Team Penske’s #2 Ford does not yet have a driver signed for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. Will Brad Keselowski be back, or will he be replaced?
Entering the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Team Penske had only secured one of their three drivers for the 2021 campaign, as they signed Joey Logano to a multi-year extension back in January of 2017 to continue driving the #22 Ford beyond next year.
Shortly after the 2020 season began, they signed Ryan Blaney to a multi-year contract extension to continue driving the #12 Ford. Blaney had been considered by many to be the top free agent on the market in what was slated to be a stacked free agent class.
Three races into the season, he sat atop the championship standings, and Team Penske decided not to wait any longer to make it official.
However, over five months later, Roger Penske’s organization still have the #2 Ford without a confirmed driver for next year.
Brad Keselowski has driven for the team since the 2010 season, and he has driven the #2 car since the 2011 season, but he has not ruled out leaving the team following the 2020 season should any of the other teams with open seats approach him with a contract offer.
Hendrick Motorsports is seen as his most likely landing spot outside of the Captain’s team, as seven-time Jimmie Johnson is set to retire after the 2020 season and vacate the #48 Chevrolet.
Who will drive the #2 Ford next year? Here are three possibilities.
Possible 2021 Team Penske drivers: Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski sticking around for what would be a 12th full season as a Team Penske driver next year makes sense. He has silently had one of the best seasons of his career this year and sits in second place in the championship standings with three victories through 20 races, and his average finish is the second best among all drivers at 8.6.
Asked about where things stand regarding his contract negotiations next season, the 36-year-old Rochester Hills, Michigan native did not offer up much information aside from the fact that nothing has been agreed upon but he remains “hopeful”.
“I hope,” he said. “It’s not there. I’m very hopeful. … Yeah, it’s a work in progress. The good thing is there’s progress. But nothing is done until it’s done, so I feel very hopeful.”
But what if a deal doesn’t get done? Better yet, what if that “progress” isn’t with Team Penske?
He did not address if his talks where with the team.
“I don’t have anything signed at the moment,” he said. “I’m hopeful to be real close. I’ll wait until that’s done before saying anything.”
Keselowski has, after all, been linked to seats at Hendrick Motorsports before throughout his career due to his ties to the team dating back to his days competing in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports. Had they had room for him when he was promoted to the Cup Series as a full-time driver with Team Penske in 2010, he may very well already be driving one of Rick Hendrick’s Chevrolets.
While he has only ever competed full-time for Team Penske, he could very well walk away after 2020. What if that happens? Here are two more options to drive the #2 Ford in 2021.
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.
Possible 2021 Team Penske drivers: Austin Cindric
Team Penske’s one and only NASCAR Xfinity Series driver is Austin Cindric. He is in his third season and second full season driving for the team, and he has made big strides since he began competing at the sport’s second highest level of competition.
More than halfway through last season, the 21-year-old Columbus, Ohio native had not won a race in 53 career starts. He proceeded to win two consecutive races at Watkins Glen International and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
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After a sixth place finish in the 2019 championship standings, he entered the 2020 season as one of the favorites to advance to the Championship 4. But he was still without an oval win, and 13 races into the year, he found himself on a 25-race win drought.
So what did he do? He went out and won three consecutive oval races, two at Kentucky Speedway and one at Texas Motor Speedway, to solidify himself as a true contender.
He also happens to be the son of Team Penske president of Tim Cindric, which, like it or not, does count for something.
With all things considered, his career trajectory has him ending up in one of Roger Penske’s Fords at NASCAR’s top level at some point. The big question seems to be whether or not he is ready for that promotion yet.
Will it happen as soon as the 2021 season, and if it does, will he have been rushed up the ladder to replace the driver for whom he drove when he finished in third place in the 2017 Truck Series championship standings?
Will Brad Keselowski re-sign with Team Penske for a 12th season next year, or will Matt DiBenedetto be called to replace him? If neither, will the team promote Austin Cindric from their Xfinity Series program?