Matt Kenseth made an appearance on Tuesday night’s Late Shift on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. In the interview, the topic of returning for another NASCAR Cup Series season came up. Kenseth quickly shut down the possibility, which was levied by host Brad Gillie.
Despite having a good time coming back to drive in 2020 and having a one-day race schedule that has fit in well with his family life at home, Kenseth said, “I would say It’s probably more than likely that I won’t be racing again next year. I have enjoyed it and I’m really glad I came back. We still have nine races to get running a little better.”
ICYMI: @mattkenseth joined @BradGillie & @BradDaugherty43 on tonight's Late Shift and talked about his plans for next season pic.twitter.com/4GREDYwWQu
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) September 9, 2020
While that is not a definitive answer, it certainly sounds like we are possibly seeing the final races of Kenseth’s illustrious NASCAR Cup Series career.
Kenseth, the 2003 NCS champion, shocked the world when he was announced as the replacement driver in Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 car after Kyle Larson was fired following uttering a racial slur during an iRacing event in April.
Despite not competing in the Series for over a year, the 48-year old became a trendy dark horse pick to sneak into the 2020 Playoffs as many expected him to contend for wins in the No. 42 machine, which Larson had won six races with in his career.
However, for Kenseth and CGR, the results just have not been there. Kenseth sits 27th in the championship standings and he has only recorded two top-10 finishes in his 23 starts this season.
Kenseth did have a near-win second place finish at Indianapolis, but other than that it has been a season of frustration for Kenseth. While he more than likely won’t utter the ‘R’ word (retire), as he never did after walking away following the 2018 season, expect to not see Kenseth driving on Sundays in 2021.
