Stewart-Haas, Furniture Row Racing Final Chances at Success for Kenseth

What do you get when a driver is approaching his twilight years, but still has some skills to offer, yet has his contract run out at the worst possible time?

In case this article’s headline didn’t already clue you in, it’s Matt Kenseth.

The 2003 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series champion has been a mainstay in the series since 2000 and may be out of a job at the end of the 2017 season.

Kenseth is currently in the final year of his contract at Joe Gibbs Racing and his replacement has already been named in rookie Erik Jones. Kenseth has 14 wins with JGR, including a runner up points finish in 2013. He currently sits on the Chase playoff bubble, 31 points ahead of Clint Bowyer with three races remaining in the regular season. With zero wins on the season, he is nowhere near secure for another shot at NASCAR’s most coveted prize.

A possible ride with Rick Hendrick Motorsports has also been ruled out as Alex Bowman and William Byron have already been named as drivers in HMS’ two vacant drivers seats.

So where does that leave the 45-year-old Kenseth, a driver who can be a valuable short-term asset to any team interested? Unfortunately, Kenseth’s contract running out comes at a time when teams are loading up for the long haul. Hendrick has young guns in Chase Elliott, Bowman and Byron, and JGR has Jones and Daniel Suarez.

That’s tough to answer at this point, but just for fun, let’s run through some possible scenarios:

Stewart-Haas Racing – With Danica Patrick possibly out of the No. 10 ride at the end of this season and plans for Kurt Busch currently unknown, Kenseth could still land a ride in a top-tier team. This could be Kenseth’s only shot at being a championship contender again during his final years in the Cup Series. SHR already has two championships to its name and seems to have a knack for revitalizing veteran drivers’ careers (see Harvick, Kevin and Busch, Kurt). While Patrick has not been able to replicate the success of her teammates and Clint Bowyer is still trying to find his groove, Kenseth could be a nice addition to this team.

See, the issue is with a championship driver like Kenseth, championship results are to be expected. Kenseth could still be a formidable on-track presence with second-tier teams like Petty Enterprises or the Wood Brothers, but not formidable enough to be in the final four come Homestead. I highly doubt Kenseth would settle for lower level teams and act as mere financial security for teams like Leavine Racing or JTG Daugherty and would rather retire.

Furniture Row Racing – Sure, the connection with Joe Gibbs Racing is still there and it’s not like Kenseth is leaving JGR on bad terms, but Furniture Row Racing has grown considerably from playing spoiler for top teams to actually being a top team. Martin Truex Jr. is soaring right now as the Cup Series’ top driver and rookie Erik Jones is having a solid season. Kenseth could very well benefit from this team because of his familiarity with the team’s similar engine package shared with JGR. I have no doubt Kenseth would do well here.

Richard Childress Racing – With Paul Menard heading over to the Wood Brothers to replace Ryan Blaney, the No. 27 ride has a vacancy should Richard Childress decide to keep three cars full-time in the Cup Series next year. This was the same team that helped Jeff Burton return to his winning ways in the mid-2000’s, so I don’t see why this team couldn’t do the same for Kenseth. Despite being relatively quiet in terms of victories in the past few seasons, RCR still has front-running potential that could help fuel Kenseth’s final years. However, I wouldn’t expect the best championship chances coming from here. Fun fact: RCR has not won a Cup Series championship since Dale Earnhardt in 1994. That was 23 years ago. Is RCR even considered a top-tier team now?

Petty Enterprises – The famous No. 43 could be another avenue for Kenseth. Aric Almirola’s contract ends this year and Bubba Wallace’s position with Richard Petty’s racing team is unknown at this time. Kenseth could provide a little extra oompf for this team, even though at this rate, Petty Enterprises is a second-tier team at best. And a championship driver like Kenseth would expect championship-like results. The same dilemma went for Kurt Busch in his years between Team Penske and SHR. Sure, it would be a secure ride for the short haul, but would Kenseth risk potentially lowering his stock value?