Busch to replace McMurray at Ganassi (3rd Update)

Busch will take over the No. 1 Chevy from Jamie McMurray, who is going to run the Daytona 500 before retiring and taking on a new role as a TV analyst. Busch will run the No. 1 ride at Daytona, while McMurray will drive the No. 40.

UPDATE This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' with today's announcement.

09/11/18 Car owner Chip Ganassi told The Associated Press on Monday that he’s offered Jamie McMurray a contract to drive in next year’s Daytona 500 and then move into a leadership position with the team.

Such a move means the No. 1 car that McMurray has driven since 2010 would be open for next season.

McMurray declined to discuss his future plans on Friday. The Associated Press reported that Ganassi declined to comment on signing Kurt Busch for the No. 1 car for next year. Ganassi says McMurray has not decided if he will stay with the team or seek a full-time driving job elsewhere.

Ganassi looks to put McMurray out to pasture

09/01/18 Kurt Busch said Friday he has received two contract offers for next season but has not made a decision on where he will race.

The 2004 Cup champion’s contract with Stewart-Haas Racing expires after this season.

Busch did not say what teams have offered him contracts.

“It’s kind of the same thing as last year where the team at Stewart-Haas put me into free agency, it gives me the opportunity to talk to others," Busch said at Darlington Raceway. “I do have the loyalty and the respect from Monster Energy.

“As the sport evolves and the sport changes, it’s unique for me to understand more about the ownership side and how the different structures are set up. No updates. Just more information for me to digest. We’ll announce things when they get closer."

Gene Haas, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after Busch won at Bristol two weeks ago that he was not sure where Busch would race in 2019.

“I really think you need to talk to Kurt Busch and Chip Ganassi and Jamie McMurray. I think they know more than we do," Haas told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, referring to reports that Busch would leave Stewart-Haas Racing for Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 car next year. Dustin Long/NBCSN

08/11/18 Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch and one of his current sponsors, Monster Energy, will join Chip Ganassi Racing next season, Motorsport.com reports.

Busch, 40, is expected to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet for CGR, replacing veteran Jamie McMurray, who is in the last year of his current contract with the team, multiple sources confirmed.

An official announcement of the move does not appear to be imminent.

As is usually the case, a spokesman with CGR said the team does not discuss its driver contract discussions in public.

Asked for a comment, a SHR spokesperson provided the following statement, "Stewart-Haas Racing does not comment on the status of its contracts, be it driver or partner related. We appreciate your understanding."

Busch signed a one-year contract extension with SHR in December after the team originally declined to pick up an option. In an interview last month Busch said he had not yet begun talks with SHR about another extension.

“For me, I’ve just been racing, driving and performing, doing all the things I can do to exceed in all categories, whether it’s teammate things, things on the track," he said.

“I don’t know many drivers that have a primary sponsor with them. Monster Energy has been very loyal to me. It’s just a matter of when the time is to start talking about a contract. Last year, it went long just because I felt I deserved more.

“The landscape is changing in NASCAR on primary sponsorship values, teams with the purse and the guarantee that they get off the historical performance. There are a lot of things that move, so we’ll see how it all comes together."