The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season will start this Sunday, February 18th with the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500. However, there will be a lot of new things to get used to for drivers, teams and fans alike.
One thing NASCAR fans will immediately notice new for the 2018 season is a brand new look for Chevrolet. The manufacturer has left the Chevrolet SS behind as the car they field in NASCAR’s top division and fans will now see the Camaro ZL1 racing around the track in the Monster Energy Cup Series.
Fans of Richard Petty Motorsports will see a change as well. The King’s race teams are no longer under the Ford banner and will be racing with the “bow tie” of Chevy on their cars. This move is a part of the team joining forces with Richard Childress Racing for the 2018 season.
The most noticeable change from the governing body is that NASCAR has trimmed down the amount of crew members that can actually service the car during pit stops. The “over the wall” team can now only include five members instead of the six in the past.
Some big names in NASCAR will no longer be at the drivers meeting each week including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Danica Patrick. Danica will be there for the Daytona 500 as she will drive the Premium Motorsports #7 Go Daddy Chevrolet for the Daytona 500, but she is no longer a full-time driver in NASCAR.
That brings us to the massive seat shuffle for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for the 2018 season. Here are the drivers that will be racing in different cars than we saw last year…
Chase Elliott remains Hendrick Motorsports, but his car number will now be #9.
Aric Almirola will race the #10 car for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Ryan Blaney will drive the #12 car for Team Penske.
Erik Jones will be behind the wheel of the #20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Paul Menard moves to the #21 car with Wood Brothers Racing.
William Byron will race the Hendrick Motorsports #24 car.
Michael McDowell jumps into the #34 car for Front Row Motorsports.
Darrell Wallace Jr. will race the historic #43 for Richard Petty Motorsports.
Alex Bowman takes over the #88 car for Hendrick Motorsports.
Kasey Kahne moves to the #95 seat for Leavine Family Racing.
One of the drivers in a new ride has already served notice that he plans on doing great things with his newly acquired opportunity. Alex Bowman drove the #88 Chevrolet to a pole position win in qualifying last weekend. Denny Hamlin put his #11 Toyota on the front row in the second place starting position for the race.
The remaining starting lineup for the Daytona 500 will be determined later today (2/15) with the Can-Am Duel qualifying races. You can see more details about those races at NASCAR.com here.
How will what seems to be the “New NASCAR” more than any season in recent memory perform for teams and fans? We will all find out together as the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season beings this Sunday, February 18th with the Daytona 500, the “Great American Race,” starting at 1:30 PM central time (2:30 PM eastern time) for 200 laps (500 miles) around the Daytona International Speedway.
By: Buck Stevens
