NASCAR: 5 possible landing spots for Brad Keselowski in 2021
By Asher Fair
Stewart-Haas Racing
Should Brad Keselowski leave Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports is the clear number one destination for him. But in discussing the fact that he would be willing to listen to teams if they “dial in” although he would not be “dialing out”, he added that there are “a lot of really good rides out there”.
Two of them are at Stewart-Haas Racing, and considering the fact that they have not maintained the same driver lineup from one year to the next since between the 2015 and 2016 seasons, this could set up a very interesting scenario.
Keselowski already drives a Ford, and this is the only logical team change that would entail him going to another top-tier team but would not require him to move to either Chevrolet or Toyota.
Kevin Harvick is already signed through the 2023 season and rookie Cole Custer is seen as a long-term option, but the contracts of Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola both expire after the 2020 season.
Both drivers signed one-year deals late last season to continue driving the #14 Ford and #10 Ford, respectively, in 2020, but neither driver has won a race since the 2018 season.
Stewart-Haas Racing already have several other options, such as promoting Xfinity Series driver Chase Briscoe, hiring Corey LaJoie, who drives for the Stewart-Haas Racing-affiliated Go Fas Racing team, or even bringing in Kyle Larson from Chip Ganassi Racing.
Team co-owner Tony Stewart wanted to hire Larson as his replacement ahead of the 2017 season, but the specifics of his deal with Chip Ganassi Racing would not allow that since Stewart ended up confirming Bowyer as his replacement in September of 2015, more than one year beforehand.
But Keselowski can’t be ignored, either.