Several NASCAR Cup Series drivers have changed teams from the 2018 season to the 2019 season. Here is where these drivers are set to drive in 2019.
Several NASCAR Cup Series drivers, 22 to be exact, are set to drive for the same teams for which they drove in the 2018 season in the 2019 season, meaning that 12 of the 34 drivers who are set to compete full-time this season are set to drive for teams for which they did not drive full-time last season.
Of these 12 drivers, five competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series last season and therefore have switched teams from last season while five did not and therefore have not technically “switched teams” from the 2018 season to the 2019 season.
Also, two competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series last season but have not technically “switched teams”, as they have simply been promoted to full-time roles for the 2019 season.
Here is a quick rundown of these 12 drivers, in alphabetical order.
Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch is set to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing as the replacement for Jamie McMurray behind the wheel of the #1 Chevrolet after driving the #41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the 2018 season. He is set to be replaced by Daniel Suarez.
Landon Cassill
Landon Cassill should have an asterisk beside his name here because of the fact that he is not exactly set to “switch teams”. He drove part-time for StarCom Racing in the 2018 season, as he competed in 29 of the season’s 36 races. He drove the #00 Chevrolet and the #99 Chevrolet. He is set to become the full-time driver of the #00 Chevrolet.
Ross Chastain
Ross Chastain should also have an asterisk beside his name here because of the fact that he is also not exactly set to “switch teams”. He nearly drove full-time for Premium Motorsports in the 2019 season, as he competed in 34 of the season’s 36 races. He drove the #15 Chevrolet last season and is set to become the full-time driver of the #15 Chevrolet this season.
However, just like last season, Chastain will not be eligible to earn points in the Cup Series this season as a result of the fact that he is set to drive full-time and earn points in the Xfinity Series this season.
Matt DiBenedetto
Matt DiBenedetto is set to drive for Leavine Family Racing as the replacement for Kasey Kahne behind the wheel of the #95 Chevrolet-turned-Toyota after driving the #32 Go Fas Racing Ford in the 2018 season. He is set to be replaced by Corey LaJoie.
Daniel Hemric
Daniel Hemric is set to drive for Richard Childress Racing as the replacement for Ryan Newman behind the wheel of the #31-turned-#8 Chevrolet. He has never previously competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman is set to drive for Roush Fenway Racing as the replacement for Trevor Bayne and Matt Kenseth behind the wheel of the #6 Ford after driving the #31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the 2018 season. He is set to be replaced by Daniel Hemric.
Ryan Preece
Ryan Preece is set to drive for JTG Daugherty Racing as the replacement for A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel of the #47 Chevrolet. He has never previously competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Corey LaJoie
Corey LaJoie is set to drive for Go Fas Racing as the replacement for Matt DiBenedetto behind the wheel of the #32 Ford after driving the #72 TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet on a part-time basis in the 2018 season. It is not yet known who will drive the #72 Chevrolet in the 2019 season.
Daniel Suarez
Daniel Suarez is set to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing as the replacement for Kurt Busch behind the wheel of the #41 Ford after driving the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the 2018 season. He is set to be replaced by Martin Truex Jr.
Matt Tifft
Matt Tifft is set to drive for Front Row Motorsports as the team’s third driver behind the wheel of the #36 Ford and is therefore not replacing anybody. He has never previously competed in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr. is set to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing as the replacement for Daniel Suarez behind the wheel of the #19 Toyota after driving the #78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota in the 2018 season. He is not set to be replaced by anybody as a result of the fact that Furniture Row Racing shut down following the conclusion of the 2018 season.
On a side note…
There are three drivers who competed full-time in the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season but are not set to return to the sport for the 2019 season. Those drivers are JTG Daugherty Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger, Leavine Family Racing’s Kasey Kahne, who missed several races in the 2018 season due to health concerns, and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Jamie McMurray.
Roush Fenway Racing’s Trevor Bayne and Matt Kenseth, who shared the driving duties of the #6 Ford in the 2018 season, are also not set to return to the sport in the 2019 season.
The 22 drivers who are set to stay put from the 2018 season to the 2019 season are Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick, Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones, Front Row Motorsports teammates Michael McDowell and David Ragan, JTG Daugherty Racing’s Chris Buescher, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, Germain Racing’s Ty Dillon, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson, Wood Brothers Racing’s Paul Menard, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Richard Petty Motorsports’ Darrell Wallace Jr.
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The 61st annual running of the Daytona 500 is scheduled to get the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season underway on Sunday, February 17, so be sure not to miss it. This race is the first of 36 races on this year’s schedule, which you can see here, and it is set to take place at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
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