NASCAR’s biggest ‘secret’ for 2022 can finally be announced

The biggest “secret” of NASCAR silly season is all but official, with all the pieces in place. Now we just wait for the confirmation.

If it wasn’t a done deal already, it certainly is now. Now all we have to do is wait for Brad Keselowski to be confirmed as not only a driver but a co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing — actually, Roush-Fenway-Keselowski Racing — for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

This transition has been rumored for several months, and as soon as the rumors started to swirl, multiple reliable sources indicated that the move was likely.

A little bit later on, those same sources reported that it was a “done deal”, despite the fact that there was no confirmation from Keselowski, Roush Fenway Racing, or Keselowski’s current team, Team Penske.

The reason cited for why this move wasn’t made official was that it was out of respect for Team Penske and their driver lineup decision for 2022.

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But now Team Penske, as well as the Team Penske-affiliated Wood Brothers Racing, have completely solidified their driver lineups for the 2022 season, meaning that the biggest “secret” of silly season is on the verge of an official confirmation. Keselowski himself posted on Twitter about his departure from Roger Penske’s team.

Team Penske already had Ryan Blaney under contract to drive the #12 Ford for next year, and they already had Joey Logano under contract to drive the #22 Ford for next year.

Now they have confirmed that reigning Xfinity Series champion Austin Cindric is set to drive what is currently Keselowski’s #2 Ford next year.

It had been announced last season that Cindric would take over behind the wheel of the #21 Ford at Wood Brothers Racing, replacing Matt DiBenedetto after the 2021 season.

But with Keselowski’s future uncertain considering the fact that he only signed a one-year extension last season, Cindric moving right to Team Penske’s Cup Series operation was always seen as an option.

Meanwhile, DiBenedetto is now set to be replaced by Harrison Burton, who currently competes for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series.

A Keselowski move to Roush-Fenway-Keselowski Racing likely means that Ryan Newman, who currently pilots the #6 Ford, will be without a ride for 2022. Chris Buescher is seen as a long-term option for the team behind the wheel of the #17 Ford, and the idea of an expansion to three cars for the first time since 2016 doesn’t appear to be all that likely.