Report: Kurt Busch won’t return to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018
By Nick Tylwalk
It’s a sign of the times in NASCAR that the 2017 Daytona 500 winner could be looking for a new ride in 2018.
UPDATE: Stewart-Haas Racing has weighed in via Twitter, suggesting that Kurt Busch could, indeed, be back with the team in 2018.
We don't comment on contract status, but we expect @KurtBusch back in our @MonsterEnergy / @Haas_Automation Ford in '18. Just sayin'.
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) August 1, 2017
Our original post follows.
——————————
How much job security does winning the Daytona 500 get you these days? None, apparently, if you’re Kurt Busch.
Lee Spencer of Motorsport reports that Stewart-Haas Racing has told Busch it will not pick up his option for next season, effectively booting him from the No. 41 Ford and making him a free agent. With Danica Patrick’s status for 2018 also an open question, the SHR driver lineup could look very different next season.
The 38-year-old Busch seemed to have found a home at Stewart-Haas after some controversies for his previous teams, with co-owner Gene Haas comfortable enough to put his own company’s logo on the hood of the 41 for many of its races. But the performance of the 2004 Cup Series champion hasn’t been great outside of the Daytona triumph, as he’s managed just one other top-5 finish, no stage wins and would be on the outside of the playoff picture looking in were it not for his season-opening victory.
SHR is expected to remain at four cars for 2018, with Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer locked into the 4 and 14, respectively. Some of the best young drivers, like Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones, are already making moves to bigger teams for next season. But Stewart-Haas could have some interesting veteran options to replace Busch, including Matt Kenseth, who won’t return to Joe Gibbs Racing and so far has nothing announced.
Next: NASCAR announces new XFINITY, Truck Series limits for Cup Series drivers
As with so many NASCAR moves in this era, what SHR does next could come down to who brings the most sponsorship to the table. The team already had issues in that area with every driver but Harvick. Busch isn’t exactly the most sponsor-friendly competitor in the Cup Series garage, and that matters now more than ever.
In any case, Stewart-Haas Racing may be announcing a new driver or a downsized lineup soon, and Kurt Busch is likely looking for somewhere else to drive. Such is life in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2017.