NASCAR: Brad Keselowski quiet on 2021 ride as rumors swirl

By Asher Fair | Aug 3, 2020

Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, New Hampshire, NASCAR (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

Brad Keselowski still doesn’t have a deal to compete in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, and the rumors have heated up following his win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Brad Keselowski signed a three-year contract extension with Team Penske back in July of 2017, and that deal is set to expire at the end of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Despite the fact that Joey Logano is already under contract with the team through the 2023 season and the fact that they signed Ryan Blaney to an extension back in March after just three races in 2020, Keselowski still doesn’t have a deal done to compete next year.

The 36-year-old Rochester Hills, Michigan native is still performing at a level that is more than high enough to warrant another deal, as he sits in second place in the championship standings through 20 races with three victories, most recently his dominant win in Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

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Keselowski has previously said that he was hopeful about a deal being done in the near future, but he has not elaborated on whether this meant an extension with Team Penske, the only team for which he has competed since becoming a full-time driver back in 2010.

After Blaney signed his extension, Keselowski noted that while he wouldn’t be “dialing out” to other teams with open seats, he would be willing to field offers should other teams “dial in”. With so many teams still having open seats for 2021, it is hard to envision a scenario in which he has yet to be contacted from the outside.

Most notably, Keselowski has been rumored to take over behind the wheel of the #48 Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports after seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson retires following the 2020 season.

Keselowski drove for the Rick Hendrick co-owned JR Motorsports team in the Xfinity Series back in 2008 and 2009, and had Hendrick Motorsports had room for him when he ascended to NASCAR’s top level of competition, he likely would have ended up there. Whenever an open seat emerges at Hendrick’s four-car team, Keselowski’s name is always mentioned.

But after his victory on Sunday, Keselowski did not have much to reveal about his 2021 contract situation.

Asked if he was in touch with teams other than Team Penske for the 2021 season, Keselowski deflected the question by stating simply that nothing has been signed.

“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.”

As for now, the rumors will continue.

“Nobody likes it,” Keselowski said of Silly Season. “There’s nobody really winning, I can tell you that. You try to keep perspective. I still have a great job. A lot of people don’t have a job at all. I don’t think what they want to do is hear me whine about mine.

“But then again, I do recognize if my contract had fallen differently, I would probably be in a much better place with respect to when it ran out time-wise. It’s part of it.”

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Other teams without completely confirmed driver lineups for next year include Stewart-Haas Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing.

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