Remaining Free Agents in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

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In the 2017 season drivers lost their rides or were replaced but a majority of them found a new home by Christmas time. A total of four drivers still have their destiny to be determined with just 56 days until the 60th Annual Daytona 500. The big positive is that there are still a good chunk of rides left, the only issue, most of those aren't competitive as most of those teams were filled during the final few races of the season.

These four drivers come from different varieties of backgrounds and funding backing. Two of which lost their rides at the end of the season while the other two on the list haven't reported whether they will return to their team in 2018.

Landon Cassill

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Landon Cassill was let go from Front Row Motorsports late in 2017 and was replaced by Michael McDowell. Cassill has been with the organization since 2016 and hasn't had much success. 

During his time at Front Row Motorsports, Cassill earned the best finish of 11th in the 2016 Spring race at Talladega. Cassill has a career best of fourth in the fall race in Talladega in 2014. His next start in the series will be his 260th start, he's been in the series since 2010. 

With the rides that are left, could we see Landon Cassill return to BK Racing? Cassill drove for BK Racing back in 2012 while since the organization has had a long lineup of drivers in 2017 that includes Corey LaJoie, Gray Gaulding, Brett Moffit, Stephen Leicht, Joey Gase, Alon Day, and Ryan Sieg. BK Racing is one of the only teams who doesn't have their future announced meaning he could land there. With Joe Falk and Circle Sport Racing splitting from Curtis Key and The Motorsports Group, Cassill could return to Circle Sport Racing in 2018. 

Jeffrey Earnhardt

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Jeffrey Earnhardt re-signed with Circle Sport TMG late in the season this year. Well after the season was over with the anxiety of not having a ride went from not being there to being at an all-time high when both parties announced they wouldn't continue into 2018, leaving Earnhardt without a ride. 

Earnhardt has been in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for three seasons, two full-time and one part-time. He's on the verge of making his 60th start in the series and should he return, he'll represent the Earnhardt name after his uncle Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired at the end of the 2017 season. He's finished 26th four times in his career which is his career-best finish, most recently at Kansas in the fall. 

Earnhardt raced a few races at the end of 2016 with BK Racing and it could be possible for that to happen again but he could also head to Premium Motorsports. Either way, we hope to see Earnhardt involved in some way in the series. 

Reed Sorenson 

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Reed Sorenson has raced with Premium Motorsports since Martinsville in the spring of 2016. He hasn't raced a full 36 race schedule since he drove with Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2014, that season Sorenson finished 34th in the standings.

He raced 28 races in 2017 with a best finish of 25th in both races at Kansas. Those were his best finishes with Premium since Daytona in July of 2016.

Sorenson's plans never really get revealed publicly and he normally just shows up on the entry list for the Daytona 500. He's attempted nine Daytona 500's and he's qualified for six of those. His best career finish in the Daytona 500 came in 2008 when he finished fifth. He hasn't competed in a Daytona 500 though since 2015 and has DNQ'ed the event the last two seasons. An interesting fact is that the Daytona 500 has been the only event that he's DNQ'ed the last two seasons.

Though we can expect him to return to Premium Motorsports in 2018, it's not on paper yet nor been announced yet which means that he's technically labeled a free agent.

Gray Gaulding 

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Gray Gaulding enters his third season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He competed in 27 of the 36 races this season with BK Racing and Premium Motorsports. He earned his career best finish of 9th at Talladega in October, one of the sole survivors of the chaotic Alabama 500. 

His future in the sport is unknown but we would expect both BK Racing and Premium Motorsports could be on the options list for 2018. Gaulding could return to The Motorsports Group and Curtis Key in 2018 being as they split with Joe Falk and Circle Sport. 

Joey Gase

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Joey Gase and Jimmy Means split at the end of 2017 so that Gase could focus on competing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The Cedar Rapids, IA native has raced in the XFINITY Series since 2011 and has secured one top-five finish at Talladega in 2015. 

Gase drove for three different teams in 2017 adding nine races to his career starts in the Cup series, that number is 22. Gase made his Cup debut with Go Fas Racing at Chicago in 2014 where he finished 37th. His best career finish though came earlier this season where he finished 21st with Jay Robinson and Premium Motorsports. 

As noted above, Gase left Jimmy Means to focus on his Cup series career. The options are as noted for most drivers above including Premium Motorsports and BK Racing. BK Racing hasn't run a third car since Ryan Ellis piloted the No. 93 at Texas in 2016.

Corey LaJoie 

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Corey LaJoie made his return to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2017 driving in 32 of the 36 races for BK Racing. His previous two starts came in 2014 with Randy Humphrey behind the wheel of the No. 77 at New Hampshire and Charlotte. Right off the gate in 2017, he earned a 24th place finish in the Daytona 500. At Daytona in July, LaJoie returned and finished 11th in the Coke Zero 400, his best career finish.

The son of two times NASCAR XFINITY Series Champion Randy LaJoie is another one of those BK Racing drivers who didn't state whether he would return to the organization in 2018. He's had success in the XFINITY Series driving for JGL Racing part time and has earned a total of nine finishes inside the top-20 with the organization. Should a good seat open in the XFINITY Series we could see him more in the series but we expect to see him in the Cup Series at least a few times in 2018.