Because the one thing Stewart-Haas Racing needs to be even more of a powerhouse in 2019 is the 2017 — and potential 2018 — Cup Series champion.
Believe Martin Truex Jr. when he says he doesn’t want to leave Furniture Row Racing. The team from Denver that does things its own unique way has been great for him, as he has for it. But he’s also a realist, and he knows that he might have to entertain thoughts of going elsewhere for 2019. Somewhere like, say, Stewart-Haas Racing.
Yes, two of the Big 3 on the same team, as crazy as that sounds.
Let’s back up a step. The reason there’s even speculation about Truex moving on is business-related, as 5-hour Energy is leaving as a sponsor of Truex’s car (and NASCAR in general) in a few months. That company has been on the No. 78 Toyota for a big chunk of the 2018 season, leaving a huge void for next year that won’t be easy to fill.
Truex is well aware of this, which is why he was open about the possibility that it might not work out for him to stay when asked by the media at Bristol about whether he might be forced to look for other offers.
"Right now, we need sponsorship. That’s as simple as it gets. So it’s hard to say. Is there a 50 percent chance we get that in a couple weeks or is there a 100 percent chance or is there 2 percent, I don’t know. I can tell you that everything really is based upon that."
It’s pretty safe to say Furniture Row will do anything it can to keep Truex in the fold, as losing him would add to its cascading sponsorship issues and the team might never truly recover. But let’s assume, just for the sake of argument, that he has to race elsewhere.
Not many teams would be able to ensure Truex stays in championship-contending form and would potentially have an open seat. In fact, as ESPN’s Bob Pockrass connects the dots for us, there’s really only one.
"If Truex leaves, he could end up at Stewart-Haas Racing if Kurt Busch does not return to the team. Busch’s contract is up at the end of the year, and Busch said he has been in discussions with several teams but has not signed a 2019 deal."
Lots of rumors swirled about the No. 41 Ford last year at this time as well, but Busch eventually ended up returning to SHR. This time, though, feels different, since the team reportedly even sent feelers out to Kasey Kahne. With all due respect to the soon to be retired Kahne, Truex would be a massive upgrade. He’d even be a step up from Busch, and there aren’t all that many drivers out there who could say that.
If Truex would really end up as a free agent, other teams would certainly come calling. You’d have to expect that Chip Ganassi Racing might reach out if it decides to move on from Jamie McMurray, or that Richard Childress Racing could be tempted to fire its third team back up in an effort to reclaim some of its lost luster. But Stewart-Haas Racing would just be much easier and has proven to be a power in the current NASCAR scene, which would have to appeal to Truex.
A 2019 driver lineup of Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola and Truex would be an intimidating one, as would having two of this year’s Big 3 on the same squad. It doesn’t sound like it’s necessarily likely to happen, but even the fact that it’s a possibility is intriguing, exciting and a little scary all at the same time.