roll, he can run up front at any venue and he is capable of winning, something Suarez never proved.
Next. Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time. dark
Which drivers, if any, discussed in this article will be members of Stewart-Haas Racing’s four-car driver lineup for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season? Will a driver not discussed end up with the team?