NASCAR: The ‘confirmed’ driver change that never happened

One driver change was confirmed in October 2020 for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. That change never ended up happening.

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway in under two and a half months with the 64th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, but much of the driver lineup for next year has been set following a bizarre silly season that saw quite a few unexpected changes.

Interestingly, one of those unexpected changes prevented a previously “confirmed” change from happening for next year.

In October 2020, the initial plan was for Team Penske Xfinity Series Austin Cindric to replace Matt DiBenedetto behind the wheel of the #21 Ford at the Team Penske-affiliated Wood Brothers Racing for the 2021 season.

But due to DiBenedetto’s late-season performance, Team Penske changed their minds, and DiBenedetto was announced as the driver of the #21 Ford for 2021 instead. It was announced that Cindric would stay in the Xfinity Series for another year.

However, along with that announcement came the confirmation that the 2021 season would be DiBenedetto’s last with the team and that Cindric would indeed be replacing him for 2022.

So why is former Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series driver Harrison Burton set to replace DiBenedetto in 2022?

This whole situation is rooted in the contract extension that Brad Keselowski signed with Team Penske in August 2020. Keselowski entered the 2020 season as a pending free agent but still agreed to return to the team for 2021. However, his extension did not run beyond the 2021 season.

A few months into the 2021 season, rumors began to swirl that the 2012 champion was in his 12th and final season with Roger Penske’s team and that he would be leaving to become not only a driver but a co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing for 2022 and beyond.

While not “confirmed”, the cat was clearly out of the bag, and it was obvious that he would not be back behind the wheel of the #2 Ford in 2022.

But who would replace him alongside Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano?

With DiBenedetto out of a ride at Wood Brothers Racing with Cindric set for a Cup Series promotion, he seemed like a logical option, especially after a solid two seasons in the #21 Ford.

However, it was Cindric who was announced as Keselowski’s replacement.

Only after Team Penske’s plans were sorted out did Roush Fenway Racing formally confirm Keselowski as the new driver of the #6 Ford for 2022, replacing Ryan Newman.

It has since been confirmed that the team will operate under the name RFK Racing, with the “K” obviously standing for their newest co-owner.

DiBenedetto still was not able to retain his ride, as Burton was named his replacement on the same day it was confirmed that Cindric would be skipping a previously “confirmed” move to Wood Brothers Racing in order to jump straight from the Captain’s Xfinity Series team to his Cup Series team for 2022.