CREW CHIEF: Billy Scott
TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing
POINTS: Seventh
WINS: One (Bristol II)
LAPS LED: 644 (Best since 2015 – 788)
TOP 5s: Six
TOP 10s: 22 (Career best; earned 21 top 10s four times previously in 2004, 2009, 2015 and 2016)
POLES: Five (Texas I, Michigan I, New Hampshire, Charlotte Roval and Talladega II)
WHAT WENT RIGHT: Scored eight consecutive top 10s from July through September, including his Bristol win in August … Part of the Stewart-Haas juggernaut that placed all four of its drivers in the playoffs.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Busch’s consistency failed him at Phoenix in the fall; he suffered his fourth accident of the season and did not finish … Busch began to hint that he would not return to Stewart-Haas in August … Started and ended 2018 on cold streaks. He finished outside the top 10 in six of the first nine races and five of the last 10.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2019: Busch moves to Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 for 2019 … Jamie McMurray failed to make the playoffs in this car in 2018, finishing 20th in the points … When announcing his move to CGR, Busch said 2019 could be his last full time season in Cup competition; this will be the fourth team Busch has raced with since leaving Team Penske in 2011.
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