Why Matt Kenseth Still Deserves a Top Ride in NASCAR

By Kayla Gipson | Jul 11, 2017

BRISTOL, TN - APRIL 21: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 DeWalt Toyota, drives during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 21, 2017 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

After Matt Kenseth’s recent announcement, there have been rumors as to where he will end up in 2018. Here are a few reasons why he still deserves a top ride.

As everyone knows by now, there is a high possibility that Matt Kenseth will not be back with Joe Gibbs Racing. However, he still deserves a top ride in NASCAR, and that is what I am here to talk about, whether it be with Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart-Haas Racing or Team Penske.

The #20 car that Kenseth currently drives will more than likely be filled by Erik Jones in 2018. There are many rumors floating around that Kenseth will take over the #77 at Furniture Row Racing that Jones currently drives. I think, however, that Kenseth still deserves to be in a top ride for the 2018 season.

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One reason why most owners will not give him a chance is his age. At age 45, Kenseth is the oldest active full-time driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series. That alone could be enough to scare teams away.

However, he has been very successful over his 18-year career as a full-timer driver with 38 wins, 174 top 5 finishes, 315 top 10 finishes and 19 poles. He also has two Daytona 500 wins and won the championship in 2003.

While the young guys are the future of the sport, some are not just not ready, and Kenseth could step right in and perform at a high level with a top-tier team.

William Bryon will succeed in the Cup Series. There is no doubt about that. However, this season is his very first season in the Xfinity series. Just like anyone else in their first season in the Xfinity series, there is a learning curve, and that learning curve will be even steeper in the Cup Series.

Alex Bowman is also a great kid. But the fact of the matter is, he hasn’t driven a full season in any NASCAR series in two years. Yes, he did fill in for a couple of races last season, but he shared some of the replacement time of Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Jeff Gordon.

Kenseth’s nickname is “Mr. Consistency,” and for a good reason too. Look no further than this past weekend’s race at Kentucky. Other than the slight incident with Bubba Wallace at the end of the race, Kenseth stayed pretty much in the top 10 for the entire race.

Another thing teams can look at is how mild-mannered he is. He’s not really an outspoken driver. He might be a little sarcastic from time to time and other than the dust-up between Joey Logano and him back in 2015, he is a clean driver.

Kenseth has said he still fells like he has more wins left in him and doesn’t want to retire just yet. I think that he should either takes over driving the #88 for Hendrick Motorsports currently driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr. or the #10 for Stewart-Haas Racing currently driven by Danica Patrick. Or, he should help build a foundation for another team. But one thing is for sure. Kenseth doesn’t deserve to drive for a one or two-car underfunded team. He is way too talented for that.

Next: Top 5 Candidates To Replace Danica Patrick in 2018

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