Two former champs with nothing set for 2018 |
Due to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s pending retirement, a soft sponsorship market, and events set in motion in the previous offseason (I’m looking at YOU, Carl Edwards), the 2017-18 Nascar “Silly Season” has been arguably the wildest on record—and its not even over yet! For those of you who’ve lost track, here is where we stand as of now, team-by-team—and what everybody needs:
Hendrick Motorsports needs…sponsorship and a driver—and some future stability would help. The latest domino to fall was the release of Kasey Kahne effective the end of this season. While the 48 and 24 teams are set, the 88 gets a new/familiar face with Alex Bowman stepping into Dale Jr.’s former ride next year. The long-suffering 5 car needs a new driver AND sponsors, with both Farmer’s Insurance and Great Clips leaving the team. To make matters more-shaky, it seems like every current sponsor’s contract expires after 2018, leaving Nascar’s powerhouse team with less-than-usual stability.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/Joe_Gibbs_Racing_logo.png)
Stewart-Haas Racing needs…sponsorship, and lots of it. The 4 team of Kevin Harvick is covered. Annnnnd that’s about it. The 41, 14, and 10 cars have all run with in-house sponsorship from Haas Automation (although in the 41’s case, that was planned), and the lack of funding has put Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick in situations where they have unsure plans for 2018. Busch has officially been made a free agent, while Patrick is said to be on a contract that only “renews” if sponsorship is present. Meanwhile, Clint Bowyer’s car still needs more sponsors to fill out the season.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Team_Penske_logo.png)
Richard Childress Racing needs…clarity and sponsorship—but mostly clarity. While the 3 and 31 cars of Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman seem to be set for 2018, the 27 is losing both its driver AND its full-season sponsor. This puts RCR in a confusing spot—do they bring over Ty Dillon from the satellite 13 team and try to find sponsorship? Do they merge with another team? Do they simply shut down the 27 team? Or do they move up a driver from their Xfinity program?
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c2/Roush_Fenway_Racing_logo.png)
Chip Ganassi Racing needs...sponsorship. Despite Kyle Larson developing into one of the sport’s brightest young stars, longtime sponsor Target has gone ahead with its plan to withdraw completely from motorsports at the end of the year. While Jamie McMurray’s 1 car seems to be on solid footing, Larson’s 42 car could have some gaping holes in its funding for 2018, although a new “multi-race sponsor” is due to be announced soon.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/27/Furniture_Row_Racing_logo.png)
JTG-Daugherty Racing needs…on-track performance. Unlike most of the other teams in Cup, JTG-D is on rock-solid footing with their sponsorship situation. Meanwhile, AJ Allmendinger is signed into the future, and Chris Buescher is due to return on another loan from RFR. Still, the team has struggled on intermediate tracks and rarely contends outside of plate races and road courses.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/Richard_Petty_Motorsports.png)
The Wood Brothers need…a charter. Signing Paul Menard and his family’s sponsorship puts the Wood Bros. on solid footing for the near future. All the team is missing now is a charter, having leased the one they are currently using.
The rest of the teams are pretty tough to figure, with deals usually being announced days before Daytona Speedweeks. There’s also rumors of teams shutting down (BK Racing) or moving up (GMS Racing). What does the future hold? Stay tuned.