NASCAR Cup Series: Matt Kenseth returns to Roush Fenway Racing
By Asher Fair
He sat out the first 11 races of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season after he was released by Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2017 season. But now, Matt Kenseth is back with Roush Fenway Racing.
Last July, Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed what many people speculated. Matt Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion, would be replaced by Erik Jones, who was a rookie driving the #77 Toyota for Furniture Row Racing at the time, as the full-time driver of the #20 Toyota for the team in the 2018 Cup Series season.
After that, Kenseth was never able to secure a full-time ride for the 2018 Cup Series season. However, while many people believed that he had retired from the sport, the 46-year-old had done no such thing. In fact, he made it clear that he would be keeping his eyes open for opportunities that may arise.
That paid off, as Kenseth is set to return to the Cup Series after sitting out the first 11 races of the 2018 season.
More from NASCAR Cup Series
- NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
- NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
- NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
- NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
- NASCAR team adds third car, names driver for 2024 Daytona 500
He is set to return in this weekend’s KC Masterpiece 400 at the four-turn, 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway tri-oval in Kansas City, Kansas driving the #6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, the team for which he drove in the Cup Series in his first 13 seasons as a full-time driver in the sport starting back in the 2000 season and going all the way through the 2012 season. Roush Fenway Racing were previously known as Roush Racing prior to the start of the 2007 season.
The #6 Ford was driven full-time by 2011 Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne since the start of the 2015 season, but Bayne has never been able to deliver great results. In 119 races since the start of the 2015 season, Bayne, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November of 2013, has racked up just two podium finishes (both third place efforts) and two more top five finishes (both fifth place efforts). He has never finished higher than 22nd place in the championship standings.
Bayne is still set to compete in the #6 Ford on a part-time basis with Kenseth, although the schedule for those two drivers is unknown aside of the fact that Kenseth is set to make his return to the Cup Series this weekend and he will likely compete in the races at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the coming weeks, including the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race next Saturday, May 19 and the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 27.
In his 13 seasons driving for Roush Racing/Roush Fenway Racing before making the move to Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2013 season, Kenseth always drove the #17 Ford. For the first time ever, he is set to drive against the #17 Ford, which is driven full-time by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., as a member of Roush Fenway Racing.
Next: Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time
How will Matt Kenseth perform in his return to the NASCAR Cup Series this Saturday? Tune in to the live broadcast of the KC Masterpiece 400 from Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas on Saturday, May 12 at 8:00 pm ET to find out.