NASCAR: 3 possible drivers for the #2 Team Penske Ford in 2021
By Asher Fair
Possible 2021 Team Penske drivers: Matt DiBenedetto
If Brad Keselowski should decide to leave Team Penske following the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, the most logical replacement for him behind the wheel of the #2 Ford would be Matt DiBenedetto. Team Penske’s most recent addition, Ryan Blaney, competed for Wood Brothers Racing before he was promoted to Team Penske ahead of the 2018 season.
DiBenedetto is in his first season driving the #21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, which have a technical alliance with Team Penske, after Paul Menard retired and told the team that they needed to replace him with DiBenedetto.
By that point, DiBenedetto had been informed that he would be losing his ride behind the wheel of the #95 Toyota at Leavine Family Racing following the 2019 season.
DiBenedetto has had a solid first season competing for the Wood Brothers, although he has yet to notch his first career victory and what would be the team’s 100th overall and first since Blaney won at Pocono Raceway in June of 2017.
The 28-year-old Grass Valley, California native sits in 13th place in the championship standings with a solid chance of making the playoffs for the first time in his six-year career at NASCAR’s top level. He tied his career-high finish with a second place run behind Joey Logano at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the season’s second race, and he finished in third at Kentucky Speedway.
But if Team Penske opt to go with a younger driver over the more experienced DiBenedetto, the choice is obvious.