All 4 Stewart-Haas Racing drivers expected to return for 2019 NASCAR season
By Nick Tylwalk
Now arguably the strongest team top to bottom in NASCAR, there’s no reason for Stewart-Haas Racing to change its lineup for next season.
There’s a reason “don’t mess with success” is a well-worn adage in sports, and Stewart-Haas Racing appears to be taking it to heart.
The team has been a powerhouse this season, racking up seven victories (five by Kevin Harvick and two by Clint Bowyer) in the first half of the 2018 NASCAR season. With that as a baseline, there’s no real reason to make any big changes, like the one that came after last year when Danica Patrick was replaced by Aric Almirola.
Indeed, Adam Stern of SportsBusiness Journal says that the Stewart-Haas Racing driver lineup should be exactly the same in 2019:
.@StewartHaasRcng tells @SBJSBD that it expects to have all four of its current drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series back with the team in 2019.
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) July 3, 2018
➖ @KurtBusch's extension last year was reportedly only for one year, so he would be extending again if indeed back in '19. pic.twitter.com/GZJzNF4osO
Stern points out the driver who might be a bit of a surprise to return, Kurt Busch. The veteran Cup Series competitor was briefly in limbo between 2017 and 2018 before agreeing on a deal that was only for this year, but even though Busch hasn’t won a race like he did in 2017, he’s run well overall and currently sits seventh in points, well within the playoff field.
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Similarly, Almirola has had his ups and downs, but he would also be in the playoffs if they started today, and he’s improved upon Patrick’s performance in the No. 10 Ford by leaps and bounds. Stewart-Haas Racing never did reveal the length of the contracts for either Almirola or Smithfield, which came to the team from Richard Petty Motorsports, but it makes perfect sense that SHR would keep both driver and sponsor around.
With Bowyer finding more of a groove and Harvick showing no signs of slowing down, this is a roster of drivers, cars and teams that is the envy of nearly the entire NASCAR Cup Series garage. Expect it to remain that way next year.