If Kurt Busch and Stewart-Haas Racing can’t find their way back together again, it’s possible the elder Busch brother could find his way to a new team and manufacturer.
Kurt Busch continues to have one of the more fascinating job situations in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage. Last season, he won the Daytona 500, ensuring he would be in the playoffs, though he was a non-factor once he got there. Stewart-Haas Racing seemed unwilling to commit to him, allowing his contract to expire without picking up his option, though Tony Stewart maintained all along Busch would be back.
Sure enough, the two sides reached an agreement for Busch to drive the No. 41 Ford again in 2018, complete with Monster Energy aboard once again as one of the major sponsors. Though the 39-year-old Las Vegas native is winless this year, he’s arguably been better overall, with 11 top-10 finishes through New Hampshire.
Yet he finds himself in limbo for the second straight season, with his future in 2019 and beyond uncertain. So far, SHR has said that it expects to have the same driver lineup in ’19. But Silly Season rumors about the status quo aren’t much fun, so let’s try a different one.
Take it away, SportBusiness Journal reporter Adam Stern:
.@StewartHaasRcng has insisted that it expects all four Cup drivers back in '19, but there continues to be rumblings over the possibility that @KurtBusch could be out.
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) July 27, 2018
➖ @RCRracing is getting mentioned as an option if he did leave but a source close to RCR said that's unlikely. pic.twitter.com/tUU9oUR9mu
Note that he cites a source calling the move unlikely, which might throw some cold water on it right away. Still, Busch moving to Richard Childress Racing would make some sense for both team and driver if he and SHR can’t work things out this time around.
Richard Childress Racing was a three-car operation as recently as last season, but decided to simply shutter the 27 team, though it has run Daniel Hemric in a very limited schedule in the No. 8 Chevrolet. If the team decides Hemric isn’t ready to move up but still wants to have a third car back on the track, a former Cup Series champion like Busch would be a pretty solid option. That would buy RCR some time on Hemric — though he might not need it, considering he’s the current XFINITY Series points leader — and give it the possibility to move on from the aging Ryan Newman or Busch when necessary.
Sponsorship would be a valid concern, but it’s fair to wonder if given his long association with the brand if Busch could convince Monster Energy to come with him. Next season is going to be its last as the Cup Series title sponsor, but almost everyone expects Monster to maintain a big presence in the sport through 2020 and beyond, and backing Busch would certainly fit into those plans.
Busch is known primarily as a Ford guy from his time with Roush Racing and now with Stewart-Haas, but he’s actually spent nearly as many seasons wheeling a Chevy. Stewart-Haas Racing could replace him with Cole Custer, who’s having an excellent XFINITY Series season himself.
There are a lot of moving pieces to this particular rumor, but that’s part of what makes it intriguing. We’ll file this one away as unlikely but possible until more announcements are made for 2019.